Digital Commons Network^™

The Utah Statesman, April 15, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Predictors Of Adherence To A Publicly Available Self-Guided Digital Mental Health Intervention, Mercedes G. Woolley, Korena S. Klimczak, Carter H. Davis, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Low adherence to self-guided digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have raised concerns about their real-world effectiveness. Naturalistic data from self-guided DMHIs are often not available, hindering our ability to assess adherence among real-world users. This study aimed to analyze 3 years of user data from the public launch of an empirically supported 12-session self-guided DMHI, to assess overall program adherence rates and explore predictors of adherence. Data from 984 registered users were analyzed. Results showed that only 14.8% of users completed all 12 modules and 68.6% completed less than half of the modules. Users who were younger, had milder depression, …

Utah Hydroponic Solutions, Bruce Bugbee, Noah Langenfeld

Nutrients

The Utah Hydroponic solutions for monocots and dicots have been developed and refined using mass balance principles coupled with tissue analysis from studies in 25-cm deep, continuously aerated, liquid hydroponics where there is no absorption or desorption with media.

These solutions provide guidelines for irrigation of soilless substrates, but adjustments may need to be made to account for the significant cation exchange capacity and thus nutrient absorption and desorption with the substrates.

These recipes were developed for greenhouse conditions with ambient CO₂ and about 40% humidity. This results in a water use efficiency of about 3 grams per Liter. …

Navigating Uncertainty In Tax Strategy Due To The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act (Tcja) Sunset, Tate Smith

Student Research Symposium

Everyone files taxes and wants to pay as little as possible, but tax planning becomes complicated when new laws could come into effect. This research was designed to find the best tax planning strategy for the upcoming 2025 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Sunset.

Assessing The Promise And Pitfalls Of Chatgpt For Automated Cs1-Driven Code Generation, Fawad Khan, Max Ramsdell

Student Research Symposium

Definition and Overview of Large Language Models:

• Large Language Models (LLMs) are advanced AI algorithms designed to understand, generate, and interact with human language at a vast scale.

The Evolution of LLMs:

• The development of LLMs has progressed
• 1960 - Basic LLM - basic predictive text functions
• 2017- Transformers - Core model powering ChatGPT introduced
• 2022 - ChatGPT context-aware systems

Optical Distortion In High-Magnification Camera-Based Deformation, Brayden Monson

Student Research Symposium

DIC (Digital Image Correlation): By randomly speckling a specimen with paint, we can track how each speckle of paint moves via a camera and, thus, how a material deforms in different conditions.

Advantage of DIC: Traditional methods of measuring material properties cannot be used in extreme conditions, such as in high-temperature or radiation chambers. DIC does not have this limitation, by virtue of using a camera and being non-contacting.

Optical Properties:

Refraction: Light bends as it goes through a material, creating distortion

Reflection: Parts of light reflects when entering a new medium, reducing the quality …

A Critique Of Free Market Epistemology, Preston Winn

Student Research Symposium

Why care about economic systems?

We mostly take these for granted, but they impact:

• Resource Allocation
• Distribution of Wealth
• Individual Freedom
• Innovation
• Social/Environmental Impact

Social Justice In Design, Baylee Paskett

Student Research Symposium

Access to Healthy Food:

Ensuring that this grocery market offers affordable and high-quality fresh produce will make nutritious food accessible to all residents regardless of income levels. Implementing programs or partnerships that provide subsidies, discounts, or vouchers for low-income individuals or families will provide the locals with healthy food options that are more affordable.

Effect Of Medium On Epigenetics In Fertilized And Cloned Embryos, Ethan Loertscher

Student Research Symposium

• The metabolic pathways that oocytes and embryos take during early development have an important effect on epigenetic events. This leads to the question of whether different cultures affect epigenetics.
• There are some concerns that serum-containing mediums may be correlated with poor health outcomes.
• Acetylation of lysine 9 on histone 3 is associated with chromatin configurations. The intensity of H₃K₉ac is much lower in cloned embryos (somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)) than what is seen in normal embryos
• This study was aiming to compare IVF and SCNT embryos cultured in a medium containing serum and a medium …

Voltage Scaled Low Power Dnn Accelerator Design On Reconfigurable Platform, Rourab Paul, Sreetama Sarkar, Suman Sau, Sanghamitra Roy, Koushik Chakraborty, Amlan Chakrabarti

