Digital Commons Network^™

Biophysical Factors Control Invasive Grass Hot Spots In The Mojave Desert, Tanner C. Smith, Tara B. B. Bishop, Michael C. Duniway, Ryan R. Jensen, Richard A. Gill

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Invasive annual grasses are a nuisance in the American Southwest through promotion of the grass-fire cycle. Annual grasses such as Bromus rubens, Bromus tectorum, Schismus barbatus, and Schismus arabicus have invaded the Mojave Desert and increased fire occurrence, thus it is important to identify and characterize the areas where persistent invasion has occurred and subsequently fire risk is increased by understanding the distribution of these invasive grasses. Here we use a remote sensing framework to map persistent and productive populations of invasive annual grass, called hot spots, in the entire Mojave Desert ecoregion over 12 years, identify …

Progress Report: Covid-19 Hotspot Detection In University Campus Settings, Garrett Duncan, William F. Christensen, Camilla Handley

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of disruption in the academic world. Many schools and universities shut down entirely and transitioned to online learning. As BYU made the transition back to in-person learning, the administration needed to know if there was in-class transmission happening on campus in order to regulate restrictions and keep students and faculty safe. Using demographic information about the students, we built an XGBoost model that produces an estimated probability of testing positive for each student. We incorporated engineered variables from the demographic information as well. We evaluated model fit using metrics such as AUC. Using a …

Exploration Of An Electrochemical Sensor For Continuous Monitoring Of Estradiol In Application To Fertility Tracking, Julia S. Dominesey, Shad J. Roundy

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Estradiol is one of three estrogens, the primary female sex hormone; it fluctuates diurnally, and monthly, dictating the menstrual cycle. We developed a bench-top electrochemical sensor to detect estradiol with the intention of future realization into an implantable, continuously sampling sensor to be used as an aid for fertility health. The electrochemical sensor is comprised of a three electrode system which utilizes a gold working electrode, platinum counter electrode, and Ag/AgCl reference electrode to perform cyclic voltammetry. A monolayer of estradiol aptamers and mercaptohexanethiol coat the working electrode surface. The monolayer was exposed to 10ng/mL, 100n/mL and 1,000ng/mL of estradiol. …

Acoustic Analysis Of The Delta Iv Heavy Launch Vehicle, Griffin Houston, Grant W. Hart, Kent L. Gee

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Delta IV Heavy is an orbital heavy class launch vehicle that has been in operation since 2004. In this study, the overall sound power level and other acoustic properties of the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle will be calculated and analyzed. Five data acquisition systems with a wide frequency bandwidth were placed in a far-field arc around a 2021 launch. Using a weighted mean to compare results across stations, a maximum overall sound pressure level (OASPL) of 140 dB and an average maximum polar directivity angle of 69 deg were calculated. An overall sound power level of 198 dB …

Development Of Optical Systems For In-Situ Measurements Of High-Temperature Combustion Plumes, Cara Frischkorn, Stephen A. Whitmore

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Results from proof-of-concept tests using fiber-optic cables inserted into the combustion port of a lab-scale hybrid rocket system are reported. The fiber optic cables transmit optical signals to miniature spectrometers and allow in-situ optical characterization of the combustion plume properties including flame temperature and combustion plume species. Multiple firings with burn durations varying from 5 to 25 seconds were performed. The fiber optic sensors survived all tests and resulting rocket performance data were correlated with in-situ optical spectra data. When the optical measurements were adjusted to account for the spectrometer transfer function and the resulting spectra were curve-fit to Planck's …

An Estimate Of The Distance To An Ser Using An Rr Lyrae Period-Luminosity Relationship, Cordelia Latham, Julia Kamenetzky

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Cepheid variable stars have been used as “standard candles” to find distances to other stars. The fluctuation of brightness in variable stars can help identify their distance by comparing the apparent luminosity to the absolute luminosity as determined by a relationship between the period of the fluctuation and the absolute luminosity of the star (called the period-luminosity relationship). Stars that have shorter periods with a lower luminosity than Cepheid variables can be classified as RR Lyrae stars, which are particularly useful for estimating distances to the oldest stellar clusters.

Mars Rover Challenge, Miguel Urbina Rivera, Jake Nance, James Sorge, Austin Stone, Connor Mattson, Michael Bronson, Ben Glines, Ben Graff, Brad Ferguson, Dallin Cordon, Alex Wonnacott, Charlie Tainter, Mckay Christensen, Alejandro Brozalez, Joe Liechty, Daniel Cheney, Alexa Lindberg, Marc Killpack, Brianna Bischoff, Dinah Bronson, Chris Sypherd, Berrett Robinson, Kyle Rippstein, Blake Harsh, Matthew Wilding, Aaron Newman, Rock Kim, Colin Rubow

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Our objective is to develop a competition ready rover as defined by scoring 95% or higher in each of the four University Rover Challenge (URC) tasks, within a budget of 14,000 by March 14th, 2022

Ultra-Low Power Adcs For Space Sensors And Instruments, Shea Smith, Wood Chiang

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A 28nm 0.1V 10-bit 20kS/s time domain ADC with 225Hz bandwidth is proposed. This design opens the doors to both low supply and low power space sensors and instruments. Due to the stringent voltage supply, unique challenges arise that are met with innovation in the sample switch and the quantizer design. These components of the ADC architecture are aggressively optimized to perform successfully at a 0.1V supply with a sample rate suitable for most sensor applications.

Globally-Attractive Logarithmic Geometric Control Of A Quadrotor For Aggressive Trajectory Tracking, Jacob C. Johnson, Randal W. Beard

Utah Space Grant Consortium

We present a new quadrotor geometric control scheme that is capable of tracking highly aggressive trajectories. Our geometric controller uses the logarithmic map of SO(3) to express rotational error in the Lie algebra, and we show that it is globally attractive without requiring a complicated hybrid switching scheme. We show the performance of our controller against highly aggressive trajectories in simulation experiments. Additionally, we present an adaptation of this controller that allows us to interface effectively with the angular rate controllers on an onboard flight control unit and show the ability of this adapted control scheme to track aggressive trajectories …

Large Earthquakes' Effect On The Ionosphere, Aaron Houston

Physics Capstone Projects

The ionosphere is a part of the Earth’s atmosphere that stretches from 80 – 600 kilometers. Gases in this area are ionized which creates a range of free electrons that make up the plasma of the ionosphere. A group of these electrons is known as Total Electron Content (TEC), which is responsible for signal delays between satellites in orbit and their GPS receivers on the surface. Using this delay, the TEC in a specific region can be calculated. This helps in GPS error analysis. During the earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011, there was allegedly a noticeable jump in …

Making The Old New: The Recontextualization And Traditionalization Of Tree Spirits In Video Games, Alexandria Ziegler

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

Folklorists study the active rituals between humans and deities, as well as the inactive participation between them in narrative. However, they do not study the active participation that comes in the form of video games between them, though with shifts in society, this new way of engaging through digital forms is widespread and accessible. In my research, I studied Russian and Japanese tree spirits in a variety of video games to understand this new form of engagement with ancient deities. These video games are Okami, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Black Book, and The Witcher 3: The …

The Status Of Utah Asian Women, Jessica C. Hill, Marin Christensen, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Last year, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute released a landmark databook on race, ethnicity, and sex. In that report they noted that Utah is becoming increasingly diverse, and this has brought wide disparities between most minority groups and the White population in terms of education, housing, and health outcomes.¹ Although the Institute presented critical data to start the conversation more broadly, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) wanted to expand and deepen this discussion by focusing a series of research snapshots on Utah women of color. As the UWLP focuses on strengthening the impact of all Utah …

Detecting Accurate Emotions In Faces, Emma Greenwood

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Anger race bias is the tendency to misidentify expressions of emotion, specifically anger, in Black or racially ambiguous faces that are fearful or neutral (Hutchings & Haddock, 2008). Anger is often associated with aggression (Murphy et al., 2005). Therefore, the inaccurate perception of anger and threat may lead to an inappropriate response and could increase the likelihood that a police officer will shoot at a suspect (Correll et al., 2007). From 2015 to 2020, police officers shot and killed over 100 unarmed Black males (Washington Post, 2020). This study examined if anger race bias could be reduced through emotion identification …

Bridging The Divide Between Upper And Lower Classmen: Resources For Mentors And Freshmen In The Choral Education Program, Tanner Hancock Pruett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The recent decline in student retention in the choral education program at Utah State University should be cause for concern. Students who are excited and passionate about choir are leaving choral education and/or dropping out of college entirely. However, research into college retention rates and the experiences of choral education students at USU has helped explain this decline in student retention.

My review of research about college retention rates indicates that some of the biggest reasons that students drop out of college are academic difficulty, interpersonal difficulties, and mental health. It also indicates students with a strong sense of support …

A Study On The Impact Of Diet On Unified Fire Authority Firefighter Performance, Marin Easton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Objective: This project aimed to examine the impact of nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and physical activity on firefighters’ performance on their routine physical assessment (RPA).

