Digital Commons Network^™

Benefits Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (Act) For Chronic Pain, Maria Kleinstaeuber, Ashley Yaugher, Emily Roundy, Michael Levin

All Current Publications

Chronic pain is a common experience for people and can be difficult to manage. However, there are many evidence-based and effective psychological treatments for chronic pain to help people improve their lives. One of these is acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. ACT teaches how to accept pain and live a life full of meaning and quality, with pain. It helps individuals increase their quality of life through mindfulness-based methods, experiential processing, and a focus on values, goals, and actions. ACT has been shown to be effective in reducing pain and improving pain management and personal well-being. Consult the resources …

Gamification In Retail: Enhancing Grocery Customer Experience With Location-Based Strategies, Alireza Zandi, Yoones A. Sekhavat

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Student Research

This study explores how gamification impacts retail customer experience, emphasizing the need for businesses to differentiate in competitive markets. Gamification involves using game design elements in non-game contexts. The research presents a unique gamified shopping system using location-based (Beacon) technologies with a mobile application. This system engages customers through interactive games and challenges in specific store locations. With a sample size of 25, this study aimed to address the following research questions: What gamifying methods could be applied in a real store? What impact does gamification have on customer experience in a real-store shopping context? What role could gamification play …

One Size Does Not Fit All: A Multifaceted Approach To Educate Families About Newborn Screening, Marianna H. Raia, Molly M. Lynch, Alyson C. