Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Protocalliphora (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Parasites On Nestling Growth, Immune Status, Mortality, And Post-Fledging Success In Marsh Wrens, Yvonne Warren

Biology

I investigated the effects of ectoparasitism by hematophagous larvae of the blow flies Protocalliphora interrupta Whitworth and Protocalliphora (Trypocalliphora) braueri (Hendel) on nestling marsh wrens (Cistothorus palustris) over two years in northern Utah, USA. Despite random nest fumigations with synthetic pyrethrin, approximately 91 percent of wren nests contained P. interrupta and 1.2 percent contained P. braueri. Nestling mass, tarsus length, and hematocrit measured prior to fledging did not differ significantly with P. interrupta parasite load: No relationship was seen between parasite load and percent of young starved or percent of young with bacterial infections. In …

Incidence Of Antibodies To Cytomegalovirus In Autistic Patients, David M. Schubert

Biology

Research into the etiology of autism continues without any definitive answers. Recent studies suggest that immune abnormalities may be associated with this disorder and that autism may result from a prenatal viral infection. Past research has associated cytomegalovirus (CMV) and rubella in autism. This research indirectly studied, via the screening of blood samples for IgG and IgM anti-antibodies to CMV, the possibility that CMV may be an etiological agent in autism. The autistic subjects as compared to age matched controls exhibited no significant differences in either the percentage of those testing positive for IgG antibodies to CMV or in the …

Immunomodulatory Role Of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor, Sy-Jye Christine Leu

Biology

Relationships between neuroendocrine and immune systems prompted this study of the immunomodulatory role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a peptide hormone of the neuroendocrine system. This research investigated the effect of CRF on the in vitro synthesis of interleukins (interleukin-1[IL-1], interleukin-2 [IL-2] and interleukin-6 [IL-6)), natural killer (NK) cell activity, antibody production, and cAMP accumulation in immunocytes. CRF (l0^-9 M) induced bioactive cytokines like IL-1, IL-2, and IL-6 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) from healthy subjects. Two structurally related peptides (TyrCRF and α-helical-CRF_9-41) also elicited 16- to 21-fold stimulation of IL-6. CRF stimulated purified monocytes, but not …

Validation Of The Rapid Speech Transmission Index (Rasti) In A Classroom Environment, Jeffery Larsen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Because the acoustics of a room have a substantial impact on speech intelligibility, researchers have tried over the years to develop the most effective way to evaluate the effects of the acoustic environment on speech intelligibility. Both subjective and objective measures of speech intelligibility have been devised. For the purposes of this study, subjective measures are those in which a speech recognition test is given to a group of subjects whose scores provide a direct indication of speech intelligibility at each position in the listening environment {Steeneken & Houtgast, 1980). Objective measures are those that determine the acoustic factors that …

Adolescents' Attitudes And Perceptions Towards Their Grandparents, Dennis P. Barrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of youth toward each of their individual grandparents. The subjects were students ranging in age from 12-19 years with the majority being between 14-17 years of age. These students were enrolled in a release time religious class that allowed them one hour a day off campus to take a seminary course.

The sample of data consisted of 148 girls and 108 boys, which was approximately 25% of the high school population. The youth were from a small northern Utah community. The average age of the youth respondents was 16.2 years. …

The Relationship Between Grandparent Involvement And Identity Level In Late Adolescent Females, Catherine Dinicolangelo Stogner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Identity development is recognized as the key developmental task of late adolescence. The family is thought to serve as a facilitating factor in this development. Traditionally, reference to the family's role in adolescent identity development has alluded to the nuclear family and to parents in particular. However, a growing consensus that nuclear families are not emotionally and psychologically isolated from extended families has permitted greater acceptance of the extended family, especially grandparents, as an integral part of the family. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between grandparent involvement and adolescent identity development. Identity development was measured …

Conceptualizing The Youthful Male Sex Offender: A Meta-Analytic Examination Of Offender Characteristics By Offense Type, Roger B. Graves

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A review of the literature demonstrates that, to date, no concerted effort has been made to conceptualize and develop typologies for youthful male sex offenders on the basis of offense type. Such typologies are deemed important to the understanding of possible developmental antecedents for sexual offending, as well as to the development of theory-driven, empirically based interventions and preventions. This study attempts to begin the conceptualization process through a meta-analytic examination of 140 research samples that provide data on over 16,000 individuals who have committed sexual offenses as youth. Three subtypes of offenders are identified on the basis of offense …

Pubertal Development, Parent-Teen Communication, And Sexual Values As Predictors Of Adolescent Sexual Intentions And Sexually Related Behaviors, Cynthia R. Christopherson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescent sexual intercourse can be viewed as a normal developmental experience, but intercourse also is linked to unplanned pregnancies, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Consequently, there continues to be a high level of scientific interest in understanding antecedents of adolescent sexual behavior, especially early and more risky sexual intercourse. This study examined several key antecedents of adolescent sexual intentions and behavior, including pubertal development (pubertal status, change over time, and pubertal timing), parent/teen communication, and teen sexual values. Analyses were based on longitudinal data collected in 1991, 1992, and 1993 from parents and teens during …

Adolescent Sexual Behavior And Identity Development, Pamela Kay King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between adolescent sexual behavior, motivations, and identity status. A review of the literature indicated that deviant behaviors covary, and that drug use and abuse and the motivations for same are related to identity status.

A questionnaire, including the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS) and a series of questions to gather information about sexual behaviors and motivations, was employed. The sample consisted of 579 university students ranging in age from 17 to 25.

The dependent variable (sexual behavior and motivation) was viewed through the categorical …

The Relationship Between Marcia's Ego Identity Status Paradigm And Erikson's Psychosocial Theory, Lawrence Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While Erikson's psychosocial theory continues to dominate theoretical explanations of adolescent identity development. Marcia's ego identity status paradigm has become the primary basis to empirically measure such notions. Though Marcia's paradigm has its roots in psychosocial theory. questions have surfaced regarding the communality of Marcia's and Erikson's notions on identity. Issues of scope. connectedness. definition. terminology. and measurement have marked a potential divergence among the two approaches-views which until recently seemed almost unified. This study addressed the relationship between Erikson's psychosocial theory and Marcia's ego identity status paradigm. By administering identity and psychosocial stage-specific measures to a sample of college-age …

Prophets And Preference: Constructing And Maintaining A Homosexual Identity In The Mormon Church, Richard D. Phillips

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is a descriptive ethnography of homosexuals and homosexuality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, The study employs the labeling perspective in sociology and uses gay Mormons to examine how an individual constructs and maintains a homosexual identity in an environment where such an orientation is stigmatized and devalued. Qualitative interviews and documentary analysis are the chief methodological tools for this study.

The contradictions between a homosexual lifestyle and Mormon theology are outlined, and a history of Mormon church policy concerning homosexual members from 1959 to the present is presented. The study finds …

Effects Of Otitis Media On Language Development In Native Populations: A Review Of The Literature, Monica Malmgren

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

From the time a fetus reaches about 20 weeks gestational age, its auditory system is functioning. Before we are ever born, we are exposed to sounds within our environment. With birth, we begin to interact with, experiment with, and learn to interpret the sounds around us. Before learning to speak, we are bombarded by the sounds of our language. An infant's head is known to perk up at the sound of a voice, a sudden noise, music... all the sounds of the environment, which is evidence that children are aware of the sounds around them before they are ever able …

Human Anatomy Lab - Examination Of The Cranial Nerves, Jeanne Falk

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The peripheral nervous system consists of twelve pairs of cranial nerves, 31 pairs of spinal nerves, and the nerves of the autonomic nervous system. The cranial nerves are the nerves that leave the brain directly. These nerves control various actions and sensations such as sight, smell, .chewing, and swallowing, and will be the focus of this week's lab.

Of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves, two pairs arise from the forebrain, ten pairs arise from the midbrain and brain stem, and all but the Vagus nerve innervates the structures in the head and neck. Each cranial nerve pair is designated …

The Fourth Amendment: History And Development Of The Reasonable Search, Bradley L. Tilt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The existence of the search and seizure restrictions encoded in the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the result of a two part historical development that took place simultaneously in England and the American colonies. Severe legislative restrictions on the press were largely responsible for the developments in England, while in the colonies it was British tax and trade regulations that spawned the changes. On both sides of the Atlantic, however, the primary catalyst was the government's use of general searches in the enforcement of those laws. It was the continued abuse of general searches despite the public's …

Characteristics Of College Students Seeking Mental Health Services And Reasons Given For Choosing The Mental Health Service Provider, Ann Leslie Athorp

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

The literature related to college mental health counseling suggested numerous possible factors which were hypothesized to play a significant role in choosing a mental health care agency. A questionnaire was constructed to measure demographics of students utilizing the Utah State University Counseling Center, spontaneous reasons for choosing the center as the preferred mental health agency, and literature-based reasons for the same. Subjects reported that they chose the university counseling center for practical reasons such as cost and location. However, factor analysis of the literature - based reasons endorsed by these subjects suggested that trust in the counseling center and its …

Fat Content Of American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) And Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter Striatus) Estimated By Total Body Electrical Conductivity, Shari M. Harden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) is a noninvasive method for the estimation of lean mass in live subjects. Lipid content can be calculated from the body mass measured and the lean mass estimated from TOBEC. I used live American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) to study the accuracy of this method. TOBEC measurements were compared to actual body content determined by Soxhlet fat extraction using petroleum ether as the solvent. TOBEC estimated 73.7% of the variation in lean mass in a sample of 21 kestrels. The use of restraining devices (Vetrap and cardboard cylinders) altered the TOBEC measurement but only …

Comparison Of The Three Major Administrative Approaches To The Management Of Concurrent Enrollment Programs At Utah State University From 1987 To 1991, Haile Hirpa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the Utah State University concurrent enrollment program to the achievement (GPA), recruitment, and retention of program participants after joining Utah State University.

Three administrative approaches to the management of concurrent enrollment programs were identified for the purpose of this study: Level One, Level Two, and Level Three. Level One involved high school teachers who taught and graded the concurrent enrollment program courses. In Level Two, high school teachers taught the courses, but University professors prepared exams and graded the papers. In Level Three, teaching, exam preparation, and paper grading …

Community Responses To Siting A Hazardous Waste Facility: The Case Of The High-Level Nuclear Waste Facility At Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Lori A. Cramer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quality of life is an important issue for residents facing potential changes in their social and/or physical environments. Potential quality of life changes are especially relevant for rural residents of southern Nevada who are currently facing the possibility of living near the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository. Whether the effects of the proposed repository are perceived as positive or negative, they nonetheless alter residents' perceptions of their quality of life.

A theoretical model was designed to guide the analyses in this study. It suggested that residents have both current perceptions and future expectations for themselves and their community. When …

Bingeing Tendencies: Cross-Generational Similarities Between Mothers And Daughters, Kimberly K. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was an investigation of the relationship between 146 mothers' and daughters' (sixth and seventh grade) eating and dieting behaviors. Subjects completed the Bulimia Test-Revised (BUILT-R), Revised Dietary Scales (Restraint Scale), and Food Avoidance Conflict Inventory. The inventories completed by the daughters were slightly modified for better comprehension. The present researcher created an additional subscale (Critical Binge subscale) from the BUILT-R as a means of assessing actual bingeing behavior.

A significant correlation was found between mothers' and daughters' scores on the BUILT-R, including the Total and Binge Control subscale. There failed to be a significant relationship between mothers' and …

The Role Of Gender Differences In The Relationship Between Guilt- And Shame-Proneness And Depressive Symptomatology, Julie Bingham Shiffler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the role played by gender in the relationship between the degree of depressive symptomatology and levels of adaptive guilt-, maladaptive guilt-, and shame-proneness in a college population. A measure of depressive symptomatology (the Beck Depression Inventory) and a measure of guilt- and shame-proneness (the Self-Conscious Affect and Attribution Inventory - Revised) were administered to 299 college students (113 males and 186 females). Females reported higher total levels of depressive symptomatology than males. Statistically significant gender differences were found for nine BDI items. Females also had higher levels of adaptive guilt-, maladaptive guilt-, …

The Prevalence Of Dual Diagnosis Of Generalized Anxiety Disorder And Alcoholism In The Literature: A Critical Meta-Analytic Review, Joseph B. Stone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between alcoholism and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has been discussed in two research areas: research on the prevalence of GAD in alcoholics, and the prevalence of alcoholism in individuals diagnosed with GAD. Studies indicate that between 6 to 26% of alcoholics have a current diagnosis of GAD, with a lifetime prevalence rate of up 51%. In the general population, 4% would currently receive a diagnosis of GAD, with a lifetime prevalence of 8%.

This meta-analytic review of the empirical literature examines the relationship between GAD and alcoholism. The author used percentages to compare the results of various studies. …

Lack Of Control As A Predictive Factor For Stress-Related Symptoms In Rape Victims, Chad Sombke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers have agreed that most rape victims experience stress-related symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. There have also been numerous studies that have tried to predict the severity of those stress-related symptoms, but the literature is inconclusive. Lack of perceived control is consistently mentioned in the rape research literature as being present in rape victims, but no study has empirically examined the relationship between perceived control and a rape victim's stress-related symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the relationship between perceived control and stress-related symptoms in rape victims. This was accomplished by comparing a group of …

The Significance Of Dispositional Optimism And Coping In Predicting Psychological Distress, Life Satisfaction, Health Perception, And Frequency Of Discharges In The Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (Aicd) Patient, Paul B. Damin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dispositional optimism, as a stable outcome expectancy, has been shown to predict health outcomes in several contexts. Research has demonstrated that health-impaired subjects with optimistic outlooks fared better than those with a pessimistic outlook. Choice of coping strategies has been theorized as the mediating factor through which optimism operates. However, the construct of dispositional optimism has been challenged as a polar opposite of neuroticism, thus contending that optimism is not an independent notion.

