Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Geology And Other Environmental Factors On Stream Water Chemistry And Benthic Invertebrate Assemblages, John R. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Determining if a stream has been degraded by human activities requires knowing what that stream’s natural water quality and freshwater species composition would likely be without any alteration. However stream natural conditions vary greatly from stream to stream, making predicting natural conditions difficult. To determine natural stream conditions, I developed models to predict natural stream water chemistry at individual streams across the western USA. Specifically, the models predict a stream’s electrical conductivity (a measure of the amount of solids dissolved in water), acid neutralization capacity, and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sulfate, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen. These models predict chemistry …

Production Of Biodiesel From Oleaginous Organisms Using Underutilized Wastewaters, Valerie Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As part of the BioEnergy Team at Utah State Univeristy, my research objectives have been centered around the common theme of innovating new methods and
technology for producing biological compounds and, by means of chemical conversion and/or extraction, isolating new forms of biodiesel available for transportation fuel.
Within the broad scope of this project, I focused on the replacement of freshwater in cultivating such biological systems with wastewaters. If accomplished and correctly
applied, such research would reduce the environmental impact of biodiesel production by reducing the demand for freshwater. It also would reduce production costs by reducing the amount of …

Chemical Characterization Of Meat Related To Animal Diet, Rossarin Tansawat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is currently much interest in increasing health benefits from consuming nutritious food, including beef. Plant secondary compounds (PSC) such as tannins or saponins in various forages have an influence on animal nutrition and health, depending on the type of PSC and the amount consumed. However, relatively little is known about effects of PSC on meat color, flavor, and nutritional value. Thus, additional information is needed to better understand and to develop new animal feeding regimes for optimum animal growth, meat flavor, and meat nutritional quality.

In the first study, grain- vs. pasture-fed beef rib steaks were evaluated. The objective …

Father-Child Interactions At 24 And 36 Months And Developmental Outcomes At Prekindergarten, Shareesa L. Mcmurdie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study looked at father teaching interactions and singing in toddlerhood as predictors of child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten in a low-income, ethnically diverse sample. Results found that, overall, father teaching interactions in toddlerhood predicted child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten and father singing in toddlerhood predicted language outcomes. Fathers provided slightly more teaching interactions at child age 24 months than at 36 months, and sang more frequently at 36 months.

Within ethnic groups, father teaching interactions were statistically significant in predicting cognitive and language development outcomes for children of African American (approached significance for language outcomes) …

Effects Of Cache Valley Particulate Matter On Human Lung Cells, Todd L. Watterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the wintertime, residents of the Cache Valley are very aware of the poor air quality that occurs during cold-air inversion episodes. If one somehow avoids the radio and television announcements as well as the electronic roadside signs indicating poor air quality and encouraging less driving, one need only to look upward toward the mountains that surround the valley and notice the lack of daytime visibility. This lack of visibility and health warnings are due to particulate air pollution or particulate matter (PM). PM is only one of many types of regulated air pollution but is the one that occurs …

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: Demonstration Of The Immediacy Effects Of An Innovative Conduct Problem Prevention Program In Young At-Risk Children, Alexis Bolton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers propose to administer preventative behavioral parent training (PBPT) to young children who are displaying developmentally typical conduct problems (i.e., noncompliance and tantrums), with the intent of contributing valuable knowledge for preventing the development of chronic conduct problems in children.

Preventative behavioral parent training is an innovative model designed for conduct problems prevention. The scope of this study will be limited to demonstrating the immediate effects of PBPT. Given the nature and origins of PBPT, immediacy effects are expected and should be relevant to the maintenance of effects over time.

It is predicted that participation in PBPT would yield positive …

The Application Of Instructional Design Principles In The Development Of Sportsmanship Education Software And Its Impact On Children’S Acquisition Of Sportsmanlike Attitudes And Behaviors, Michael J. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Millions of people participate in sporting events as either athletes or spectators, or both. The presence or absence of sportsmanship they experience can affect them in both negative and positive ways. The purpose of this study was to determine whether schoolchildren who use a computer-based sportsmanship education program would learn and exhibit more sportsmanship than those who did not use the software. It was determined that younger children were more affected by the software than the older children were.

