Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Soil-Derived Antimicrobials For Inhibiting Dairy-Associated Pathogens And Spoilage Bacteria, Michael Joseph Moran

Theses and Dissertations

Spore-forming bacteria are among the most problematic contaminants in fluid milk. They can survive pasteurization, grow at refrigeration temperatures, and secrete heat-stable enzymes, making them a major cause of spoilage in both pasteurized and reconstituted milk products. Current nonthermal strategies for reducing spore counts, including microfiltration and bactofugation, are often costly and inconsistent. The increasing consumer demand for natural additives in food products has sparked interest in the use of bacterially-derived antimicrobial compounds, particularly those from generally recognized as safe (GRAS) organisms, as an alternative method of dairy preservation. This study explores the antimicrobial potential of ten soil-derived Bacillus and …

Opposing Roles For Iron Transport Systems In Gallium Tolerance In Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia Coli, Nagama Parveen

Theses and Dissertations

Iron is required for bacterial growth because it serves as a co-factor for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis, cellular respiration, and other processes. Disrupting bacterial iron homeostasis is an effective strategy to prevent the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and gallium (Ga³⁺) has emerged as a promising candidate due to its ability to displace iron (Fe³⁺) and prevent essential iron-dependent pathways. However, Escherichia coli are naturally less sensitive to gallium than many other bacteria, and the mechanisms that control gallium tolerance are not completely understood. To address this, we performed a genome-wide transposon sequencing (TnSeq) screen to identify genes important for …

Recent Advances In Developing Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Biosensors For Medical Diagnostics And Environmental Monitoring, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Cell-free biosensors harness the selectivity of cellular machinery without living cells’ constraints, offering advantages in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and biotechnological applications. This review examines recent advances in cell-free biosensor development, highlighting their ability to detect diverse analytes including heavy metals, organic pollutants, pathogens, and clinical biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity. We analyze technological innovations in cell-free protein synthesis optimization, preservation strategies, and field deployment methods that have enhanced sensitivity, and practical applicability. The integration of synthetic biology approaches has enabled complex signal processing, multiplexed detection, and novel sensor designs including riboswitches, split reporter systems, and metabolic sensing modules. …

Classification And Analysis Of Families Of Graphs With Focus On Nordhaus-Gaddum Bounds, Sibi Pranav Muthuprakash

Theses and Dissertations

Nordhaus-Gaddum type problems focus on bounding characteristics of graph and its complement. There are certain families of graphs which yield optimal upper bounds on various Nordhaus-Gaddum characteristics of graph. In this paper, we will talk about bounding combinatorial algebraic connectivity, normalized algebraic connectivity, the Cheeger constant, and the isoperimetric number of a graph and its complement. We will identify some optimal or near optimal families of graphs and conduct an analysis on these families that will help to bound these characteristics. We will also prove and conjecture some bounds that can help in formulating stronger bounds on these characteristics of …

Understanding Administrator Approaches To Trauma-Informed Care: Findings From A Mixed Methods Study, Megan Coalwell

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic events during childhood have been termed adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Experiencing traumatic events or ACEs is common for school-aged children. Research reports indicate that as many as two out of three children will experience at least one traumatic event by the time they are eighteen. The negative effects of experiencing trauma are well documented. Trauma can lead to long-term outcomes in adults such as chronic health problems, mental health problems, substance misuse, and even early death. During childhood, it can lead to internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as difficulties in school. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an approach to …

An Active Quasi-Circulator Ic And Technique For 1-255 Mhz Resonance-Based Spectroscopic Impedance Plethysmography, Sharisse Poff

Theses and Dissertations

Impedance measurement is a promising avenue for noninvasive glucosemonitoring. Specifically,resonance-basedimpedancemeasurements exhibit good correlation with glucose levels at excitations from tens of MHztoover 100 MHz. Additionally, plethysmographic impedance measurements are needed to separate arterial blood signals, which contain strongerglucose information, frominterstitialfluidsignals. Weanticipate that plethysmographic measurements across a range of frequencies— spectroscopic plethysmography—at excitations from tens to over 100 MHz could enable resonance-based monitoring with higher selectivity for arterial glucose than previous work. Afour-point impedance measurement circuit is designed, and its ability to measure constant and periodically time-varying impedance is demonstrated. This circuit presents high impedance to the device-undertest (DUT), which fails …