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The exponential emergence of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) has accelerated research on hardware implementation of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs). Among all DNN processors, domain-specific architectures such as Google’s Tensor Processor Unit (TPU) have outperformed conventional GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and CPUs (Central Processing Units). However, implementing low-power TPUs in reconfigurable hardware remains a challenge in this field. Voltage scaling, a popular approach for energy savings, can be challenging in FPGAs, as it may lead to timing failures if not implemented appropriately. This work presents an ultra-low-power FPGA implementation of a TPU for edge applications. We divide the systolic array of …

Analyzing Atmospheric Gravity Waves Over Antarctica And Visualizing Machine Learning Data, Anastasia Brown

Student Research Symposium

• Gravity Waves are buoyancy waves that propagate in the atmosphere [1]
• Mostly generated by tropospheric weather,
• Can vertically propagate above 100 km altitude,
• Affect the temperature structure of the atmosphere, 
• Drive pole-to-pole circulation.

Wake Characteristics Of In-Phase And Out-Phase Array Of Oscillation Airfoils, Yi-Cheng Chen

Student Research Symposium

In order to solve the hydrodynamics of a school of fish using the open-source SEM solver Nek5000, an oscillating mesh is required to simulate fish oscillations and at the same time simplify the process of mesh partitioning and satisfy the limitation of nek5000 that the mesh must be quadrilateral.

Response Adjustments In Math Anxiety: A Comparative Analysis Of Post-Error Speeding And Slowing, Leyla Karami, Tori Dehlin

Student Research Symposium

• Math anxiety is a worry or fear that occurs when people try to solve math problems, take tests, or even think about numbers” _{(Weir, 2023)}.
• Individuals with math anxiety avoid taking math courses or selecting math-related majors; Global Avoidance Effect _{(Suárez-Pellicioni et al., 2016)}.
• They show a tendency to complete the math task as soon as possible to leave the uncomfortable situation of math problem solving; Local Avoidance Effect _{(Suárez-Pellicioni et al., 2016)}.
• They are slower & more error-prone in math tasks _{(Núñez-Peña et al., 2017; 2024)}.

Utilizing Hybrid Machine Learning Techniques And Gridded Precipitation Data For Advanced Discharge Simulation In Under-Monitored River Basins, Reza Morovati, Ozgur Kisi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This study addresses the challenge of utilizing incomplete long-term discharge data when using gridded precipitation datasets and data-driven modeling in Iran's Karkheh basin. The Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN), a rainfall-runoff (R-R) model, was applied, leveraging precipitation data from the Asian Precipitation—Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Toward Evaluation (APHRODITE), Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC), and Climatic Research Unit (CRU). The MLPNN was trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm and optimized with the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II). Input data were pre-processed through principal component analysis (PCA) and singular value decomposition (SVD). This study explored two scenarios: Scenario 1 (S1) used in …

First-Time Market Steer, Ashley T. Longmore, Cheyenne A. Reid

All Current Publications

The target audience for this fact sheet is 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H steer. This fact sheet is a simple outline that will give them more information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

First-Time Market Hog, Ashley T. Longmore, Cheyenne A. Reid

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is for 4-H youth who are thinking about or have recently purchased their first 4-H hog. This fact sheet is a simple outline that will give them more information on selection, feeding, housing, basic care, and grooming.

Where Have All The Flowers Gone? A Call For Federal Leadership In Deer Management In The United States, Bernd Blossey, Darragh Hare, Donald M. Waller

Aspen Bibliography

Forests in the United States continue to lose biodiversity and many fail to regenerate due to high deer (family Cervidae) abundance. Declines in biodiversity and overall ecosystem health due to high deer populations increases prevalence of wildlife and human diseases associated with increasing tick abundances and decreases forest resilience and the ability to deliver benefits provided by healthy ecosystems. In the eastern and midwestern United States, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the main stressor, while in the western U.S. elk (Cervus elaphus) and black-tailed and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) can become equally problematic. Federal …

The Utah Statesman, April 1, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The First Variational Formula, The Phase Space Of Solutions, And The Ostrogradsky Formalism, Matthew Pontius, Drew Watson

Physics Capstone Projects

We consider Lagrangians for classical mechanics which depend upon an arbitrary number of time derivatives of the configuration variables. From the boundary term in the first variation of the Lagrangian we derive the Ostrogradsky formulas which define the Hamiltonian formulation of mechanical systems.