Methodology: Members of the Unified Fire Authority, the largest fire agency in Utah with more than 400 sworn firefighters serving 15 communities representing 440,000 residents, were invited via email to participate in this cross-sectional study. Participants (N=92) completed a 40- question survey that assessed specialized diet adherence, dietary intake, nutrition knowledge (using questions from the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire;1 point for each correct answer [26 points possible]), regular physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), and …

Effect Of Basal Diet And Black Raspberry Supplementation On Gene Biomarkers Of "Leaky Gut" In A Mouse Model Of Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer, Eliza Catherine Stewart

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Colorectal cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer death in the world. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases significantly in individuals who suffer from colitis, which is inflammation of the colon lining, seen in Irritable Bowel Disease. The term “leaky gut” is often used to describe increased intestinal permeability and is closely related to colitis. Leaky gut is associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, which can occur through diet. This dysbiosis leads to prolonged inflammation and affects genes that encode for proteins involved in the tight junctions between cells. Compromised intestinal integrity allows for translocation of …

Margin Of Error, Aubrey Felty

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

According to Utah State University’s Office of Analysis, Assessment, and Accreditation during the Fall semester of 2020, about 18% of students enrolled were students of color. About 2.5% of students enrolled identified as two or more races. Margin of Error is a docudrama that elevates the voices of multiracial college students and promotes a better understanding of multiracial individuals. The project involves actor portrayals of interviews with multiracial college students who discuss navigating their multiple racial identities at often predominantly white universities. It also features reactions and commentary on the students’ experiences from faculty and students at Utah State University. …

The Evolution And Unraveling Of The American Eugenics Movement, Anneka Walton

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

While the evolution of American eugenics surrounding the time of Nazi Germany has been well-documented, the periods before the explosion of American eugenics and the result of the movement in the wake of the Holocaust are not so well known. Many historically-based works have described the path and growth of eugenics from the time the term was coined to the public acknowledgement of World War II and the point where Americans ended eugenic euthanasia and slowed eugenic sterilizations. There are also many works within the realm of disability history that document these events from the more common social viewpoint. This …

Teaching And Learning Chinese Characters In The Chinese As A Foreign Language Classroom, Wanru Xue

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

This portfolio covers the author’s perspectives in the field of Chinese as a foreign language when she was in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. The portfolio has three main sections. The first section includes the author’s teaching philosophy statement, rooted in her second language learning and teaching experience, and a reflection on classroom teaching observations. The second section contains two research perspectives on teaching and learning Chinese as a second language. The final section consists of an annotated bibliography on the topic of collaborative writing in a second-language context.

The Life Of Socrates: Plato, Xenophon, And The Untapped Potential Of The Socratic Problem, Abigail R. Fritz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary objectives of this thesis are to argue for an approach to the Socratic problem that (1) examines Xenophon’s Socratic writings along with those of Plato, and (2) analyzes the Socratic problem with a view to the ancient conception of philosophy as a way of life. To achieve these objectives, the introductory chapter provides an overview of scholarly approaches to the Socratic problem, which have tended to favor Plato as the only reliable source on the historical Socrates. This chapter argues that such approaches are flawed, and that both authors are important sources on the historical Socrates.

The second …

Voces: Experiences Of Undocumented Latines, José Manuel González Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to learn about the challenges that this community faced before the pandemic and how they coped through those challenges. To answer this question, I examined transcripts from group interviews collected in the state of Texas. In total, there were 67 participants, many of whom were undocumented (n = 49) while the others had a relative or friend who was undocumented. Data were analyzed by looking for common patterns and themes in the transcripts, and guided by Critical Race Theory, Latine Critical Theory, and Undocumented Critical Theory. Results suggest that psychological distress is common …

A Computer Programming Intervention For Second Grade Math Students, Eric B. Bagley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The multiplication algorithms taught to elementary students are made to help students find answers quickly, but why the algorithm works and how it relates to multiplication is not widely known. For example, one intuitive meaning of multiplication is that of iterated, or, repeated, addition. In this paper, we look at the ways a visual, block-based, programming activity uses the concept of iteration to help second-graders learn multiplication. The results of the study observing second-grade students use visual programming and iteration to setup and solve multiplication story problems. We found that generally students enjoyed these activities and found them helpful during …