Patterns And Continuity: Documenting African American History In Carbon County, Utah, And The Roots Of Racial Terror Lynchings In American Society, Michael L. B. Forvil

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the history of African Americans in Carbon County, Utah, through the lens of racial terror lynching, community memory, and migration. Anchored in the story of Robert Marshall, a Black man lynched in Price, Utah, in 1925, the project considers how racial violence reached beyond the American South and how such acts have been neglected in public memory. Drawing on family history research, census records, historical newspapers, and the work of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), this work contextualizes Marshall’s death within broader patterns of racial terror lynchings that shaped African American migration from the South during the …

Rheumatic Heart Disease In Primary Aged Children In Samoa, Kallysta Lindquist

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a condition where the heart valves are permanently damaged by an autoimmune response to chronic strep infections. RHD remains extremely prevalent in Oceania - specifically Samoa. However, despite its prevalence, RHD is underexplored in Samoa and there are many disparities for medical care to treat RHD in Samoa. This research shifts the focus of RHD to early detection in children (5-18 years old) and provides critical insights into RHD and the geographic difference in RHD prevalence in Samoa. Our dataset was collected between 2013-2019 from the Rheumatic Relief program done by Brigham Young University. Data …

Characterizing Host And Viral Factors Relevant To Turkey Hemorrhagic Enteritis Virus-Induced Immunosuppression, Abraham Quaye

Theses and Dissertations

Turkey hemorrhagic enteritis virus (THEV) is an adenovirus (AdV) that causes hemorrhagic enteritis (HE) in turkeys, a debilitating disease affecting predominantly 6-12-week-old turkey poults characterized by immunosuppression (IMS) and intestinal lesions leading to bloody diarrhea. Although a naturally-occurring avirulent THEV strain has been adopted as live vaccine and has proven effective at preventing HE in turkeys, it still retains its immunosuppressive ability. Thus, vaccinated birds are rendered more susceptible to opportunistic infections and death than unvaccinated cohorts, leading to substantial economic losses. This dissertation focuses on elucidating both host and viral factors mediating THEV-induced IMS in turkeys. As THEV gene …

Characterizing Gastric Cancer Tumor Immune Microenvironment Through Extracellular Vesicles, Claire Elizabeth Bruno

Theses and Dissertations

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) critically influences cancer progression and determining therapeutic response. As immunotherapies continue to improve and reshape cancer treatments, there is a need for tools that can more efficiently and accurately assess and monitor the TIME. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), especially small EVs (sEVs), are lipid-bound nanoparticles that carry proteins, DNA, and RNA reflective of their cell of origin, offering a novel, non-invasive biomarker of the TIME. This makes them a promising candidate for immune profiling and treatment monitoring in cancer. This thesis investigates the potential of EVs as biomarkers for TIME composition and immune activity. An analysis …

Humans Rule? Implications Of Religious Undergraduates’ Changing Environmental Perceptions, J. Robert Nielson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Addressing climate change requires correctly appraising one’s ethic toward the Earth. Historically, people have navigated their relationship to the natural world via environmental ethics of both religious and secular origin. Aldo Leopold described developing this relationship via the land ethic, a culturally informed process, as “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.” A land ethic provides a reference point from which individuals and societies make decisions about the Earth and its resources. This thesis considers the evolving land ethic of a young population of conservative Christian students at Brigham Young University with two separate cohorts of non-biology major undergraduates enrolled …

Collection Of Instructional Slides From Molten Salt Electrochemistry Symposium (Moses), Devin Rappleye, Carlos Mejia

Faculty Publications

During the Molten Salt Electrochemistry Symposium (MoSES) on July 30-31, 2025, interactive instruction was given to the attendees including live demonstrations. These slides contain the introductory instructions given for each learning module at MoSES 2025. Please visit https://pyro.byu.edu/moses for more information.

