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The Right To Die: A Brief Look At Physician-Assisted Suicide, Brooke Meredith Sanders Purves

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Recently, there has been some discussion in Congress about writing a Constitutional amendment declaring that every American citizen has the "right to die" if he or she so sees fit. Opponents of this amendment believe that it will be abused - that although the amendment would generally apply to terminally ill patients, depressed teenagers and the like will be able to commit suicide if they feel like it, and mothers with deformed infants may act as guardians and exercise the right for their children, with no protection from the state. Their concern is certainly warranted. It is not the goal …

The Experience Of Psychology Paraprofessionals: Views Of Peer Counselors And Peer Educators, Heather L. Edgel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was conducted to examine the experience of students as paraprofessionals in psychology. 102 peer counselors/educators from 10 universities across America were sampled. The research data generated was descriptive in nature. Paraprofessionals rated experience satisfaction and expressed opinions regarding their involvement in peer counseling and peer educating programs.

Facilitation Of Intervention Strategies Of Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic: Incorporation Of Visual Learning Techniques, Jennifer L. Roskelley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

During Winter and Spring Quarters 1995, I had the opportunity to become a tutor for Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic under the direction of Dr. Lani VanDusen, I chose to become involved in this endeavor to fulfill an Honors Independent study requirement for my "senior honor's experience". In doing so, l spent Winter Quarter preparing for the actual tutoring by familiarizing myself with the various intervention strategies adhered to by the clinic and becoming comfortable with the administration of the activities involved in each method. Prior to the beginning of Spring Quarter, I was assigned my own personal client: …

Going Back, To Begin, Ilena Starsun Coulbrooke

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This thesis project explores. in poetry, the effects of atomic testing and unrestrained pesticide use on the people who lived in or near Utah in the fifties and sixties.

Nuclear testing began in Nevada in 1951, the year I was born in south-east Idaho, where my family lived under radiation tainted clouds for a decade along with the Utah downwinders. My father died of lung cancer caused from breathing pesticide-laden air in 1962, the year Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring. These two dates stand out in my mind as important markers in my quest to discover why I think and …

The Use Of The Xylose Tolerance Test As An Indicator Of Malabsorption In Cryptosporidiosis, James A. Evans

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Cryptosporidium parvum, a protozoan parasite infecting epithelial cells lining the intestinal tract of animals and humans, causes fulminate diarrhea and malabsorption of essential nutrients following damage to the cellular brush border. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the use of a pentose sugar (D-xylose) in a standardized tolerance test as an indicator of malabsorption due to cryptosporidiosis in the dexamethasone (DEX)-immunosuppressed adult C57BL/6N mouse model. One group containing 14 experimental mice (in addition to appropriate control groups) was immunosuppressed using daily intraperitoneal injections of DEX (125 μg/mouse). On day 7 postimmunosuppression, mice were inoculated orally with 104 C. …

A History Of Facilities, Programs, And Services For Utah's Women Inmates, Kenneth B. Shulsen

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

I spent my first night behind bars when I was about ten years

old. My father was the associate warden at the Utah State Prison,

and had been called to the prison because of an emergency. Since my

mother was out of town, I had the opportunity to accompany my

father to the prison. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling as

the huge iron bars opened and we were admitted to the penitentiary.

I was instantly introduced to screams and profanity from the

inmates, I felt like I had left Utah and entered a strange new world,

indeed I …

The Influence Of Adoption On Self-Related Social-Emotional Characteristics Of Adopted Children And Adolescents, H. Norman Ames

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

Many families in our society have been created through adoption. In 1990, there were approximately 119,000 adoption placements in the United States (Flango & Flango, 1990). Over the past decade, the majority of adoptions were infants placed with White couples who ranged in age from 25 to 34 (Bachrach, Adams, Sambrano, & London, 1990).

Environmental Contamination By Trace Metals At The Inactive Pacific Mine Site, American Fork Canyon: Legal And Remediation Implications, Phyllis Ann Bustamante

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

Over the next decade, the environment will be the most important issue facing the minerals industry (Ary, 1990). Mining and its associated activities can be a source of considerable environmental damage (Table 1 ). Mining activities can cause surface and ground water pollution , damage the land and subsurface strata, and destroy terrestrial and aquatic habitat. While mining contributes to environmental degradation , it may be considered a necessary activity because it provides natural resources with a variety of commercial uses.

Land Degradation And Desertification In Arid And Semiarid Regions, Youssef Bahddou

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

Definitions of desertification have been numerous and the subject of hot debate. The definition proposed in 1991 by United Nations UNEP's Desertification Control/Programme Acting Centre (DC/PAC) was "land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting mainly from adverse human impact". This definition incorporates a number of processes which lead to the impoverishment of soils and vegetation, where human activity has been the main contributory factor. Examples include the loss of organic matter, increase in soil bulk density, decrease in infiltration, high levels of erosion, dunes formation, salinization, and compaction and displacement of top soil. The definition noted above …

Evolution Of A Free Press In Taiwan: A Case Study, Chi Wang

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

In this case study, interviews with leaders of China Times and Central Daily, plus other mass media scholars and professionals, provide evidence that a free press in Taiwan evolved after a nearly four-decade old martial law was lifted in 1987. The interviews were based on the description of press philosophies by William A. Hachten (1981) to determine whether Taiwan's press has changed from developmental to Western. Secondly, based on early work of Schramm (1964) and Lerner (1958), economic prosperity and political pluralism were studied as keys to the government's relaxation of restrictions on the Taiwanese press. The finding of interviews …

Development And Preliminary Validation Of A Self-Report Instrument For Assessing Internalizing Problems In Children, Amy Sanford Walters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, research in childhood psychopathology has focused on a group of disorders referred to as internalizing. Internalizing disorders include such problems as depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and social withdrawal. These disorders frequently coexist with one another. Due to the inner-directed nature of these disorders, and their tendency to coexist, internalizing problems often go unnoticed and untreated. The present study involved the development and preliminary validation of a new self-report instrument for assessing a broad range of internalizing problems in children, the Internalizing Disorders Evaluation Scale for Children (IDESC).

The research was conducted in five distinct phases: (a) item …

Where Language Touches The Earth: Folklore And Ecology In Tohono O'Odham Plant Emergence Narratives, Jennifer L. Hughes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The historical and ecological relationships between the Tohono O'odham and the Sonoran desert landscape are expressed in the stories they tell. The Tohono O'odham have lived in the deserts of southwestern Arizona and northern Mexico for centuries, interacting with their environment and gaining intimate knowledge of desert botanical communities. Many of these interactions are dramatized in their traditional oral narratives. I have characterized those traditional oral narratives that illustrate and articulate Tohoro O'odham interrelationships with Sonoran desert botanical communities as "plant emergence narratives." These stories embody and express the reciprocal relationship between the Tohono O'odham and the plants they cultivate …

The Effect Of Rituals On Newlywed Marital Adjustment, Bryan D. Bingham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the relationship between rituals and marital adjustment among a sample of newlyweds. Rituals and marital adjustment were defined and their importance in family life outlined. Five research questions guided the study: (1) Is ritual activity associated with marital adjustment and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (2) Is ritual activity associated with marital satisfaction and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (3) Is ritual activity associated with cohesion and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (4) Is ritual activity associated with consensus and length of courtship for newlyweds?; and (5) Is there a difference between husbands and wives on the …

The Effect Of Housing And Food Expenditures On Diet Quality Of Low-Income Households In Salt Lake County, Rebecca Low

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During a time of national and local debate over welfare reform, research is needed to determine the effectiveness of specific welfare programs and the impact on the lives of households participating in these programs. The objective of this study was to determine the effect housing and food expenditures have on the diet quality of low-income families. Participants for the study were drawn from government-subsidized housing rolls and housing assistance waiting lists. Diet quality was measured by 16 variables: percent RDA protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium consumed; percent calories from protein, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol; and the …

An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework For The Mailed Questionnaire Process And The Development Of A Theory On Immediacy And Salience As Significant Variables Of Response Rates, Maribeth Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mailed questionnaire research process developed historically as part of the survey research movement, with guidelines and models drawn from an array of scientific research methods and disciplines. Although the mailed questionnaire has become one of the most popular research instruments for obtaining data beyond the reach of the observer, the response bias generated from the generally low return rate of the mailed questionnaire survey has remained a problem. For over three decades researchers have generated a plethora of research on the effectiveness of the various aspects of the mailed questionnaire process and the resultant impact of various constructs on …

Financial Innovation, José C. Blanco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation was a study of the impact of financial innovation upon financial institutions and some of the collateral macroeconomics effects. Financial innovation has impacted the distribution of household assets throughout the Group of Seven (G-7) countries and indirectly negatively influenced the usage of traditional monetary aggregates as a reliable tool to forecast the growth in the domestic money supply between 1960 and 1990.

The empirical results indicate that the adoption of financial innovations by large U.S. commercial banks has not influenced their return on equity and the return of assets between 1990 and 1994. The variability of the return …

Alteration In Basic Macrophage And Lymphocyte Cytokines From Benzene And Phenol In The Drinking Water Of Male Institute Of Cancer Research Mice, Jay C. Albretsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Groundwater contamination is a concern due to the large number of people that can become exposed to the contaminant. The chemicals benzene and phenol are known groundwater contaminants. The main health problem caused by benzene or phenol is bone marrow toxicity. Benzene and phenol are also immunotoxins reported to cause decreased thymic weights, altered lymphocyte mitogenic responses, and lower antibody production.

Cytokines are key signaling molecules produced by the cells of the immune system to activate other cells in the immune system, produce antibodies, and recruit other cells to sites of inflammation. The purpose of this study was to determine …

A Partial Equilibrium Analysis Of Nafta And Its Impact On U.S. Beef Trade With Canada And Mexico, Srinidhi Ananthramiah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In September 1993, the United States Congress formally ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in conjunction with the legislatures of Canada and Mexico. NAFTA phases out tariff barriers between the United States, Canada, and Mexico over a period of several years.

The primary purpose of this study is to provide an empirical tool for evaluating the effects of NAFTA on beef trade between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Trends were identified in U.S. beef exports and imports to Canada and Mexico over a period of several years. From the data on import/export quantities and prices, relevant elasticities …

Evaluation Of Low-Quality Forages In A Winter Dietary Regimen Of Western White-Face Ewes Used For Milk Production, Raúl Meneses

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The evaluation of ammoniation of mature grass (1/3 Festuca sp, 1/3 Bromus and 1/3 Dactylis sp) as a basal diet for pregnant ewes and its effects on ruminal fermentation were studied. Ammoniation increased the forage dry matter intake (DMI), crude protein (CP), and gross energy digestibility. Ruminal pH and total volatile fatty acid were not affected by ammoniation (P > .05). Individual VFA concentrations were affected significantly.

In a third experiment, ammoniated wheat straw was evaluated as a basal diet for wintering pregnant ewes. Ammoniated straw replaced grass hay in the diet. Dry matter intake was not different (P > .05). Final …

The Relationships Of Gender And Age With Peer Acceptance In Primary-Grade, Multiage Classrooms At Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Thomas Anthony Shuster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes the effects of gender and age on peer acceptance in primary-grade, multiage classrooms at Edith Bowen Laboratory School at Utah State University. The population described consisted of six multiage classrooms composed of male and female students from 6 to 8 years old. The classrooms were approximately balanced by gender and age. Students spent the entire day and received all instruction in the multiage setting.

Students completed "Work With" and "Play With" sociometric rating-scale instruments. For both instruments, results revealed the existence of "gender cleavage"--both genders preferred work and play partners of their own gender. In general, age …

Home Visiting For Children With Developmental Delays: An Empirical Evaluation, Tracy L. Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Home visiting services have become an important and common component of early intervention for children with developmental delays. Currently, this group of children is the most frequent target of home visiting programs throughout the nation, although research evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is less pervasive. For this reason, a comprehensive analysis of studies within the home visiting literature that specifically focused on children with developmental delays and their families has been conducted. This effort has been accomplished through the process of meta-analysis. In addition to the computation of standardized mean difference effect sizes, emphasis was also placed on identifying …

A National Survey Of Training Practices Of Agencies Employing Home Visitors, Nicole Hawkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study reports the characteristics of home visitor training based on the results of a national survey of nominated best practice home visiting programs that service children with disabilities and their families. Two hundred thirty-six programs were nominated by their state's director of Maternal-Child Health and/or their state's Part H Coordinator as community-based programs that have had success integrating home visiting services into their community's overall system of care for children eligible for Part H services and/or special health care needs. The return rate of the survey was 85%, and these 193 programs serve as the basis for this study. …

Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …

Risk Factors And Bulimia Outcomes In Adolescent Women: A Longitudinal And Retrospective Analysis, Therese Elizabeth Barnett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of the present study was to verify whether four purported risk factors predate the development of eating disorder symptoms, particularly bulimia nervosa. The four major purported risk factors for developing bulimia nervosa (and eating disorders in general) among female adolescents include: (a) over internalization of culture’s value of thinness in women, (b) inordinate dissatisfaction with body form, (c) depression, and (d) irrational beliefs and cognitions about thinness and the benefits of dieting. The present study involved a 5-year follow-up of adolescent girls initially identified as being either at high or low risk for developing an eating disorder, particularly …

