Digital Commons Network^™

Grass Rejection By Capybaras Can Be Used As A Possible Strategy To Mitigate Road Accidents, André Luiz Gama Nogueira, Sérgio Luiz Gama Nogueira-Filho, Selene Siqueira Da Cunha Nogueira, Denis Sato, Natasha Camilo Maximiano Da Silva, Lilian Elgalise Techio Pereira, Michael Mendl, Adroaldo José Zanella

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feeding management can be a good strategy for avoiding wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVCs), which are a worldwide concern. In this study, we aimed to identify grass species that capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) reject as feeding material. These species could be planted to make roadsides less attractive to capybaras and, consequently, decrease WVCs involving this species. We planted 3 grass species (Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. hybrid Mavuno, and Zoysia japonica) in 4 blocks, applying a randomized-complete blocks design. The first 2 species we assumed would be rejected, since some animals do not consume them due to their high …

How Do Daily Survival Rates Of Nests Change During The Incubation Period For Ducks Nesting On Great Salt Lake Marshes?, Mark E. Bell, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We examined how daily survival rates (DSRs) of duck nests change over the course of the incubation period using cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and gadwalls (Mareca strepera) nesting in the marshes around Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Cameras observed 138 nests, allowing us to know the exact day when chicks hatched or nests were depredated. We measured the course of the incubation period based on 3 different time scales: (1) days since we first located the nest, (2) embryo age, and (3) ordinal day. We tested 3 hypotheses about the relationship …

Preparing For Publication: An Inside Look At Production Processes And Recommendations For Authors Of Human–Wildlife Interactions, Rosanna M. Vail

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This segment of The Back Page provides a transparent look at the journal's article production tasks, including pre-production, copyediting, layout, proofs, pre-publication, and publication, as well as recommendations for authors to reduce time to publication.

Grazing Management For Livestock, Free-Roaming Horses And Burros, And Resilience, Sherman R. Swanson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Grazing management avoids overgrazing by allocating forage for livestock on the basis of animal unit months and managing wild and free-roaming horses (Equus caballus) and burros (E. asinus) to achieve and maintain an appropriate management level (AML) for each herd. Riparian green forage and water attracts cattle (Bos taurus) and equids when upland forage is brown. Key species that focus management for resilience to weather variation, fire, and floods are preferred forage plants for cattle and horses. They include riparian stabilizers such as densely rooted sedges and deep-rooted perennial grasses in sagebrush (Artemisia …

Flashtags: Evaluating A Novel Deterrent To Reduce Livestock Depredation, C. Aaron Bott, Stewart W. Breck, Tom W. Murphy, Brad A. Freking, Carlos A. López González, David Prause, Corey Peavey, Albert Sommers, Coke Landers, Julie K. Young

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Social tolerance of carnivores can be improved by preventing conflicts through nonlethal predator deterrents (e.g., livestock protection dogs [Canis lupus familiaris] and human presence) that have been used for centuries. However, many livestock producers feel the existing preventative methods are inadequate for extensive production systems where livestock can be spread widely and have less human supervision. To address this issue, we developed and tested a new nonlethal tool called FlashTags to reduce livestock predation. FlashTags are ear tags worn by livestock that flash a random-light pattern at night when motion-triggered. In the first year, we tested the devices …

Survival Of Translocated Coyotes In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, Usa, Charlotte R. Milling, Chris Anchor, Stanley D. Gehrt

Human–Wildlife Interactions

For nuisance animals, the general public perceives translocation to be a humane alternative to lethal control measures, but survival of translocated wildlife is often quite low due in part to increased movement post-release. Thus, for common species whose relocation generally serves a social rather than conservation purpose, translocation might not be correctly characterized when presented as nonlethal. We quantified release site fidelity and survival of coyotes (Canis latrans) fitted with very high frequency radio-collars and translocated within the Chicago Metropolitan Area, Illinois, USA, from 2000 to 2006. We also compared survival for 14 weeks post-collaring for our translocated …

Impact Of Road Infrastructures On The Abundance Of Common Chameleon Populations, Pablo García-Quevedo, Francisco Díaz-Ruiz, Antonio Román Muñoz, Jesús Duarte, Adrián Martín-Taboada, José-María García-Carrasco, Miguel Ángel Farfán