Fabrication, Calibration, And Deployment Of A Home-Made Radiometer, Callum Flowerday, Ryan Thalman, Jaron Hansen

ScholarsArchive Data

Subfolders and Contents:

Chamber Characterization: Contains emission spectrum measured from inside the chamber with converted spectra to power and photon flux.

LED Calibration: (Each calibration file contains folders of data from each LED used in calibration)

• Cone
• Cone 2
• Dome 2
• Flat Top
• Quartz Rod
• Uniform Dome

Outside:

• Cone 2 front porch
• Cone 2 roof
• Flat top

Conflation Between Knowledge And Acceptance May Contribute To The Knowledge Gap Between Judeo-Christian And Non-Religious People, Jamie Jensen

ScholarsArchive Data

These data are from a nationwide study and a classroom intervention looking at participants' understanding of evolution (i.e., knowledge), and their acceptance of evolution.

Detection Of Neuron Derived Cfdna In Blood Plasma: A New Diagnostic Approach For Neurodegenerative Conditions, Chad Alan Pollard

Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are characterized by the progressive loss of distinct neuronal subtypes, yet current diagnostic tools are either invasive, limited in resolution, or poorly suited for early detection and longitudinal monitoring. This dissertation began with a proof-of- concept study using bisulfite-PCR at a neuron-enriched locus to detect cortical neuron-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in AD plasma samples, establishing the potential of cfDNA as a marker of neuronal injury. Building on these preliminary findings, a novel framework was developed utilizing Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) to profile genome-wide native DNA …

Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor Effects On The Mesolimbic Dopamine Circuitry And Adaptations With Chronic Ethanol Exposure, Rachel Ji-Hyae Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system contributes to reward and reinforcement learning for ethanol (EtOH). The nucleus accumbens (NAc) receives DA input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) encoding rewarding information. Acute EtOH increases NAc DA levels, and this DA response is attenuated with chronic EtOH exposure. Furthermore, chronic EtOH results in reduced DA release, increased DA clearance and presynaptic D2-type auto-receptor sensitization. Further research into EtOH-induced neural adaptations that modulate NAc DA release is explored herein, including changes in cholinergic interneurons (CIN), which are known regulators of DA transmission. One potential class of regulators are immune related cytokines, that can …

An Acoustofluidic Device For Sample Preparation And Detection Of Small Extracellular Vesicles, Jessica F. Liu, Jianping Xia, Joseph Rich, Shuaiguo Zhao, Kaichun Yang, Brandon Lu, Ying Chen, Tiffany Wen Ye, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have emerged as powerful vectors for liquid biopsy, offering a noninvasive window into the dynamic physiological and pathological states of the body. However, to fully leverage the clinical potential of sEV biomarkers, it is imperative to develop robust and efficient technologies for their isolation and analysis. In this study, we introduce a novel sharp-edge acoustofluidic platform designed for rapid and effective sample preparation, coupled with sensitive detection of specific sEV populations based on their surface markers. Our approach utilizes acoustically activated sharp-edge microstructures to concentrate bead-bound sEVs within the microfluidic device, facilitating immediate visualization by fluorescence …

Comunidades Y Vacunas: Findings On Vaccine Hesitancy In Latine Families With Autistic Children, Danica Leticia Limon-Mialkowski

Theses and Dissertations

Parent vaccine hesitancy (VH) and subsequent vaccine refusal for children has escalated in the U.S. over the past several years and is more common among parents with an autistic child compared to the general population (Zerbo et al., 2018). This is an important issue to address given that VH has led to a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases (DeStefano & Shimabukuro, 2019; Geoghegan, et al., 2020). Research shows that VH is affected by parent cultural background (Fombonne et al., 2020) and that minoritized groups are more likely to experience VH (48.1% in parents of color [POC] groups versus 22.9% in White …

A New Approach To Stability Of Delay Differential Equations With Time-Varying Delays Via Isospectral Reduction, Quinlan Leishman

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how time delays impact the stability of a delay differential equation is important for modeling many natural and technological systems that experience time delays. Here we introduce a new stability criterion for delay-independent stability of these equations, called intrinsic stability, showing global exponential stability for a large class of nonautonomous nonlinear systems. Our approach is able to incorporate bounded time-varying delays, including those with certain types of discontinuities. The approach we take to prove this result is novel, associating the delay differential equation with a sequence of finite-dimensional matrices of increasing size and using the graph-theoretic technique of isospectral …

Time To Go, Sophie Graham

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

INT. ANDREW’S ENTRY WAY - EVENING

LAUREN (early twenties) puts a key and a silver, diamond-studded letter “A” necklace on the counter. As she starts to leave, ANDREW (late twenties) walks in the door with takeout. Lauren freezes. Andrew kisses her and puts the food on the counter. He stops and inspects the discarded necklace.