A Study Of Wings With Constant And Variable Sweep For Aerodynamic Efficiency In Inviscid Flow, Bruno Moorthamers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wing sweep has been studied by industry and academia since the pioneering days of aviation for both high-speed and low-speed applications. In transonic and supersonic flight regimes it serves to delay the onset of compressibility effects and decrease wave drag. In subsonic conditions, flying wing designs sweep back the main lifting surface in such a way that it can be used for longitudinal stability and control, to allow for the elimination of a traditional empenage. This is desirable because it can decrease the aerodynamic drag. Sweep can also be seen in nature in the wings of birds and fins of …

Automated Quality Control For In-Situ Water Temperature Sensors, Leah S. Richardson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The identification of data not representative of the target subject for outdoor (in-situ) environmental sensors (bad data) is a topic that has been explored in the past. Many tools (such as data filters and computer models) have succeeded in providing an end user with properly identified incorrect data over 95% of the time. However, with the continuous increase in the use of automated data collection, a simple indication of the bad data may no longer provide the end user with enough information to reduce the amount of time that must be spent for manual quality control. The purpose of this …

Artificial Intelligence And Deep Reinforcement Learning Stock Market Predictions, Andrew W. Brim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Billions of dollars are traded automatically in the stock market every day, including algorithms that use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, but there are still questions regarding how AI trades successfully. The black box nature of these AI techniques, namely neural networks, gives pause to entrusting it with valuable trading funds. This dissertation applies AI techniques to stock market trading strategies, but it also provides exploratory research into how these techniques predict the stock market successfully.

This dissertation presents the work of three research papers. The first paper presented in this dissertation applies a artificial intelligence technique, reinforcement learning, to candlestick …

Differential Transcriptome Analysis Reveals That Cache Valley Pm2.5 Triggers The Unfolded Protein Response In Human Lung Cells, Morgan Eggleston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Worldwide, exposure to air pollution is a serious human health threat. Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is a mixture of suspended solid and/or liquid particles and particle size is determined by its aerodynamic diameter. Fine, or “respirable” particles, typically from vehicle emissions, manufacturing, power generation, agriculture, as well as secondary photochemical reactions, are classified as ≤2.5μm in diameter (PM_2.5). Upon inhalation, PM_2.5 particles can reach the lower, more sensitive regions of the lung, enter the bloodstream, and be distributed to other areas in the body. Large-scale epidemiology studies have shown that PM_2.5 air pollution is associated …

Children's Mathematical Engagement Based On Their Awareness Of Different Coding Toys' Design Features, Joseph S. Kozlowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tangible coding toys have been promulgated as useful learning tools for young children to learn computer science and mathematics concepts and skills. Although research shows coding toys can support mathematics for early childhood aged children, little is known about the specific design features of coding toys that afford mathematical thinking concepts and skills to young children. The purpose of this study was to examine kindergarten-aged children’s awareness of the design features in coding toys and to understand how those design features afford children’s engagement with mathematics. The dataset used for this study was collected as part of design-based research NSF …

Improving Flood Inundation And Streamflow Forecasts In Snowmelt Dominated Regions, Irene Garousi-Nejad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Much effort has been dedicated to expanding hydrological forecasting capabilities and improving understanding of the continental-scale hydrological modeling used to predict future hydrologic conditions and quantify consequences of climate change. In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Water Prediction implemented the National Water Model (NWM) to provide nationally consistent, operational hydrologic forecasting capability across the continental U.S. The primary goal of this research was to develop hydrological tools that include modeling of flood inundation mapping and snowmelt contributions to river flow in snowmelt-dominated regions across the Western U.S. This dissertation first presents terrain analysis enhancements developed …

Advances In Process Understanding And Methods To Support River Temperature Modeling In Large Regulated Systems, Bryce A. Mihalevich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

River temperatures play a key role in determining the suitability of habitat for aquatic ecosystems. While thermal regimes are influenced by many factors, flow and temperature patterns in large rivers are often shaped by water development. As such, water management associated with large reservoirs and diversions have also altered aquatic ecosystems. As climate change introduces new climate and hydrologic patterns, the decisions water managers make to address changes in runoff may further impact aquatic ecosystems. This calls for robust modeling tools that can predict river and reservoir temperature responses to water management decisions over large regions. However, highly variable topography …

Increasing Independence In Students With Disabilities Through The Use Of Visual Activity Schedules Within The General Education Classroom, Natalie Stevens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often require more prompts and specialized instruction than their peers in the school setting. These individuals often benefit from using Visual Activity Schedules (VAS) to learn to complete routines and increase independence while decreasing the needs for adult help and prompts. This study uses VAS plus prompting to increase independence in three children with ASD within the general education elementary classroom. During the study, VAS were introduced and paired with specific prompts aimed to help students become more independent at completing a given routine throughout their school day. Results from the …