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) is a threatened species in Spain. The loss and transformation of their traditional habitats are among the main causes of its decline. Linear infrastructures, such as roads and highways, cause direct habitat loss, roadkill, and fragmentation of populations by acting as an artificial barrier. In this study, we investigated the potential effect of 2 high-speed road infrastructures in southern Spain on local populations of common chameleons. A total of 34 grids of 1x1 km were sampled, differentiating between grids without road presence (n = 17) and grids with road presence (n …

Random Forests Regression For Soft Interval Data, Paul Gaona-Partida, Chih-Ching Yeh, Yan Sun, Adele Cutler

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Analyzing soft interval data for uncertainty quantification has attracted much attention recently. Within this context, regression methods for interval data have been extensively studied. As most existing works focus on linear models, it is important to note that many problems in practice are nonlinear in nature and the development of nonlinear regression tools for interval data is crucial. This paper proposes an interval-valued random forests model that defines the splitting criterion of variance reduction based on an L₂ type metric in the space of compact intervals. The model simultaneously considers the centers and ranges of the interval data as …

Structure Identification For High-Dimensional Data In The Vicinity Of Bear Lake, Ben Shaw, Haley Burger, Brennan L. Bean, Kevin R. Moon

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

This report focuses on seven water quality measurements taken at 43 different depths on the Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho for the months of June - November in the years 2018 - 2023. These measurements create a high-dimensional dataset on which we apply state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) techniques to look for low-dimensional structure in the data. A similar effort was made for weather measurements taken near the lake. Our analysis reveals that water quality measurements tend to cluster (i.e., group together) by year, while weather measurements tend to cluster by time of the year. This in mind, we explore potential drivers of …

Endorsing A Biophychosocial Perspective Of Pain In Individuals With Chronic Pain: Development And Validation Of A Scale, Maria Kleinstäuber, Eric L. Garland, Brittany L. Sisco-Taylor, Mathias Sanyer, Julia Corfe-Tan, Antonia Barke

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objectives:

Patients' beliefs about pain play an important role in their readiness to engage with chronic pain self-management. The central aim of this study was to validate a self-report instrument to assess a specific set of pain beliefs, patients' endorsement of a biopsychosocial model of chronic pain (PEB).

Methods:

Interdisciplinary experts in the field of pain were involved in creating an instrument, the PEB Scale, to operationalize patients' endorsement of a biopsychosocial pain model. A sample of 199 patients with chronic pain was recruited to evaluate the factorial structure (principal axis factoring), the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), the convergent …

An Exploratory Examination Of Delay Discounting In Women And Girls Diagnosed With An Eating Disorder, Marissa L. Donahue, Mariah E. Willis-Moore, Julie M. Petersen, Amy L. Odum, Michael E. Levin, Josephine N. Hannah, Tera Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush, Michael Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Those with eating disorders (ED) characterized by purging behaviors tend to show more impulsivity than those diagnosed with restrictive eating, who tend to show more compulsivity. Impulsive choice (i.e., a type of impulsivity) is a common factor among eating disorders that is less understood. Delay discounting is a measure of choice impulsivity, examining the decrease in value of delayed outcomes. In this exploratory study, we examined associations between eating disorder type, age and delay discounting among patients at a residential ED treatment center (N = 178). Our findings showed that those diagnosed with bulimia nervosa had higher delay discounting (i.e., …

Discriminative Stimuli Promote The Efficacy Of Delay Tolerance Training, Katherine R. Brown, Samantha J. Nercesian

Psychology Faculty Publications

Schedule thinning occurs after functional communication training to teach individuals to tolerate delays to accessing functional reinforcers. One challenge that can emerge during schedule thinning is poor discriminated use of the newly taught functional communication response (FCR). Although prevalence of this treatment challenge remains largely unknown, it appears to be relatively uncommon during schedule thinning approaches that incorporate arbitrary discriminative stimuli. In contrast, several studies using naturalistic discriminative stimuli during delay tolerance schedule thinning have reported this treatment challenge. In the current study, we examined the efficacy of embedding arbitrary discriminative stimuli into delay tolerance schedule thinning to improve discriminated …

'The Eyes Are The Window To The Representation': Linking Gaze To Memory Precision And Decision Weights In Object Discrimination Tasks, Emily R. Weichart, Layla Unger, Nicole King, Vladimir M. Sloutsky, Brandon M. Turner

Psychology Faculty Publications

Humans selectively attend to task-relevant information in order to make accurate decisions. However, selective attention incurs consequences if the learning environment changes unexpectedly. This trade-off has been underscored by studies that compare learning behaviors between adults and young children: broad sampling during learning comes with breadth of information in memory, often allowing children to notice details of the environment that are missed by their more selective adult counterparts. The current work extends the generalized context model (Nosofsky, 1986) to account for both the intentional and consequential aspects of selective attention when predicting choice. In a novel direct input approach, we …

2024 Finance Calendar, Amanda Christensen, Melanie Jewkes, Andrea Schmutz, Vincenza Vicari-Bentley, Kelan Combe, Rochelle Allen, Jenny Weller, Lauren Olsen, Rachel Booth

All Current Publications

The 2024 Finance Calendar outlines monthly steps to improve your personal finances over the course of the year.

Search For Osme Bonds With Π Systems As Electron Donors, Xin Wang, Qingzhong Li, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The Osme bond is defined as pairing a Group 8 metal atom as an electron acceptor in a noncovalent interaction with a nucleophile. DFT calculations with the ωB97XD functional consider MO₄ (M = Ru, Os) as the Lewis acid, paired with a series of π electron donors C₂H₂ , C₂H₄ , C₆H₆ , C₄H₅N, C₄H₄O, and C₄H₄S. The calculations establish interaction energies in the range between 9.5 and 26.4 kJ/mol. Os engages in stronger interactions than does Ru, …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda December 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)

Isolation Of The Toxic Principle Of Senecio Latifolius By Means Of The Sensory Receptors Of Sheep, Leendert D. Snyman

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

The aversive substance of Senecio latifolius was isolated by means of the sensory receptors of sheep averted to S. latifolius. Chemical fractions refused due to the presence of the aversive substance sensed by the sheep were fractionated until a purified substance had been isolated. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the purified substance showed it to be sceleratine nitrogen oxide, the toxic principle of S. latifolius.

Spinoza And Enlightened Pleasures, Charlie Huenemann

Communication Studies and Philosophy Faculty Publications

Spinoza recognizes that worldly pleasures are not contrary to the life of the philosophical sage, but such pursuits must be carefully directed. He distinguishes between a joy that affects only some parts of the body (titillatio) and joy that extends through the body as a whole (hilaritas or "cheerfulness"). Titillation can be excessive, since it can blind us to our other needs. But cheerfulness cannot be excessive, since the whole body is improved at once. In his account of cheerfulness, Spinoza can be understood to be describing the life of a liefhebber, which is the Dutch …

Evaluating Active Lecture And Traditional Lecture In Higher Education, Kathleen Klein, Jennifer Calabrese, Adam Aguiar, Sunny Mathew, Kimoni Ajani, Rania Almajid, Jennifer Aarons

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional and active lecture methods in higher-education courses. A multiple group convergent parallel mixed method design was used, with measurement of learning, attention, and student preference for active or traditional lecture methods. Six faculty at a public university in the northeast region of the United States engaged 178 undergraduate and graduate students in a traditional lecture session and an active lecture session during the Spring 2022 semester. Results indicated effectiveness of active and traditional lecture approaches (p < .05). Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data in the study provides additional information regarding student preference for active lecture based on perceptions of increased learning benefits, interaction/engagement, attention, activities, discussion, and the use of multimedia. In implementing both traditional and active lecture sessions this study employed pre-lecture and post-lecture quizzes that students found to be very beneficial to learning.

Teaching Reproducibility To First Year College Students: Reflections From An Introductory Data Science Course, Brennan L. Bean

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Modern technology threatens traditional modes of classroom assessment by providing students with automated ways to write essays and take exams. At the same time, modern technology continues to expand the accessibility of computational tools that promise to increase the potential scope and quality of class projects. This paper presents a case study where students are asked to complete a “reproducible” final project in an introductory data science course using the R programming language. A reproducible project is one where an instructor can easily regenerate the results and conclusions from the submitted …

Adapting Interteaching To A Hybrid Format: A Framework For Implementation, Carmen Farrell

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

In the world of higher education, expectations of college-level instructors have shifted significantly in the last few years due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Instructors were required to be more flexible than ever before, oftentimes across different modalities. This essay models an evidence-based teaching method, interteaching (IT), that was originally created for use in a traditional face-to-face classroom and suggests an adaptation of that method for a hybrid classroom. The theoretical framework of IT is explained and an adaptation of IT for hybrid classrooms is provided with a specific college-level course …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 2, Fall 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to educational adaptation. The first article by C. Farrell describes an adaptation of the interteaching method to the hybrid delivery method. The second article by C. C. Loose and R. Jagielo-Manion describes a study of modules on personalized learning to preservice teachers and its impact on their comfort level and preparation to implement personalized learning in their classrooms. The third article by B. …

Is It True That Immigrants Reduce Social Trust Or Reduce Institutional Quality?, Jacob Sorenson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

With a presidential race beginning in the United States, one topic that is sure to be discussed a lot in the news and by people trying to decide on who to vote for is whether or not the US should allow more immigrants into the country, and what the regulations surrounding these new entrants should look like. While this topic is usually only discussed during the campaign stretch, it isn’t new nor is it unimportant. For this reason, formal immigration research is abundant and used to inform the debate. This research has many strengths, but one area of focus that …

Development Of A Potassium Permanganate Catalyst-Infused Fuel Grain For Hydrogen Peroxide Hybrid Thruster Ignition Enhancement, Ryan J. Thibaudeau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis describes and addresses the need for reliable ignition in small satellite hybrid propulsion systems using hydrogen peroxide. It describes process of creating custom 3D printed ABS plastic fuel grains with small amounts of catalysts. These catalysts lead to a more reliable and energy-efficient ignition of a hybrid rocked propulsion system using catalyst-infused ABS and high-test hydrogen peroxide (HTP). Hydrogen peroxide is a high-density oxidizer and therefore more volumetrically efficient for a small satellite using hybrid rocket technology when compared to gaseous oxygen (GOX). The traditional ignition methods of hybrid rocket propulsion systems using HTP are compared to and …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Low-Velocity Impact Damage In Sandwich Panel With Uhmwpe Composite Facings, Bin Yang, Qi Zhou, Juhyeong Lee, Yan Li, Kunkun Fu, Dongmin Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper is concerned with the low-velocity impact (LVI) response behaviour of sandwich composite panels (SCPs) with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composite facings and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)/Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) foam cores. A series of LVI tests with SCPs subjected to 50 J, 80 J and 110 J were conducted to examine their impact characteristics and damage mechanisms. LVI-induced internal damage in the SCPs were characterised by compute micro-tomography (μCT) analysis. The effects of UHMWPE areal density and foam type on the LVI responses and associated failure modes of the panels were also examined. The experimental results showed that the …

Reading Interventions For High School Students With Reading Difficulties, Dixie Poulsen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Literacy is an important skill necessary for better outcomes in life. There are many high school students that struggle with word reading and comprehension. Some may even graduate without a functional reading level. What can teachers do to make a difference? Are there strategies that can be implemented into classrooms to better help struggling students? It is important to gather the correct information about the students reading abilities. For this professional portfolio, I conducted 5 different reading assessment, to understand the student’s current abilities. With these assessments I could determine where my student struggled the most. The student had difficulty …

Parent-Child Communication About Adoption From The Adopted Child's Perspective: A Literature Review, Abigial Kent

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Discourse in adoptive families is how families create relationships and familial identity. This literature review addresses how parents talk to adoptees and the negative and positive outcomes of these conversations. Parents discuss entrance stories, word choice, and privacy management with their adopted children. When parents are open with adoptees, adoptees are better adjusted and have a strong sense of identity. Parents who had good quality conversations with their children saw children who had a stronger sense of belonging. When parents withhold information, adoptees developed anxious and avoidant attachment styles. Adoptees also felt betrayed and lost trust in their adopted parents. …

Compatibility Of Conformal And Projective Structures, Eli Atkin

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In 1972 Ehlers Pirani and Schild, published a paper The geometry of free fall and light propagation. The authors established a constructive set of axioms for building a relativistic space time geometry based on the compatibility of projective and conformal structures. In recent years two papers have been published addressing the validity of these results. The first of these papers by Matveev and Trautman claim to give the necessary and sufficient conditions for the projective and conformal structures to be compatible, and in doing so conclude that the central claim of the EPS paper is wrong. In 2020 Matveev and …

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Comparing City Park Perspectives: Users Vs Organizers, Kalli Hull

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Green spaces and parks are an essential aspect of a healthy community. Incorporating parks into the landscape of a city can benefit the community. Understanding the relationship between park management and park users is important for creating the most effective use of space and accessibility. This project looks at the comprehensive viewpoints of both park managers and park users through a series of interviews and reviews of previous research and literature. Logan City, Utah is used as the location of interest for collecting and determining outcomes. This project displays the key findings of the priorities and viewpoints of both park …