Digital Commons Network^™

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Versus Progressive Relaxation Training For Misophonia: Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol, Interventions, And Audiological Assessments, Emily M. Bowers, Mercedes G. Woolley, Karen Muñoz, Julie M. Petersen, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Misophonia is a disorder characterized by an intense emotional reaction to specific sounds, often leading to significant distress and impairment in daily functioning. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a promising psychotherapy for treating misophonia, but has only been previously tested in case studies. This paper presents a protocol for the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing the efficacy and feasibility of ACT supplemented by audiological interventions for misophonia versus progressive relaxation training (PRT).

Methods: The outlined protocol is a RCT with 60 adults with misophonia. After undergoing a comprehensive psychological and audiological evaluation, participants were randomly assigned to …

Do Firms Follow Through On Environmental Commitments? An Empirical Examination, Rick Hardcopf, Kevin Linderman, Rachna Shah

Management Faculty Publications

In response to ever-increasing pressure from stakeholders to reduce the impact of their operations and supply chain on the natural environment, firms frequently make public commitments to improve environmental performance. However, the commitments are difficult to validate and thus of unknown quality. Understanding whether and when the commitments are valid proxies for action is essential because they are used by environmentally conscious stakeholders to assess firm environmental performance in anticipation of buying from, investing in, working for, or selling to a firm. Results from examining 442 U.S. manufacturing firms show that firms generally follow through on such commitments. Larger firms …

Unraveling The Impact Of Dog-Friendly Spaces On Urban–Wildland Pumas And Other Wildlife, Alys Granados, Zara Mcdonald, Katie Mcpherson, David Stoner

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

As the most widespread large carnivore on the planet, domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris can pose a major threat to wildlife, even within protected areas (PAs). Growing human presence in PAs, coupled with increasing pet dog ownership underscores the urgency to understand the influence of dogs on wildlife activity and health. This knowledge can mitigate the adverse repercussions of recreation, optimizing PA management. Drawing on five years (2017–2021) of data from 101 camera traps in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States, we measured the spatiotemporal responses of puma Puma concolor, bobcat Lynx rufus, coyote Canis latrans …

Instruments For Dual-Factor Mental Health Screening In Elementary Schools: Implications In Mental Health Classification, Mei-Ki Chan, Michael J. Furlong, Emmy Ruff

Psychology Faculty Publications

This research study holds practical significance for educators, school administrators, and mental health professionals. The study utilized structural equation modeling on two samples of elementary school students in grades three to five to create and validate condensed versions of the Social-Emotional Health Survey-Primary and the Me and My School questionnaire. These abbreviated scales exhibited strong internal validity and reliability across grade levels and genders, allowing for the assessment of wellness and distress among a diverse range of elementary school students. Furthermore, data from a longitudinal sample investigated dual-factor mental health profiles and their consistency over one year. Based on the …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda August 26, 2024, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report
• HB 261 Compliance Efforts
• Faculty Senate Discussions
• 3:55 Reports
• Center for Instructional Design and Innovation
• Empowering Teaching Excellence Annual Report
• 4:10 Old Business
• 4:15 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

The Utah Statesman, August 26, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Coping With Loneliness (Part 2): Look Outward, Melanie Dabb, Jared Hawkins, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Cindy Jenkins, Christine Jensen

All Current Publications

Experiencing loneliness sometimes is part of the human experience. However, when experienced long-term, loneliness can lead to detrimental impacts on physical, mental, and emotional health. In a series of four fact sheets, Utah State University (USU) Extension faculty compiled some of the most effective ways to enhance connectedness. This second fact sheet suggests simple ways of looking outward to experience greater connectedness. These include increasing social group memberships, connecting through art and laughter, spending time in nature, strengthening friendships, and providing service.

Coping With Loneliness (Part 1): Look Inward, Melanie Dabb, Jared Hawkins, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Cindy Jenkins, Christine Jensen

All Current Publications

Experiencing loneliness sometimes is part of the human experience. However, when experienced long-term, loneliness can lead to detrimental impacts on physical, mental, and emotional health. In a series of four fact sheets, Utah State University (USU) Extension faculty compiled some of the most effective ways to enhance connectedness. This first fact sheet describes ways of looking inward that can reduce loneliness. These include identifying sources of loneliness, increasing acceptance, practicing mindfulness, seeking solitude, practicing self-reflection, and practicing self-care.

Coping With Loneliness (Part 4): Support Others Who Experience Loneliness, Melanie Dabb, Jared Hawkins, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Cindy Jenkins, Christine Jensen

All Current Publications

It is natural to want to offer help and support when someone we love or care about is experiencing loneliness. Paradoxically, this is one of the best ways to reduce our own loneliness. In response, Utah State University (USU) Extension faculty developed three fact sheets to describe some of the most effective ways to reduce loneliness. This fourth fact sheet suggests ways to ensure our efforts to support others who are experiencing loneliness are helpful and supportive.