Full Issue, Vol. 16

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Reactor Formats: A Brief History And Analysis, Dallin M. Chipman, Anna C. Woolley, Davu N. Chau, William A. Lance, Joseph P. Talley, Tyler P. Green, Benjamin C. Robbins, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has transformed protein production capabilities by eliminating cellular constraints, enabling the rapid expression of difficult-to-produce proteins in an open, customizable environment. As CFPS applications expand from fundamental research to industrial production, therapeutic manufacturing, and point-of-care diagnostics, the diverse array of reactor formats has become increasingly important yet challenging to navigate. This review examines the evolution and characteristics of thirteen major CFPS reactor formats, from traditional batch systems to advanced platforms. The historical development of CFPS reactors from the 1960s to present day is presented. Additionally, for each format, operational principles, advantages, limitations, and notable applications are …

End Matter, Vol. 16

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Vol. 16

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Mammals Of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge And Surrounding Harney County, Oregon, John E. Cornely, Leslie N. Carraway

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located in southeastern Oregon, is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) of the United States. Currently, NWRS includes more than 568 NWRs, 38 Wetland Management Districts, and 5 Marine National Monuments. Malheur NWR, like a majority of the refuges in the NWRS, was established for the conservation of migratory birds. Many of these NWRs also provide significant habitat for mammals. Malheur NWR, one of the oldest (established 1908) and largest refuges in the system, is one of those with significant habitat for mammals. In addition to the refuge, we have included Harney County, …

Feedback Parameters For A Closed-Loop Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Model Of The Upper Limb, Ian Syndergaard, Daniel B. Free, Dario Farina, Steven Knight Charles

Faculty Publications

Both closed-loop models and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) models of the neuromusculoskeletal system of the upper limb are important for simulating and understanding motor control. Yet no large-scale linear neuromusculoskeletal models of the upper limb that are both closed-loop and MIMO have been developed. The primary difficulty in creating such models is choosing appropriate feedback parameters (such as feedback gains and delays), as such a collection of parameters is not available in the literature. The purpose of this work is to 1) present a method for developing MIMO models of short-loop afferent feedback and 2) offer estimates of average feedback parameter …

Human Rights Violation - Full Issue June 2025, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Digital Infrastructure For The Regenerative Movement: A Case Study Of The Mycelium Learning Network, Abigail Karparis

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The regenerative movement is gaining momentum worldwide, driven by communities working to restore ecological and social systems through place-based, culturally rooted action. Yet many of the groups leading this work, especially in the Global South or in hyper-local contexts, remain digitally invisible due to structural barriers, including limited access to appropriate technology, funding constraints, and misalignment between available tools and local values. Conventional digital infrastructures often exclude or marginalize these efforts, leaving regenerative practitioners disconnected from each other and from potential sources of support.

This article explores these challenges and presents a case study response: the co-creation of accessible, relational …

A Call For Change: Supporting Children With Tourette Syndrome, Matt Reall

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Tourette Syndrome affects 1 in 100 U.S. children but remains widely misunderstood due to stigma, delayed diagnosis, and media misrepresentation. This neurological disorder is characterized by involuntary tics and often co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Children with Tourette Syndrome face disproportionate challenges in social, academic, and emotional settings—despite having average or above-average intelligence. One-third engage in self-harm, and suicide rates are four times the national average. Peer-education programs like the Tourette Association of America’s Youth Ambassador initiative have shown promise in reducing stigma, but unequal access and weak institutional support limit their impact. This paper calls for early …

Academic Summaries (Human Rights Violations Issue), Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.