Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Flow Coefficients In Three-Way, T-Port, Ball Valve, Tyler A. Mindrum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many systems that move fluids, like water distribution networks and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, rely on valves to control flow. This study evaluates a three-way valve, which can direct flow in multiple directions, but has not been extensively researched. Testing included physical data collection and computer simulations to compare how the valves behaved under different valve openings and flow conditions. The results showed that computer simulations can predict the general flow behavior of three-way valves, but that physical testing is still important, especially for valves with complex internal geometries.

Stability Of The Apogee Galvanic Cell Sensors In The Utah State University Biological Oxygen Demand System, Tia Lawrence, Carson Richards, Bruce Bugbee

Techniques and Instruments

The Utah State University Crop Physiology Laboratory has developed a six-chamber biological oxygen demand (BOD) system to quantify respiration (Kusuma & Bugbee, 2020). Like all instruments, accuracy depends on the ability to get a zero in empty containers. Here we report the signal output and zero stability in empty containers over a five-day interval.

Comparative Analysis Of Strain-To-Velocity Conversion Methods For Active-Source Das Data And Collocated Nodal Stations, Prajwal Panthi, Brady R. Cox

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) provides dense spatial measurements of the dynamic strain along fiber optic cables, offering high-resolution wave sensing for ground motion monitoring and subsurface imaging applications. However, DAS records the axial strain or strain rate, whereas traditional seismic and engineering ground motion equipment and derived metrics are based on particle displacement, velocity, or acceleration, necessitating reliable strain-to-velocity conversion methods. This study evaluates three widely used conversion approaches: the fk-rescaling, curvelet-based conversion, and slant-stack methods. These approaches are applied to a unique high-energy, near-field, active-source dataset collected at the Birds Landing Site in Sherman Island, California. The dataset includes …

Application Of Cost-Effective High-Resolution Remote Sensing To Characterize Flooding In Mountain River Corridors, Ishwar Joshi, Ian Gowing, Brian M. Crookston

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

This study evaluated a cost-effective UAV-based multi-sensor approach for characterizing river corridor conditions during and after moderate floods in two mountain river corridors in Northern Utah, USA: the Logan River and Blacksmith Fork River. These study reaches included urban, rural, and agricultural areas, hydraulic structures and bridges, and fish passage structures. A DJI Matrice 300 UAV was used with two separate payloads: an AgEagle Altum-PT multispectral camera and an R3 Pro V2 two-return LiDAR system. The workflow included UAV flight planning and data collection, post-processing of the multi-spectral and LiDAR sensor data, spatial resolution and accuracy assessment, and interpretation of …

Lameness In Dairy Cattle: A Practical Overview, Drew Swartz, Kalen Taylor, Jacob Hadfield, Justin Wyatt Clawson

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides an overview of lameness in dairy cattle, including what it is, why it matters, and how to recognize and manage it. Information is geared toward producers, consultants, and educators.

Three Common Hoof Problems In Dairy Cows: What To Look For And How To Prevent Them, Drew Swartz, Kalen Taylor, Jacob Hadfield, Justin Wyatt Clawson

All Current Publications

This fact sheet covers the three most common hoof lesions in dairy cows and explains why they matter and how to prevent them on your farm.

Digital Dermatitis, Sole Ulcers, And White Line Disease In Dairy Cattle: Pathogens, Diagnosis, And Treatment, Drew Swartz, Kalen Taylor, Jacob Hadfield, Justin Wyatt Clawson

All Current Publications

This fact sheet focuses on three common hoof lesions in dairy cattle: digital dermatitis, sole ulcers, and white line disease, and describes how differences in pathogenesis and risk factors influence diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

“Pride Runs Through Our Veins”: A Qualitative Investigation Of Black Parents’ Ethnic-Racial Socialization Practices Among Black Youth With Disabilities, Nicole A. Telfer, Danielle J. Allen, Noreen Yazejian, Iheoma U. Iruka

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

While ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices are crucial in Black/African American families, little is known about ERS practices in Black families of Black children with disabilities. In the current study, we investigated ERS practices among Black/African American parents’ who are raising children with disabilities and how this may influence children’s outcomes. A total of N = 8 Black/African American parents were invited for semi-structured interviews to explore more deeply their ERS practices among their children with disabilities. Several themes emerged from the data, which highlights ERS practices from a DisCrit lens, as well as the overall experiences of parents and their …

Navigating Your First Technical Paper In Social Sciences: Understanding Single Case Research Design, Diana Parry-Cruwys, Allen Karsina, Jacquelyn M. Macdonald

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Reading and understanding a research article utilizing single case research design (SCRD) may be a particularly challenging hurdle students face when starting graduate level coursework in the social and health sciences. This paper helps ease this challenge by describing what SCRD is and why it is important to understand when interpreting results in SCRD papers. Additionally, it will explain the various parts of a single case research design paper and what should be included in each section. To understand the results of SCRD, it is imperative that students understand experimental design. …

Effects Of Cross-Curricular Instruction On Clinical Education Outcomes For Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Michele Dacy, Kimberly Smith

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Cross-curricular instruction is the process of combining information from two or more subjects within a single discipline in order to help students integrate the knowledge and skills they learn from separate courses. The purpose of this study was to examine how cross-curricular instruction impacted speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students' knowledge, confidence, and clinical skills related to the assessment of patients with co-occurring diagnoses of dementia and dysphagia. Twenty-three SLP master's students completed a questionnaire before and after receiving cross-curricular instruction on how to assess dysphagia in persons with dementia. The questionnaire …

Topographic Control Of Forest Species Distributions In The Interior West From Forest Inventory And Analysis Data, R. Justin Derose, Matthew F. Bekker

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The geographic distribution of forest and woodland ecosystems in the Interior West United States is strongly influenced by topographic factors that, in part, control moisture availability through their effect on insolation, precipitation capture, and retention. Through an empirical approach, we use unique, plot-level data from the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (n = 13,437) over eight ecoregions within eight Interior West states to characterize the distribution of the 12 most abundant tree species with respect to the effects of elevation, slope aspect, and slope steepness. Across species, elevation, and aspect, most forested plots occurred on gentle slopes and the …

Nozzle Erosion Reconstruction Model For Data Analysis In Rocket Engines And Correlation With Chamber Pressure, Ryan J. Thibaudeau, Stephen A. Whitmore

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Graphite nozzles remain the dominant choice for small hybrid and solid rocket motors operating on laboratory and university budgets, owing to their low cost, ease of machining, and rapid turnaround during iterative design campaigns. These same programs, however, must contend with the fact that graphite erodes through coupled thermochemical and mechanical mechanisms when exposed to the oxidizing species generated by high-energy propellant combustion, and the resulting throat-area growth fundamentally alters the time histories of chamber pressure, thrust, and delivered specific impulse. This paper presents a nozzle-erosion reconstruction model that extracts the time-resolved throat area from coupled thrust and chamber-pressure measurements …

An Ai Perspective On Counseling Supervision, Emily A. Brinck, James L. Soldner, Hung Jen Kuo, Scott A. Sabella, Trenton J. Landon, Charles P. Bernacchio, Elizabeth A. Boland

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The increased use of technology-assisted distance counseling practices is one result of COVID’s impact on behavioral health, including in counselor education and the delivery of supervision. First, technology-assisted distance supervision needed for “real time” communication grew. Furthermore, there is an emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that have the potential to contribute to aspects of supervision; however, current evidence remains emerging, context-dependent, and at times mixed, warranting cautious interpretation of their effectiveness. The article offers an overview of using AI in clinical supervision, examines the benefits and potential concerns of AI from different perspectives, and considers the significance of using …

Colostrum Management For Dairy Calves: Key Practices For Calf Health And Performance, Drew Swartz, Jacob Hadfield, Kalen Taylor, Maggi Mathews

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides practical recommendations for dairy producers to improve colostrum management and support calf health and performance.

Queer, Hybrid Participatory Design: Relational Practices And Norms For Coalition Building With Rural, Lgbtq+ Communities, Luettamae Lawrence, Maureen Boyle, Chasity Mayo, Catherine A. Rushworth, Moira Anderson, Dorothy Wallis, Jayme Walters

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the first year of collaboration between the Bear River Region LGBTQ+ Community Coalition and queer residents in rural northern Utah, United States, using a hybrid participatory design (PD) approach. Using Yep’s queer relationality theory, we examine how hybrid spaces were designed and iteratively adapted to support inclusion, care, and collective agency among LGBTQ+ community members. Drawing on Community Coalition Action Theory and queer PD, we analyze four cases from May 2024 to June 2025 including workshops and regular meetings to explore how relational practices evolved across different formats and phases of coalition development. In this paper, we …

Child Sexual Abuse: What Utahns Need To Know, Brie Sparks, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Child sexual abuse is a serious and often hidden issue affecting children, families, and communities in Utah. It is frequently misunderstood and underreported, leaving many children without the support they need. Misperceptions about who is at risk and how abuse occurs can make prevention more difficult. Addressing child sexual abuse requires greater awareness, education, and a shared commitment to creating safe environments where children are protected and supported. Preventing abuse and reducing its long-term impacts is a critical responsibility for individuals, families, and communities in Utah.

Pre-Launch Characterization And Calibration Of An Earth Observing Satellite Constellation (144 Imagers) Using Tunable Laser Sources, Steven Lorentz, Allan Smith

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

L-1 Standards and Technology has completed the ground characterization and calibration for a commercial 10-satellite Earth observing constellation, which consists of 120 VNIR, 24 SWIR, and 24 TIR imagers. L-1 was responsible for calibrating the VNIR and SWIR imagers. Details of the mission can be found at: https://spacenews.com/engineeringbehind- earthdaily-solving-for-global-daily-coverage-scientific-quality-and-high-spectral-diversity/

The L-1 calibration system allows the complete end-to-end characterization over the entire spectral range of interest on a per pixel basis with measurements performed at discrete wavelengths. The techniques employed mirror those used at the NIST SIRCUS facility and NASA’s GLAMOUR facility. The absolute spectral response is tied directly to NIST …

Radiometric Modeling And Glamr Comparison For Cpf Hysics Independent Calibration, Zhipeng (Ben) Wang, Kurtis Thome, Brian Wenny

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The Independent Calibration (IndCal) approach for the CLARREO Pathfinder (CPF) mission HySICS instrument targets SI-traceable absolute radiometric calibration at the sub-percent level. As a major element of IndCal, a physics-based endto- end instrument model of HySICS has been developed to predict spectral and radiometric behavior.

As part of HySICS pre-launch characterization, detector-based absolute radiometric calibration was performed using the NASA Goddard’s GLAMR, which is a tunable laser-based calibration system covering the 340–2500 nm spectral range. In this study, model predictions are compared with GLAMR measurements and other pre-launch component- and system-level calibration results. Special emphasis is placed on the effects …

Long Term Repeatability Study Of Broadband Radiometers And Spectroradiometers Used For Calibration Of Earth Science Optical Instruments, Brendan Mcandrew, Samuel Kitchen-Mckinley, Boryana Efremova, Andrei Sushkov, Nathan Kelley, Michael Rodriguez, Timothy Shuman, Nicholas Reed, Julia Barsi

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The Goddard Laser for Absolute Measurement of Radiance (GLAMR) has been used to calibrate Earth Science optical instruments over the past ten years. The absolute radiance data is provided by a set of three broadband radiometers, consisting of one silicon, one indium gallium arsenide, and one extended indium gallium arsenide. Two such sets of monitoring radiometers associated with two different integrating spheres and a third set of radiometers used to transfer the calibration provided by NIST allow for a “round robin” intercomparison between these sets, as well as a comparison within each set in their regions of spectral overlap. Additionally, …

Pace Oci On-Orbit Solar Calibration, Jeff Mcintire, Shihyan Lee, Robert E. Eplee, Gerhard Meister