Preventing And Managing Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome, Kylie Bell, Karl Hoopes

All Current Publications

Current industry trends regarding equine management practices largely contribute to the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Research on effective medical management exists; however, we lack studies on the efficacy of equine-welfare-minded solutions. This fact sheet reviews current literature, including diagnosing, treating, and preventing EGUS. It also provides a general overview of the natural equine, promoting a greater understanding of the connection between strategies to prevent and manage EGUS.

Habits And Externalities, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

We develop a conceptual model characterizing two types of individuals: one myopic and the other hyperopic. A myopic individual ignores his private contributions to both a social and private negative externality, as well as the effect that his accumulation of stuff (i.e., the stock of consumption goods) has on his habit parameter. A hyperopic individual internalizes both externalities as well as his habit-formation effect. We find that the hyperopic individual consumes a greater amount of a clean good and a lesser amount of a dirty good, with the magnitude of the latter difference being greater than the magnitude of the …

Thought-Shape Fusion In Residential Eating Disorder Treatment: Cognitive Defusion As A Mediator Between Thought-Action Fusion And Treatment Outcome, Mercedes G. Woolley, Sarah E. Schwartz, Francesca M. Knudsen, Tera Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush-Roberts, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

An understudied cognitive bias within eating disorder (ED) psychopathology is Thought-Shape Fusion (TSF), which involves irrational beliefs about the likelihood and moral implications of feared outcomes within the context of ED treatment, with little known about potential process of change to address TSF and ultimately promote ED recovery. We propose cognitive defusion as a process of change, a metacognitive process that emphasizes observing thoughts objectively rather than appraising thoughts as absolute truth. We explored whether cognitive defusion, that is, reductions in body image-related cognitive fusion, mediated the relationship between trait-level TSF and treatment outcomes in a transdiagnostic ED sample of …

Forest Defoliation By And Invasive Outbreak Insect: Catastrophic Consequences For A Charismatic Mega Moth, Richard L. Lindroth, Mark R. Zierden, Clay J. Morrow, Patricia C. Fernandez

Aspen Bibliography

Earth is now experiencing declines in insect abundance and diversity unparalleled in human history. The drivers underlying those declines are many, complex, and incompletely known. Here, using a natural experiment, we report the first test of the hypothesis that forest defoliation by an invasive outbreak insect compromises the fitness of a native insect via damage-induced increases in toxicity of the forest canopy. We demonstrate that defoliation by the invasive spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) elicits an average 8.4-fold increase in foliar defense expression among aspen (Populus tremuloides) genotypes. In turn, elevated defense dramatically reduces survivorship, feeding, and …

Sustainable Transportation: Transforming Utah Through Community Action, Isabella Erwin, Kendall Becker, Patrick A. Singleton, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Transportation in the United States accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Over half of these emissions come from on-road vehicles. Nationwide, Utah has the third highest rate of car ownership, and the resulting air pollution from on-road vehicles has significant implications for the climate and public health. This fact sheet provides information on how Utah’s government and other entities are working to expand modes of transport that minimize harm to communities and the environment.

Malivhu: A Comprehensive Bioinformatics Resource For Filtering Sars And Mers Virus Proteins By Their Classification, Family And Species, And Prediction Of Their Interactions Against Human Proteins, David Guevara-Barrientos, Rakesh Kaundal

Computer Science Student Research

COVID 19 pandemic is still ongoing, having taken more than 6 million human lives with it, and it seems that the world will have to learn how to live with the virus around. In consequence, there is a need to develop different treatments against it, not only with vaccines, but also new medicines. To do this, human-virus protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a key part in drug-target discovery, but finding them experimentally can be either costly or sometimes unreliable. Therefore, computational methods arose as a powerful alternative to predict these interactions, reducing costs and helping researchers confirm only certain interactions instead …

Managing Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Abigail Meldrum, Karl Hoopes

All Current Publications

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a relatively new disease that we are still learning about. There are many things to investigate when dealing with a new disease: causes, predispositions, symptoms, secondary issues, treatments, and prevention. Because changing the animal's feed regimen is currently the most effective and well-known way to manage EMS, this fact sheet focuses primarily on how diet can impact affected horses. As a newer syndrome, it is vital to learn as much as possible about it to understand, treat, and prevent this disease.