Utah Lake Paleoecology Study Report To Deq, April 2024, J. Brahney, L. King, M. Devey, M. Carter, G. Carling, S. Brothers, A. Provard, B. Young, R. West

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Utah Lake is a large shallow eutrophic lake located in north central Utah. In recent years, the occurrence of frequent and sometimes toxic algal blooms has brought new urgency in understanding the cause and effects of eutrophication in Utah Lake. The drainage basin of Utah Lake is dominated by carbonate sedimentary materials and small pockets of phosphate rock occur. Given the bedrock geology and shallow nature of the lake, there has been uncertainty as to the natural trophic status and ecology of the lake prior to the settlement of Utah Valley. Thus, defining historical nutrient concentrations and sources in the …

Assessing Parent And Guardian Outcomes For The Be Epic, Escape The Vape Program In Rural Southeast Utah, Ashley C. Yaugher, Christina Pay, Josie Hatch, Cris Meier

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Be Epic is a multi-component youth vape prevention program for rural youth, teachers, and parents. Annual parent/guardian events provide vape prevention education during a single session. Evaluation results showed that the program led to an increase in parents' knowledge and intention to talk with their youth about e-cigarettes.

A Review On Recent Deep Learning-Based Semantic Segmentation For Urban Greenness Measurement, Doo Hong Lee, Hye Yeon Park, Joonwhoan Lee

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Student Research

Accurate urban green space (UGS) measurement has become crucial for landscape analysis. This paper reviews the recent technological breakthroughs in deep learning (DL)-based semantic segmentation, emphasizing efficient landscape analysis, and integrating greenness measurements. It explores quantitative greenness measures applied through semantic segmentation, categorized into the plan view- and the perspective view-based methods, like the Land Class Classification (LCC) with green objects and the Green View Index (GVI) based on street photographs. This review navigates from traditional to modern DL-based semantic segmentation models, illuminating the evolution of the urban greenness measures and segmentation tasks for advanced landscape analysis. It also presents …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda April 4, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes – March 7, 2024
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews: https://usu.curriculog.com/
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 2:30 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda April 4, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes – March 7, 2024
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Bear Lake Session, Lawrence Culver, Ben Shaw, Wesley Matthis, Mario Harper

Spring Runoff Conference

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Agenda April 1, 2024, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes – March 4, 2024
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:30 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:40 Information
• 4:00 Reports
• 4:05 Old Business
• 4:10 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

The Utah Statesman, March 25, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Buckets Of Fun: Impacts Of Fraction Ball Activities On Students' Math-Related Emotions, Siling Guo, Drew H. Bailey, Katherine Rhodes, Kreshnik Nasi Begolli, Vanessa N. Bermudez, Luettamae Lawrence, Daniela Alvarez-Vargas, Lourdes M. Acevedo-Farag, June Ahn, Andres S. Bustamante, Lindsey E. Richland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Rational number learning can cause frustration and negative emotions for elementary school students. Fraction Ball, a play-based math intervention, allows students to actively learn rational numbers through engaging and interactive activities. Based on a cluster-randomized trial with 16 teachers and 360 students, our pre-registered analyses showed moderate positive impacts of Fraction Ball on overall students' self-reported math-related emotions. Exploratory analyses indicated that students with higher negative emotions at pretest showed larger experimental impacts on decreasing negative emotions at posttest. Finally, we found that Fraction Ball evidenced no trade-off between rational number learning and emotional outcomes at the classroom block level, …

Effects Of Stroboscopic Vision On Depth Jump Motor Control: A Biomechanical Analysis, Kenneth D. Harrison, Christopher J. Dakin, Anne Z. Beethe, Talin Louder

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Researchers commonly use the 'free-fall' paradigm to investigate motor control during landing impacts, particularly in drop landings and depth jumps (DJ). While recent studies have focused on the impact of vision on landing motor control, previous research fully removed continuous visual input, limiting ecological validity. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of stroboscopic vision on depth jump (DJ) motor control. Ground reaction forces (GRF) and lower-extremity surface electromyography (EMG) were collected for 20 young adults (11 male; 9 female) performing six depth jumps (0.51 m drop height) in each of two visual conditions (full vision vs. …

The Utah Statesman, March 18, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.