Digital Commons Network^™

A Statewide Evaluation Of Fuel Treatment Effectiveness In Altering Wildfire Outcomes On Public Lands In Utah, Jamela Charmaine Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fuel treatments are land management activities that reduce living and dead flammable materials on the landscape to mitigate undesirable wildfire behavior and effects. Common treatments in the western United States include mechanical methods such as thinning and mastication, prescribed burns, and chemical methods, such as herbicide application. Treatments usually have multiple objectives, including reducing fire intensity, protecting natural and cultural resources, slowing or disrupting a potential future fire’s path, supporting ecosystem health, and reestablishing low to mid severity fire cycles in ecosystems. Although treatments can potentially modify fire behavior and ecological health, they generally cannot prevent fires from igniting, eliminate …

Fishing Out Nutrients: The Spatiotemporal And Ecological Dynamics Of Fishery-Based Nutrient Extraction, Adrián A. González Ortiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Marine fisheries are one of the most impactful human activities on the planet. Since the 1950s, marine fisheries have removed billions of metric tons of marine biomass leading to substantial declines in many fish populations. Among their impacts, we have begun to investigate the role of fisheries in disrupting marine nutrient cycles. Specifically, removing biomass can change nutrient cycles by reducing the amount of nutrients stored within animal biomass.

No studies have investigated the large-scale geographical and ecological contexts of nutrient removal by fisheries over a large timescale. For my thesis, we compiled data on fishery-targeted organisms' carbon, nitrogen, and …

Comparative Study Of Clustering Techniques On Eye-Tracking In Dynamic 3d Virtual Environments, Scott Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye-tracking has been used for decades to understand how and why an individual focuses on particular objects, areas, and elements of space. A vast body of knowledge exists on how eye-tracking is measured. However, historically, eye-tracking has been predominately studied using 2D environments, with limited work in 3D environments. The purpose of this study is to identify which methods most accurately represent the areas that have captured the participant’s visual attention within a 3D dynamic environment. This will be completed by evaluating different clustering methods of fixations using a customized virtual reality tool that collects eye-tracking data. There exist several …

Temporally Weighted Averaging: The Effects Of Test Delay On Spontaneous Recovery Of Choice, Jack Van Allsburg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Foraging animals in natural environments must track the value of different behavioral options in order to make decisions that maximize their food intake. The process by which they track this value is poorly understood, but holds relevance for our understanding of how animals make choices in general. In a series of experiments conducted in operant chambers, we put rat subjects in a choice scenario where they could press two levers, one of which would intermittently produce the delivery of food pellets on a rich (more frequent) schedule, while the other would do the same on a lean (less frequent) schedule. …

Consumption Of A Western Diet Enhanced Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer And Dysbiosis Of The Fecal Microbiome In Mice Notwithstanding Dietary Intervention Or Fecal Microbiome Transfer, Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In a rodent model of inflammation-associated colorectal cancer, consumption of a Western-style diet increases gut inflammation and enhances risk of developing colon tumors. The goal of this dissertation was to understand the contribution of bacteria within the large intestine on colon inflammation and colon tumorigenesis. Two pre-clinical animal studies were performed using two different intervention strategies to shift the microbiome, and potentially gut inflammation and tumor development: 1) an experiment using dietary supplementation with black raspberries, a functional food enriched in bioactive anthocyanins with purported antiinflammatory activity, and 2) an experiment using fecal microbiota transfer from mice fed a healthy …

Mountain Lion (Puma Concolor) And Feral Horse (Equus Ferus) Interactions: Examining The Influence Of A Non-Native Ungulate On Predator Behavior In A Semi-Arid Environment, Peter C. Iacono

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A non-native is a species that evolved in one ecosystem and has established within another. Non-native species can thrive in new ecosystems as they can spread quickly, outcompete and replace native species, and disrupt food webs. Domestic horses were brought to North America by Europeans in 1493. They are now found in 11 states across the western United States. Feral horses can negatively impact vegetation, endangered species habitat, compete with native species, and be important prey for mountain lions under certain conditions. But do feral horses affect the food web? Feral horses are managed by large removals to reduce the …

Act And Veterans: A Multiple Baseline Study Using Act To Treat Anxiety Disorders In U.S. Military Veterans, Jeremiah E. Fruge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are 18 million Americans, roughly 7% of the population, who are Veterans. In contrast with the general population, Veterans have a high likelihood of exposure to psychological harm during their military service. For example, studies indicate Veterans are diagnosed with anxiety disorders in some cases four times higher than in the general population, though few studies examine treatment. Military culture is an additional factor which is important to account for when treating Veterans. For example, within the military an emphasis is placed on values and committed action which may mean this population will benefit more from certain therapies than …