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The launch of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission in February of 2024 was a significant step forward for the observation of ocean science data from low Earth orbit. PACE has a payload of two polarimeters and the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI); OCI is the next generation sensor for ocean color science, drawing heritage from sensors such as MODIS, SeaWiFS, and VIIRS, but with increased spectral coverage and improved accuracy. OCI is a grating spectrometer with hyperspectral coverage from the ultraviolet (about 315 nm) to near-infrared (about 895 nm), with additional filtered channels in the short-wave infrared (940 …

Pace Oci Pre-Launch Relative Spectral Response With In-Band Modeling And L1b Corrections, Samuel Kitchen-Mckinley, Shihyan Lee, Gerhard Meister, Frederick Patt, Julia Barsi

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission extends and improves the data record of NASA’s satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols, and clouds. The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) is the primary sensor on-board the PACE platform. The OCI is a scanning radiometer with hyperspectral coverage from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near infrared (NIR) wavelength range and a fiber-coupled multiband filter spectrograph in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral region. The OCI Flight Unit completed system level testing in November 2022 at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Part of the pre-launch test campaign used the monochromic Goddard Laser …

Modis And Viirs Invariant Target Stability Assessment And Radiometric Scaling For The Nasa Ceres Edition 5 Products, David Doelling, Prathana Khakurel, Arun Gopalan, Conor Haney

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The NASA Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) project provides globally observed fluxes and clouds to monitor the Earth’s energy imbalance and to validate climate model energetics. The CERES data products consist of overlapping Terra, Aqua, SNPP, and NOAA-20 CERES instrument records. The CERES SSF1deg single satellite products utilize MODIS and VIIRS cloud properties for scene identification to convert the CERES observed radiances into fluxes using angular directional models. Consistent MODIS and VIIRS cloud properties are crucial to retrieve uniform CERES fluxes across satellite platforms.

The NASA CERES project is preparing for the Edition 5 reprocessing of the …

Arcstone: Calibration Of Lunar Spectral Reflectance From Space, Cindy Young, M. Cooney, A. Thurston, L. Morrill, N. Ryan, M. Banchy, C. Stimson, B. Magill, J. Campbell, C. Roithmayr, R. Swanson, G. Kopp, T. Stone, C. Lukashin

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

In remote sensing of the Earth system, accuracy is key for developing reliable, long-term environmental data records built from data collected by multiple instruments, for quickly detecting trends in the quantities being observed, and for determining the confidence with which conclusions can be drawn from those data. For sensors measuring light in the reflected solar wavelengths from Earth orbit, measurement accuracy has historically been limited by the techniques used in calibration (e.g., using onboard lamps and/or solar diffusers that increase instrument mass/complexity and degrade over time, or viewing ground sites through the Earth’s atmosphere, requiring an additional correction, etc.). The …

Initial Operation Results Of A Barium-Sulfate-Coated Integrating Sphere Equipped With Led And Halogen Lamps, Kazunori Asakura, Masahiro Suganuma, Makoto Hirose, Toshiyoshi Kimura, Tadashi Imai, Yasuhiro Nakajima

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) operates integrating spheres (barium-sulfate-coated, gold-coated, and PTFEcoated) at Tsukuba Space Center for radiometric calibration in the visible and short-wave infrared spectral bands, and several JAXA missions have utilized these spheres for the ground calibration test of their onboard sensors. The bariumsulfate- coated integrating sphere has the largest aperture diameter (36 cm), and it has been employed for calibration of satellite-borne cameras (e.g., PLANET-C, Hayabusa-2). However, the spatial uniformity of this sphere has gradually deteriorated due to long-term aging of the barium sulfate coating, after more than two decades of operation. Although its performance is periodically …

Tempo Calibration Status And The Path Thus Far, D. E. Flittner, X. Liu, Heesung Chong, W. Hou, J. Carr, L. E. Flynn, S. Marchenko, B. Baker, James Lasnik, Dennis Nicks