Assessments Of An Exogenous Proteolytic Enzyme In Beef Steer Diets To Improve Growth Performance And Ruminal Fermentation, Juan Manuel Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of adding an exogenous proteolytic enzyme (EPE) on growth performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics of beef steers fed growing and finishing diets containing 30% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

In the first experiment, 48 beef steers were divided into two treatments: DDGS diets with and without EPE. Dry matter intake (DMI) was increased (P = 0.02) by the addition of EPE, but neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was decreased on the growing phase. For the finishing phase, average daily gain ( …

Using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry To Quantify And Optimize Mixing In An Algae Raceway Using Delta Wings, Blake W. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biofuel research has been continually growing over the past six decades. Of the potential sources for biofuels, microalgae is the most promising, and circulating (raceway) ponds are the most cost-effective method for growing microalgae in abundance. Nevertheless, biofuel production from algae must be more efficient to be competitive with traditional fuels. Previous studies using several airfoils, triangles, and squares at high angles to the flow direction (angle of attack) show an increase in mixing in raceways and can improve productivity by up to a factor of 2.2. Researchers show that increasing growth by increasing mixing is a repeatable effect that …

The Role Of Fine-Scale Habitat Associations In Structuring Spider Assemblages: Determinants Of Spatial Patterns In Community Composition, Stephanie M. Cobbold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecologists strive to identify the mechanisms that drive the identity and abundance of species in different locations, because a better understanding of such factors enables them to better predict the effects of habitat modification on organisms, and to identify landscapes in which species are likely to benefit from conservation interventions. However, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms behind geographical variation in species diversity. The primary objective of this dissertation was to focus on spider assemblages to investigate how the fine-scale habitat associations of organisms may drive the composition of their communities at larger scales. Research was conducted in …

Raising Teacher Awareness In Language Acquisition: From Instruction To Facilitator, Marie C. Lund

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is comprised of a collection of the author's beliefs and ideas about teaching second and foreign languages. This portfolio contains a teaching philosophy, which illustrates the author's beliefs about teacher and student roles in the communicative classroom. There are four artifacts in this portfolio which provide further details on the author’s beliefs of teacher-talk in the classroom, meaningful classroom communication, teaching pragmatics in closing conversations, and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. These artifacts offer ideas for potential research as well as practical application of these topics in second and foreign language teaching.

Effective Use Of Interactive Learning Modules In Classroom Study In Computer Science, Goldee Jamwal

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is spending substantial resources to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. The ultimate goal of these programs is to produce students with a better knowledge of math and science and who are more likely to pursue careers in STEM fields. Interactive learning modules can be used in the classroom environment for effective learning.

This study examines the learning preferences of Logan High School (located in Logan, Utah) students and evaluates the impacts of using interactive learning modules with classroom lectures compared to other traditional methods of teaching.

A Pre-Paving Baseline Inventory Of Vehicle-Related Mortality On Mule Deer Along, Seep Ridge Road, Book Cliffs, Utah, D. Alex Hansen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Part I:

The Seep Ridge road is the major route used to access the Book Cliffs from Uintah County. For many years the County has expressed interest in paving the road in order to improve access to this remote portion of the County. In 2011 Uintah County received Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval for the project and began construction on the road. There have been many concerns expressed concerning the Seep Ridge Road paving project, including impacts to mule deer. The Utah Division of Wildlife, sportsmen and conservation groups are concerned that upgrading the road may lead to a …

The Equine Distress Monitor Project, Luke B. Peacock

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Colic is a very common symptom that effects many horses. Sometimes colic is an indicator of some very serous medical conditions that, if left untreated, could result in the death of the horse. A cast horse is a horse trapped in a prone position Cast horses are also at risk of serous injury or even death. The causes of these two conditions are so numerous that a horse's risk of being affected, while preventable, is significant. This illustrates a need for constant monitoring of high-risk, high-sentimnet, or high-cost horses.