Physics-Guided Deep Learning For Solar Wind Modeling At L1 Point, Robert M. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Neural networks are adept at finding patterns that are too long and too small for humans to find in data. Usually, this power is used to generate predictions with greater accuracy than most alternative models. However, we can also use this power to understand more about the data we train these networks on. We do this by changing the data that the networks train on and the data they are tested on. This allows us to both control the maximum length of a pattern and to compare data between different groups, in our case, different solar cycles. This thesis is …

Public Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Domestic Climate Migrants And Migration In The U.S., Brittany Shae Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to global climate change have an important effect on human migration and relocation. Short-term extreme weather events like floods and wildfires are likely to continue to displace people. Long-term environmental changes like droughts and increasing temperatures may also contribute to increased human migration. This research aimed to better understand how people in the U.S. perceive domestic climate migrants, and what drives these perceptions. First, I investigated the relationship between public climate change risk perceptions and attitudes and perceptions about domestic climate migrants and migration. I found that people tend to rely …

Influence Of Hydrologic History On Nitrogen Cycling In Lake Sediments, Emily Jainarain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water quality is declining in freshwater lakes around the world due to environmental change and anthropogenic activities that threaten the physical, ecological, and geochemical integrity of freshwater ecosystems. Excess N and P in lakes can cause eutrophication, a major driver of water quality impairment that leads to excessive algal growth, or harmful algal blooms (HABs), and poses risks to recreation, fisheries, and public drinking water. Water level fluctuations in lakes are expected to become more frequent and intense as climate change increases periods of drought and alters precipitation patterns, and fluctuations may stimulate biogeochemical reactions in littoral sediments that add …

An Evaluation Of Stress Tolerance In Restoration Plant Species In Response To Fire, Drought, And Invasive Plants Through The Lens Of Functional Traits, Adam M. Clifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush communities in the Great Basin face many threats. Cheatgrass, a winter annual from Eurasia, has invaded these communities, increasing wildfire and lowering species diversity. Additionally, climate models project warmer and drier conditions throughout much of the Great Basin, likely increasing drought, cheatgrass invasion, and wildfire. Intact stands of native and introduced perennial grasses have been shown to limit invasion by cheatgrass and restore ecosystem functions. The objective of this research was to identify the functional traits and growth characteristics needed by restoration species to survive periods of drought and to evaluate varieties of commonly used restoration species for establishment, …

Mission Planning Techniques For Cooperative Leo Spacecraft Constellations, Skylar A. Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research develops a mission planning approach that allows different systems to cooperate in accomplishing a single mission goal. Using the techniques described allows satellites to cooperate in efficiently maneuvering, or collecting images of Earth and transmitting the collected data to users on the ground. The individual resources onboard each satellite, like fuel, memory capacity and pointing agility, are used in a manner that ensures the goals and objectives of the mission are realized in a feasible way. A mission plan can be generated for each satellite within the cooperating group that collectively optimize the mission objectives from a global …

Central American Saints: The Formation And Preservation Of Latter-Day Saint Community And Identity In El Salvador And Guatemala, 1960–1992, Hovan T. Lawton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

After World War II, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints grew dramatically throughout Latin America, with much of this growth happening after 1960. My thesis studies how the growing numbers of Latter-day Saints in Guatemala and El Salvador (between 1960 and 1992) developed strong and meaningful religious community and became more and more committed to their new Latter-day Saint identity. Being a Latter-day Saint in these two countries was similar in many ways to the experience of being a Latter-day Saint in the U.S., but there were also some important differences. My thesis considers what made the Salvadoran …

Overcoming Barriers To Aquatic Plant Restoration: Addressing Gaps In Species Identification And Planting Techniques In The Intermountain West, Kate A. Sinnott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Aquatic ecosystems provide many critical and economically valuable benefits, including drinking water, food, recreational opportunities, and water supply for irrigation and agriculture. However, the health of these systems has been severely impacted by human activities such as pollution, land conversion, and introductions of harmful species. Restoring native aquatic plants can help reverse this damage and reestablish benefits, though it is not a common practice. With an objective to increase capacity for aquatic plant restoration in the Intermountain West, I identified and addressed two major barriers: 1) a lack of confidence in aquatic species identification among wetland professionals, and 2) underdeveloped …

Big Fish And More Of Them: Salmonid Habitat Availability, Quality, And Use Across Multiple Scales Within A River-Reservoir System, John S. Mclaren V