Assimilating Satellite-Derived Snow Cover And Albedo Data To Improve 3-D Weather And Photochemical Models, Colleen Jones, Huy Tran, Trang Tran, Seth Lyman

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

During wintertime temperature inversion episodes, ozone in the Uinta Basin sometimes exceeds the standard of 70 ppb set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Since ozone formation depends on sunlight, and less sunlight is available during winter, wintertime ozone can only form if snow cover and albedo are high. Researchers have encountered difficulties replicating high albedo values in 3-D weather and photochemical transport model simulations for winter episodes. In this study, a process to assimilate MODIS satellite data into WRF and CAMx models was developed, streamlined, and tested to demonstrate the impacts of data assimilation on the models’ performance. Improvements …

Coping With Loneliness (Part 3): Focus On What You Can Change, Melanie Dabb, Jared Hawkins, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Cindy Jenkins, Christine Jensen

All Current Publications

The U.S. surgeon general named loneliness a top public health issue in the U.S. In response, Utah State University (USU) Extension faculty developed four fact sheets to describe some of the most effective ways to reduce loneliness. This third fact sheet describes both actions and ways of thinking to help you focus on what you can change. These include using social media intentionally, reaching out for support, avoiding unhealthy relationships, focusing on helpful thoughts, adopting a growth mindset, and practicing gratitude.

"We Are In A Complete Crisis": Navigating The Lack Of Resources To Mental Health Care For Individuals With Idd, Abby Julian, Lindy Strand

Student Research Symposium

IDD and Mental Health

●What is IDD?

●Approximately 7.3 million Americans with IDD (University of Minnesota)

●59% of people with IDD have 1+ mental health conditions (Reichard et al., 2019)

●Many Utah families experience significant difficulty

Cognitive Reappraisal: The Bridge Between Cognitive Load And Emotion, Rebecca Brockbank, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Within this integrative review, cognitive load theory (CLT) is asserted as a powerful framework for conceptualizing human cognitive processes within learning. The relationship between cognition and emotion is then examined and further integrated within the scope of CLT. Emotion regulation strategies are discussed and adaptive strategies are proposed as being of particular relevance to broadening the theoretical and practical impacts of CLT. Central to the argument of this review is the use of cognitive reappraisal as a potential mitigator of cognitive load. Cognitive reappraisal involves reframing or reassessing understandings or beliefs that underlie an emotional response, which may mitigate cognitive …

Fungi Benefit Limber Pine And Bristlecone Pine, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah

Body Length Determines Flow Refuging For Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Behind Wing Dams, Terry R. Dial, Laura A. Collins, James C. Liao, Bret W. Tobalske

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Complex hydrodynamics abound in natural streams, yet the selective pressures these impose upon different size classes of fish are not well understood. Attached vortices are produced by relatively large objects that block freestream flow, which fish routinely utilize for flow refuging. To test how flow refuging and the potential harvesting of energy (as seen in Kármán gaiting) varies across size classes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; fingerling, 8 cm; parr, 14 cm; adult, 21 cm; n = 4 per size class), we used a water flume (4,100 L; freestream flow at 65 cm s^-1) and created …

Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (Eleo): An Orbital Incubator And Nursery, Siegfried Janson

Small Satellite Conference

Recent research has shown that Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (ELEO) below 500 km has an exceptionally low space radiation environment that is ideal for long-term space settlements. The pressure vessel itself provides enough radiation shielding to enable decades of on-orbit habitation for an individual without exceeding radiation safety limits. My calculations using SPENVIS show that a minimum radiation "Incubator" region exists between 24° inclination at 350 km altitude, which drops linearly with increasing altitude to 0° inclination at 550 km altitude. Silicon-based spacecraft electronics inside a 1-mm thick aluminum hull would have a trapped particle dose rate ~4 orders-of-magnitude lower …

Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment: Initial Operations And Flight Results, Justin Kruger, Simone D'Amico, Soon S. Hwang

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents initial flight results for distributed optical angles-only navigation of a swarm of small spacecraft, conducted during the Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment (StarFOX). StarFOX is a core payload of the NASA Starling mission, which consists of four CubeSats launched in 2023. Angles-only methods apply inter-satellite bearing angles obtained by on-board cameras for navigation, increasing satellite autonomy and enabling new mission concepts. Nevertheless, prior flight demonstrations have only featured one observer and target and have relied upon a-priori target orbit knowledge for initialization, translational maneuvers to resolve target range, and external absolute orbit updates to maintain convergence. StarFOX overcomes …

Mantis, A 12u Smallsat Mission Taking Advantage Of Super-Resolution And Artificial Intelligence For High-Resolution Imagery, Marina Mercè Cañete Muñoz, Florian Deconinck, Jordi Barrera Ars, Nicola Melega, Camille Pirat, Borja Jimeno Soto, Aubrey Dunne, Léonie Buckley, Juan Romero Cañas, Gionata Benelli, Gianluca Giuffrida, Sam Brooke, Theo Ogier

Small Satellite Conference

The successful launch of the MANTIS mission, on November 11th 2023, was one of the key milestones of this three year long development. MANTIS is a commercial Earth Observation mission targeting the energy and mining industries whose resources are usually found in remote and hostile regions and that require dedicated and high resolution monitoring. The mission is part of the UKSA supported ESA-InCubed programme which stimulates innovation in industry by co-funding industry-initiated projects. The consortium is led by Open Cosmos and includes SATLANTIS as payload provider and Ubotica and Ingeniars as suppliers of the onboard AI capabilities.

The space segment …

Automatic Data Processing On The Ground For The 6u Cubesat X-Ray Observatory Ninjasat, Naoyuki Ota, Tomoshi Takeda, Sota Watanabe, Arata Jujo, Amira Aoyama, Kaede Yamasaki, Satoko Iwata, Takuya Takahashi, Yuanhui Zhou, Keisuke Uchiyama, Yuto Yoshida, Syoki Hayashi, Toru Tamagawa, Takao Kitaguchi, Yo Kato, Tatehiro Mihara, Kentaro Taniguchi, Teruaki Enoto, Wataru Iwakiri, Masaki Numazawa, Hiroki Sato, Chin-Ping Hu, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Hirokazu Odaka, Tsubasa Tamba

Small Satellite Conference

NinjaSat is a 6U CubeSat X-ray observatory that observes time variations in X-ray flux through longterm monitoring of black holes or neutron stars and performs follow-up observations of unexpected objects discovered by other observatories. NinjaSat is equipped with gas X-ray detectors (GMCs) sensitive to 2–50 keV. The satellite is operated in cooperation with NanoAvionics (NA) responsible for satellite operation. As a science team, we need to process GMCs’ data and cross-check the power system and attitude of the satellite. We are developing data processing software, consisting of Quick Look software for satellite bus and GMC health checks, and calibration software …

Guardians Of The Galaxy: An Integrated On-Gorund/ On-Board Ai System For Satellite Health Monitoring, Aiko Space

Small Satellite Conference

Traditional satellite monitoring relies on limited on-board detection and time-consuming ground intervention. "Guardians of the Galaxy" proposes a groundbreaking AI-powered approach. This integraded on-ground/on-board system utilizes Machine Learning to achieve:
Enhanced Anomaly Detection:
Catch subtle issues missed by current methods.
Autonomous Anomaly Resolution:
Automatically fix minor recurring problems.
Real-Time & Predictive Monitoring:
Gain continuous insights and anticipate potential failures.
Improved Efficiency & Lifespan:
Reduce operational costs and extend satellite operation.

On-Orbit Automated Processes From Fault Recovery To Mission Activities, Courtney Melville, Hannah Umansky, Claire Carlton, Anthony Ortega, Rebecca Rogers

Small Satellite Conference

While real-time command and control is an invaluable element of spacecraft operations, many functions must be automated for the benefit of mission health and success. Routine tasking, state machine implementation, payload operations, and fault recovery are all on-board activities that can be self-contained within the spacecraft’s software configuration. Currently employed for multiple on-orbit missions, the in-house flight software developed for Terran Orbital spacecraft manage these processes through a system of automatic events (auto-events). Auto-events are highly configurable functions that take inputs from the spacecraft state, then execute a defined action once that input meets a set criteria. Auto-events are defined …

Development And Application Of Web-Based Interface Ground Station Software (Wings) For The Operation Of Sphere-1 Eye, Tomoki Mochizuki, Yosuke Kawabata, Takeshi Matsumoto, Shunsuke Shimomura, Akihiro Ishikawa, Ryu Funase, Shinichi Nakasuka, Kota Kakihara

Small Satellite Conference

The evolution of small satellites as both technological demonstrators and operational platforms has been significant. However, these projects often face constraints like limited budgets and stringent timelines, coupled with growing mission complexities. To address these challenges, the Intelligent Space System Laboratory (ISSL) at the University of Tokyo developed Web-based INterface Ground station Software (WINGS), an open-source ground station software with a modular architecture that includes front-end, back-end, and database components, as well as a telemetry and telecommand interface (WINGS-TMTC-IF). The paper highlights the application of WINGS in the SPHERE-1 EYE mission, showcasing its capability to customize and rapidly deploy satellite …

Large Trees Promote Belowground Fungal Diversity, James A. Lutz, Joseph D. Birch

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Results of research in forest health and forest futures in Utah