The Equine Distress Monitor (EDM) system is non-evasive electronic long-term monitoring …

Reinforcements On The Border: The Utah National Guard's Role In The Punitive Expedition, 1916-1917, Thomas Reese Dubach Jr.

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In June 2006, in a plan to mitigate illicit border crossings, President George W. Bush called the National Guard to the border to build a fence. Almost ninety years to the day earlier, President Woodrow Wilson mobilized the National Guard to the border to protect it from raiders and smugglers who were part of the Mexican Revolution. Most Utahns are aware that the Utah National Guard spent time on the border to construct the fence. However, most do not know that the Utah National Guard served on the border as part of President Wilson’s mobilization. In 1916, a civil war …

Addressing The Diverse Needs Of Adults Esl And Fl Students, Lea Marie Whiteley Child

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this portfolio, the author examines what she considers to be good language teaching. The centerpiece of the portfolio is the teaching philosophy which discusses what the author believes constitutes effective language teaching such as using different teaching methods (such as task-based instruction), following the TESOL standards and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning (SFLL), and promoting authenticity in the classroom. The artifacts are papers I wrote for the MSLT program which support the author’s teaching philosophy. The culture artifact emphasizes pragmatic transfer from the first language to English. The literacy artifact examines different methods of improving vocabulary acquisition. The …

Saucers And The Sacred: The Folklore Of Ufo Narratives, Preston C. Copeland

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In 1973, nineteen year old Calvin Parker and forty two year old Charles Hickson, both of Gauter, Mississippi were fishing in the Pascagoula river when they heard a buzzing noise behind them. Both turned and were terrified to see a ten-foot wide, eight-foot- high, glowing egg-shaped object with blue lights at its front hovering just above the ground about forty feet from the riverbank. As the men, frozen with fright, watched, a door appeared in the object, and three strange Beings floated just above the river toward them. The beings had legs but did not use them. They were about …

Using Short-Term Environmental Education Programs To Increase Student Learning And Elicit Positive Attitude Change, Tiffany Kinder

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Short-term environmental education programs such as water festivals and field days are a common outreach tool for watershed programs, yet little is known about their effectiveness at increasing knowledge and environmental awareness. To address this question, I conducted a formal assessment by pre- and post-testing 1400 fourth-grade students who participated in a field day at a Forest Service campground in northern Utah. During the day, each child spent approximately one hour engaged in water-related activities, with an emphasis on aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality. My research focused on whether this single hour was sufficient to change both knowledge and interest …

Where's The Justice? A Review Of The Local Food Movement Through A Reflexive Lens, Colyn Kilmer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

As the local food movement has gained momentum over the past several years, so too has it garnered critiques from academic scholars. This literature review identified academic critiques of the local food movement. These critiques were organized into four general categories. A fifth category, reflexivity, was identified, which functioned as both a critique and a way to address the other four categories of critique. This review paired the four categories of academic critique with ways in which several academic scholars suggested reflexivity could be used to resolve these critiques. This review was designed to give scholars, practitioners, and consumers associated …

Evocative Communication: Selected Projects In Projection, Scenic, And Lighting Design, Milinda Esplin Weeks

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

I didn’t always want to be a theatrical designer. As a child, I wanted to be a ballerina, an artist, a teacher. My answer to, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” changed ever time someone asked me the question. Though I didn’t understand it a the time, what I wanted was to affect people. I wanted my work to create emotion and thought.

I found that reaction in the theater. Here was a small circle of people who were entirely codependent upon each other to create one large piece of art, all in the hopes of …

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster: A Graphical Assessment Of Its Impact On Wildlife, Anvar Suyundikov

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. Considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, oil flowed for three months and approximately five million barrels of oil spilled through by mid-July 2010. In this report, we analyze fish and bird data to assess the impact of the oil spill on the Gulf wildlife. Our findings based on the available fish data for 2005, 2006, and 2010 are not very helpful to make a judgement on the negative impact of the oil spill on fish species. On the other hand, the bird …

The Size And Scope Of Agriculture In Box Elder County, Lyle Holmgren, Mike Pace

All Current Publications

Box Elder County is located in the northwest corner of Utah and is bordered by the states of Idaho and Nevada.