The present study was designed to evaluate further the theoretical underpinnings of dispositional optimism theory. Subjects were selected from a population of cardiac patients who received an …

A Meta-Analytical Review Of The Literature On The Efficacy Of The Systematic Training For Effective Parenting (Step) Program, David George Gibson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An analysis of previous reviews of the parent education literature revealed that few reviewers have incorporated sound methodological practice in their review process. Most reviewers included too few studies and ignored important information about the primary research studies that they reviewed. The Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program has received less attention from reviewers than any of the other popular programs and information about its effectiveness is lacking.

Forty primary research studies, addressing the effectiveness of the STEP program, were located and analyzed using the meta-analytic method of review. Research questions for this study addressed the issues of effectiveness …

The Relationship Between Eating Disorders And Ego Identity Development, Mary Denise Sparks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The age of onset for eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia nervosa) among females is typically late adolescence. In the present study, it was hypothesized that the onset of eating disorders is related to the late-adolescent developmental task of identity development. Thirty-three late adolescent and young adult females who met DSM-III-R criteria for an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorder not otherwise specified) and 33 control females completed the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity status -- 2 (EOMEIS-2). Results of chi square analyses revealed no significant differences between eating disorder and control females with regard to status …

Formation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons On The Surfaces Of Ultra-High Temperature Treated Meat, Michelle T. Foote

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of ultra-high temperature (UHT) on production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the surface of beef steaks was determined. Beef steaks were treated with five treatments, raw, UHT, UHT/grill marks, UHT/grill marks/microwave, and charcoal grilled. Four PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and benzo[k]fluoranthene, were quantified. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) were used to purify and analyze the PAH extracts, respectively. Levels of PAH found on charcoal-grilled steaks were higher than those observed in the literature. A balanced incomplete block design was used to analyze the data. There were no significant differences among the treatments in …

A Study Of Factors Controlling Physical Properties Of Mozzarella Cheese And The Manufacture Of A Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, Richard Kevin Merrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Variables affecting the physical properties of Mozzarella cheese were investigated. The effects of various milk-clotting enzymes were examined. The type of milk coagulating enzyme used played a significant role in determining physical properties of direct acid Mozzarella cheese. Cook color was not affected by enzyme type, but melt and stretch were significantly affected.

Proteolytic nature of starter cultures was reviewed and recommendation s were give n. Cheese made with proteinase-deficient strains had more stretch after holding for 14 and 28 d than cheese made with non-deficient strains. Cheese made with pairs or single strains of L. helveticus had the same …

The Impact Of Nutrition Education On Dietary Behavior And Iron Status In Participants Of The Supplemental Food Program For Women, Infants And Children, And The Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program, Nedra K. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to determine the impact of nutrition education on participants of the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The specific objectives were to: 1) determine the impact of participation in EFNEP on iron status as assessed by hematocrit (hct) and ferritin levels; 2) determine the effect of nutrition knowledge on hct and ferritin values; and 3) determine the effect dietary behavior has on hct and ferritin levels for both WIC and EFNEP participants.

Each study participant completed a 24-hour dietary recall record plus food frequency …

Single Mothers: The Impact Of Work On Home And The Impact Of Home On Work, Lenore I. Rasmussen Robbins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between family/home satisfaction and job satisfaction of single working mothers with at least one child under the age of 18 living at home. The principal objectives were to identify the stressful situations in the lives of working single mothers and the factors that contributed to home satisfaction and work satisfaction. Data were gathered by survey questionnaire from single working mothers presently living in Iron County, Utah. Factor analysis was used to reduce data into home satisfaction and work satisfaction factors that were analyzed by multiple regression to determine the variance …

Montpelier, Idaho's Locomotive Firemen And Enginemen: A Community Of Railroaders, 1900-1920, Kimball M. Fife

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis drew from the records of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, Re-Echo Lodge #195 of Montpelier, Idaho; the U.S. Censuses for the years 1900, 1910, and 1920; and the Montpelier Examiner, 1900-1920. The study focused on the world of railroad firemen and enginemen from the standpoint of the firemen's union members. A special focus examined the locomotive firemen's experiences of working in a predominantly Mormon settlement and the diversity that the railroaders brought to Montpelier.

Locomotive firemen and enginemen who were union members relied on their solidarity as a body of organized labor for protection of …