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) was selected in late 2012 as the first cost-capped and schedule constrained project for Earth Venture Instrument (EVI-1). Launched in April 2023 aboard the Intelsat (now SES) IS40E satellite, it is the first space-borne hyperspectral imaging spectrograph measuring backscattered sunlight over North America in a geostationary orbit (91 West longitude). It serves as the de facto North American element of the atmospheric composition – virtual constellation geo-ring. The instrument’s focal plane has two charge-coupled device (CCD) detectors covering the spectral ranges 293–494 and 538–741 nm with resolutions of 0.53–0.63 nm. It was designed …

Image Uniformity Evaluation Of Landsat Oli Using Detector Overlap Statistics Of Earth Scenes, Raviv Levy, Cibele Teixeira Pinto, Jeffrey A. Miller, Kurtis Thome

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) instruments on Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 collect hundreds of Earth scenes per day, covering a wide mix of surface types and signal levels. This report demonstrates that detector overlap statistics can be used to directly characterize non-uniformity at the focalplane boundary zones inherent to the OLI focalplane design and correct for these non-uniformities in image data products. Detector pairs of coregistered pixels within boundary zone represent measurements of the same ground target collected at the same time but with minor view angle differences. The use of multiple pairs of detectors offers varying scene types …

Development Of A Software-Based Lock-In Amplifier With Linearity Of 0.004 % (K=2) Using A 24-Bit, Fpga-Based Digitizer, Howard W. Yoon, Michael P. Braine, Vladimir Khromchenko

The Characterization and Radiometric Calibration for Remote Sensing Annual Meeting (CALCON)

Lock-in amplifiers (LIA) are used to measure signals from noisy sources or detectors and for measuring AC-mode devices such as pyroelectric detectors. In infrared radiometry, LIAs are often used in both detector and radiometer calibrations where gain linearity directly impacts the measurement uncertainties. In applications such as BRDF measurements where large signal ratios are used to determine reflectance factors, knowledge of LIA linearities is critical since large signal ratios much be known with very low uncertainties.

At present, most commercial LIAs are limited by their 16-bit or 18-bit amplitude resolution, maximum input voltage of 1 V and nearly 1 % …

Archiving In Advance Of Mission Completion, Molly Stothert-Maurer

Journal of Western Archives

This paper presents a detailed case study of the born-digital archiving efforts associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) Asteroid Sample Return Mission at the University of Arizona Libraries Special Collections. From the perspective of an archivist, the project exemplifies the integration of digital archiving into an active scientific mission, conducted in collaboration with multiple departments across the university. By preserving mission-critical content, including project management documents, social media interactions, and web content, this initiative serves as a model for resource light digital products utilizing batch descriptive techniques. The paper …

Roots And Greens: Discovering The Power Of Indigenous Produce, Abiodun T. Atoloye, Sherif O. Olasoji, Ebunoluwa G. Ibidapo

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Courseware

The curriculum was designed in alignment with the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), Empowerment Theory (ET), and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) frameworks. These frameworks were used to determine the selection and sequencing of learning activities. As reflected in CTML principles, the use of texts, images, infographics, and videos enhances knowledge retention and information comprehension and helps prevent cognitive overload. Through activities, homework, and family engagement, the principles of ET were incorporated into the curriculum to facilitate participants’ perceived control over food-related decisions. Additionally, by applying the principles of SCT, the curriculum incorporates scenario-based questions, opportunities to engage with peers, …

Part I: Drip Tape Irrigation For Cut Flowers, Alex Rodriguez, Melanie Stock, James Frisby, Burdette Barker

All Current Publications

Drip irrigation can be the most efficient method for delivering water and has the added benefit of keeping moisture off foliage and blooms of cut flowers. This fact sheet is the first in a series of irrigation fact sheets for cut flowers. It provides a step-by-step guide to the initial selection and installation of a surface drip tape irrigation system. Descriptions of and considerations for common components, setup, management, and repair are discussed. While this content may apply to other horticultural and garden plants, this fact sheet was developed for cut flower crops and growers. We recommend USU Extension resources …