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reservoirs and their associated rivers provide water for agricultural and municipal uses, ecological benefits for fish and wildlife, and associated recreational activity. However, in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem climate change and population growth are putting pressure on water quality and supply, potentially damaging the unique and economically important coldwater trout habitat that these systems support. In this study, the author investigates the impact of changing water quality and supply on trout habitat quality, quantity, and selection to assist conservation goals in the Henry’s Fork Watershed in eastern Idaho. The study found that higher availability of cold-water refuge habitat in Island …

Durability Of Wireless Charging Systems Embedded Into Concrete Pavements For Electric Vehicles, Pilaiwan Vaikasi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing around the world significantly. EVs run on electricity by charging power to their batteries. However, a concern in the operation of the EVs is raised because they have an insufficient battery charge to reach their destination. In-motion, inductive power transfer (IPT) embedded into the roadway for the EVs can ease the need to use a charging stationary. This project focused on the durability of the dynamic charging IPT electronics integrated into concrete pavements. This research collaborated with electrical and mechanical engineering colleagues from the Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway …

Effects Of Soil Amendments On Water Quality And Hydrologic Properties In Low Impact Development Systems, Lily Wetterlin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low impact development (LID) systems are practices that use natural elements, such as soils and vegetation, to absorb and filter stormwater to protect water quality and aquatic habitats. Many LID designs use native soils; however, urban soils typically have a limited potential for infiltrating and treating stormwater. Incorporation of soil amendments, such as compost and biochar, into LID soils can improve the physical properties of soil. However, soil amendments may increase or decrease pollutants in the water leaving the site. A comparison of the effects of different types and application rates of amendments on water quality is necessary to determine …

Decolonizing Memory: Erasure And Resurgence Of Indigenous History In The Intermountain West, Chase Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Decolonizing language, memory, and history is an important step in confronting dominant historical narratives in higher education and the general public. This paper focuses on the settlement of the US Intermountain West – where the violent roots of white settlement have been downplayed in the public historical consciousness through the dominant narrative of "pioneer heritage." Beginning with a study of Ogden, Utah, early histories of the area are reexamined, analyzing the contexts in which Native peoples are mentioned (or not) in order to understand their presence by the turn of the twentieth century. Next, my focus moves on to analysis …

A Cohesive Simulation And Testing Platform For Civil Autonomous Aerial Sensing And Operations, Stockton G. Slack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Drones (also known as sUAS or small Uncrewed Aerial Systems) are often flown with cameras to take images of an area of land. These images can then be used to create a map by stitching these images together. This map can then be analyzed using scientific principles to learn things about the land and make decisions or take action based on the information.

The scientific application of drones is very advantageous, but flying a drone is inherently dangerous, impacting the safety of the airspace (particularly in the event of a crash), and drones are more dangerous the bigger they are. …

Generalizing Deep Learning Methods For Particle Tracing Using Transfer Learning, Shubham Gupta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Particle tracing is a very important method for scientific visualization of vector fields, but it is computationally expensive. Deep learning can be used to speed up particle tracing, but existing deep learning models are domain-specific. In this work, we present a methodology to generalize the use of deep learning for particle tracing using transfer learning. We demonstrate the performance of our approach through a series of experimental studies that address the most common simulation design scenarios: varying time span, Reynolds number, and problem geometry. The results show that our methodology can be effectively used to generalize and accelerate the training …

#Bodypositivity Or #Bodypolitics?: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Body Positivity Myth Formed By Narratives Of Political Myth, Sydney Berenyi Lasike

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Body Positivity movement is well-known for advocating for the acceptance of all body types—including size, shape, color, and ability. Images online in support of the movement often showcase stretch marks, cellulite, and other “unattractive” bodily features to protest against the thin-ideal and strict standards of beauty placed upon women. Despite the goal to inspire self-love and celebration of all bodies, the hashtag #BodyPositivity has been taken-over by white, female influencers who have the idolized, female body. They contradict the original message of the movement through their posts on Instagram that centralize white feminine features and thin, Eurocentric bodies. This …

Investigating Mitochondrial Influence On The Rate Of Anaerobic Glycolysis In An In Vitro Model, Mackenzie Jenna' Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The rate at which the muscle acidifies after an animal is harvested has a profound effect on the quality of the resulting pork. When acidification increases gradually, desirable pork quality characteristics are developed. In contrast, rapid acidification deteriorates pork quality, exemplified by the pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork defect. The rate of acidification is determined by the rate of anaerobic metabolism in postmortem muscle. Yet the processes controlling postmortem anaerobic metabolism are not well understood. Recent research suggests that mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, may influence this process by competing for substrate (pyruvate) with anaerobic metabolism, thereby reducing …