Explaining Energy Resource Cooperation: Shale Gas, Chinese Investment, And The Changing Calculus Of U.S. Energy Security, Douglas B. Atkinson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In June of 2005, the relatively small and generally insignificant energy company Unocal became the focus of a fierce bidding war. China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) made the first move, outbidding the American firm Chevron. Accepting the CNOOC bid looked like an obvious choice for Unocal since it was almost $1.5 billion dollars more. However, as it became increasingly clear that policy makers in Washington would not allow the deal to go through CNOOC withdrew its bid and Unocal had little option but to accept Chevron’s offer.

Washington’s opposition seemed to be an overreaction to a deal that would …

A Multiple Streams Approach To Bioterrorism Policy, Craig Reeder

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Bioterrorism is not a new phenomenon and the issues that surround bioterrorism are complex. This paper focuses on the history of bioterrorism, its current threat in public view, and then applying a theory in which explains how those problems became issues in government. The paper starts by examining a historical account of bioterrorism. The history serves a purpose to discuss the ongoing developments and struggles of drafting legislation for an ongoing problem.

After a discussion of bioterrorism from a historical perspective, the paper examines the current threat or state of bioterrorism. This will lead into a discussion about John Kingdon’s …

Assessing Changes In The Abundance Of The Continental Population Of Scaup Using A Hierarchical Spatio-Temporal Model, Beth E. Ross

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In ecological studies, the goal is often to describe and gain further insight into ecological processes underlying the data collected during observational studies. Because of the nature of observational data, it can often be difficult to separate the variation in the data from the underlying process or 'state dynamics.' In order to better address this issue, it is becoming increasingly common for researchers to use hierarchical models. Hierarchical spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal models allow for the simultaneous modeling of both first and second order processes, thus accounting for underlying autocorrelation in the system while still providing insight into overall spatial …

Finding The Soul In The Soil: How Welfare Farms Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Create Spiritual Communities, Matthew L. Maughan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, but its connection with agrarian themes is found in all of LDS canonized scripture, implying a sense of antiquity from the time of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Scriptural examples and teachings of LDS leaders build the foundation of the Latter-day Saint agrarian theology. Valuing this connection to the land remained constant during the Church’s early development, but diminished in theological focus years before the Great Depression. During the Depression, the Church proactively created a Church Security Plan (later renamed the Church Welfare Plan) …

Common Weeds Of Utah Forests, Morgan Mendenhall

All Current Publications

The invasion of introduced plants into our forests is an ever-increasing threat. Every year, weeds are responsible for millions of dollars in losses of land production and control expenses. Weeds typically are spread easily and place the land into a state of unbalance due to their lack of natural predators

Why Livestock Die From Eating Poisonous Plants, Beth Burritt

All Current Publications

If animals can learn to discriminate between safe and harmful plants, then why do they eat poisonous plants and die?

Training Livestock To Leave Streams And Use Uplands, Beth Burritt

All Current Publications

Cattle can damage streams and surrounding vegetation (riparian areas) by over-grazing riparian vegetation, breaking down banks, decreasing water quality, which can reduce fish populations and wildlife numbers. Suggested solutions to this problem have traditionally ranged from the cost prohibitive - constructing fences along waterways – to the extreme – removing livestock completely from rangelands.

Using Low-Moisture Blocks To Impove Livestock Distribution And Reduce Winter Feed Costs, Beth Burritt, Derek Bailey

All Current Publications

Do your cattle refuse to graze in the uplands yet over-graze the bottoms? Do you want them to change their ways? Molasses based low-moisture blocks (LMB) can help. Rangeland pastures can be under-grazed and over-grazed at the same time.