A Survey Of Perceived Control And Domestic Environment Aspects Of Early Adolescent Boys With And Without Identified Externalizing Behavior Problems, Gary W. Mauk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two demographically congruous groups of early adolescent boys, one group with identified externalizing behavior problems (ESP) and one group enrolled in regular education (RED), were surveyed using anonymous self-report questionnaires that assessed academic, social, and general domains of perceived control and aspects of familial experiences. Data from EBP and RED boys' extant scholastic archival records were also collected. Also, using anonymous self-report questionnaires, the parents of EBP and RED boys were surveyed regarding their levels of satisfaction regarding aspects of parenting.

This study found that EBP boys had statistically significantly lower reading, math, and language achievement scores and grade point …

The Effects Of Osmotic Potential On Ammonification, Immobilization, Nitrous Oxide Production, And Nitrification Rates In Penoyer Soil, Andrew P. Low

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An isotopic dilution method was used to test the effects of osmotic potential, (𝛹_s), upon nitrification, ammonification, N-immobilization, and nitrous oxide production rates in soil at solute concentrations encountered in Penoyer soil. A nitrification potential assay was also performed to approximate maximum nitrification rates.

Nitrification potential rates in soil slurries exponentially declined in response to decreased osmotic potential. However, nitrification was independent of salt concentration at the ambient NH₄⁺ concentrations of the soil. The differential response was attributed to the variable NH_4⁺ substrate quantities. The effects of osmotic potential were secondary to NH_{4 …}

Survival Of Microorganisms On Meat Surfaces Treated With Ultra-High Temperatures, Bret Max Mattinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sterile ceramic plates and the surface of beef steaks were inoculated with the pathogenic microorganisms Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Samples were also inoculated with nonpathogenic microorganisms Clostridium sporogenes ATCC 7955, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus stearothermophilus. Concentrations of organisms in the pure culture used to inoculate the samples were selected within the range of 10⁶ to 10⁸ colony forming units/ml (CFU/ml). Samples were treated with ultra-high temperature (UHT), and· the surviving organisms were recovered and counted. Meat samples were exposed to 1100°C for 22 seconds.

Beef steaks inoculated with pathogenic microorganisms had …

Microbiological And Sensory Effects Of Milk Processed For Extended Shelf Life And The Development Of Rapid Methods To Quantitate Spores And Lipase Activity, Michael R. Blake

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The initial aim of this work was to evaluate processing conditions for extended shelf life (ESL) milk to have a shelf life at refrigeration temperature of 60 d. Milk was processed on a pilot-scale ultra-high-temperature processing plant and evaluated for microbial and sensory quality over 60 d at 7°C storage. Results of this study showed that lower process temperatures were preferable to minimize cooked flavors and that the minimum safe processing temperature was 134°C for 4 s as determined by the destruction of bacterial spores in the processed milk.

Consumer preference panel results indicated that consumers preferred milk processed at …

Quantification Of Landscape Structure Within The Land Condition-Trend Analysis Monitoring Program At Camp Williams, Utah, Lorraine Munguia

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Land Condition-Trend Analysis (LCTA) program was developed by the U.S. Army to assist in the sustainable management of natural resources on U.S. Army lands. The LCTA program applies a standardized procedure in order to select long-term monitoring sites. The LCTA monitoring program was applied to Camp Williams, a National Army Guard training site located in central Utah. Due to the criteria set by the LCTA monitoring program, 61 percent of Camp Williams was explicitly excluded from the LCTA monitoring protocol because it appeared to be more heterogeneous, which would make it difficult to locate monitoring sites in the field. …

A Comparative Study Of The Oxygen Uptake Between Nonmotorized And Motorized Treadmills, Michael S. Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nonmotorized treadmill walking and motorized treadmill walking on VO₂ results, measured in ml•kg^-1•min^-1, of males and females, ages 20-30 at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA. The participants were required to walk at a pace of 3 miles per hour and 13% grade for a total exercise time of 9 minutes. The exercise time was broken up with 3-minute recovery periods. Oxygen uptake was measured continuously using a metabolic measurement cart. The data obtained from the metabolic cart were correlated for each treadmill to …