Designing A Rubric For Evaluating Curricular Resources In Montana's Indian Education For All Repository: A Design-Based Research Approach, Megan M. Hamilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research study was to create an initial rubric to evaluate social studies lesson plans prior to their addition to Montana Office of Public Instruction’s online repository for Indian Education for All (IEFA) curriculum. In the first phase of this study, I examined Montana’s IEFA curriculum thematically to gain a better understanding of how Indigenous histories and perspectives are being represented using combined theoretical lenses of Tribal Critical Race Theory and culturally sustaining/ revitalizing pedagogy. In the second phase of this study, I used my thematic findings to inform the design of a theory-informed evaluative rubric. The …

Signatures Of Black Holes, Alexandra B. Chanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this defense I will describes three approaches to learn more about the relationship between the dynamics of black-holes and the distinctive signatures of a black hole systems: infinitesimal changes in the black hole background producing field excitations relating new fundamental black hole thermodynamic relations, mechanisms powering relativistic black hole jets and spontaneous symmetry breaking in five space-time dimensions, and physical signatures of black hole event horizons as conformal field theory duals (in both d=4,5 dimensional axisymmetric spacetimes).

Development Of Large-Scale Pseudo-3d Shear Wave Velocity Models At The Garner Valley Downhole Array Site, Isabella Corey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to design structures that can withstand anticipated earthquake loads, it is first necessary to understand the behavior of the subsurface when subjected to ground motions. To achieve this, different models and approaches have been proposed in recent decades, each with the aim of estimating how site-specific stratigraphy can amplify and/or scatter seismic waves. All of these methods require, to varying extents, information about the types of soil layers, their thickness, their stiffnesses (represented by a shear wave velocity profile), and lateral variability across the site. This last characteristic is often both difficult and costly to determine. Past research …

By Other Means: The Political And Economic Motivations For The Formation Of The Anglo-Japanese Alliance Of 1902 In The United Kingdom, David Cornell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is an attempt to answer the question of why British political leaders made the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902. To answer this question, I have used primary sources such as government communications, newspaper articles, and articles from scholarly journals. Also, I have consulted the works of past historians to better understand the complex topic of the Anglo-Japanese alliance. This thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter One explains the events that led up to the creation of the treaty between Britain and Japan and clarifies why this treaty was so unusual for the British Empire in the early 1900s. …

An Interval-Valued Random Forests, Paul Gaona Partida

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a growing demand for the development of new statistical models and the refinement of established methods to accommodate different data structures. This need arises from the recognition that traditional statistics often assume the value of each observation to be precise, which may not hold true in many real-world scenarios. Factors such as the collection process and technological advancements can introduce imprecision and uncertainty into the data.

For example, consider data collected over a long period of time, where newer measurement tools may offer greater accuracy and provide more information than previous methods. In such cases, it becomes crucial …

Student Veteran Innovation Workshop: Exploring Purpose-Driven Camaraderie, David Brian Kartchner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There 1 million veterans enrolled in higher education in the U.S., and we know relatively little about them. In this work, the term student veteran refers to both former and current military service members. Most of the small body of literature on student veterans is focused on perceived issues found within this population, rather than the strengths they bring to their academic experience. In recent years, academic work has emerged that advocates a shift to looking at the positive traits of the student veteran community. Building on the emerging strength-based perspectives, the concept of purpose-driven camaraderie among student veterans introduces …

Using Head Start Children's Language Development To Predict Social Information Processing Ability, Kendra Newman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As young children grow and develop, gaining social skills and different language abilities is extremely important. As children develop, they also acquire the ability to process social information, which then helps them respond in various social situations. Children should eventually be able to respond to social situations in socially acceptable ways, instead of answering in aggressive or passive ways. This study examined the relations between children’s language development, and social information processing ability. This study included 51 children, from 19 Head Start classrooms. Results showed that at the beginning of the Head Start year children with more language, responded in …

The Impact Of Formative Assessment Cycles On Students' Attitudes And Achievement In A Large-Enrollment Undergraduate Introductory Statistics Course, Kimberleigh Felix Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aimed to investigate the impact of student attitudes toward statistics and student achievement after engaging in large-enrollment introductory statistics course curriculum using continuous formative assessments with feedback and reassessment opportunities. This framework, called Formative Assessment Cycles (FACs) was implanted, providing students formative assessments both in and out of the classroom, with feedback and reassessment. A quasi-experimental, quantitative research design allowed for the investigation of course achievement from pre-FACs to FACs semesters using regression discontinuity methodology. Changes in attitudes from pre- to post-survey in semesters using a curriculum with FACs were analyzed by multilevel regression techniques. Course achievement improved …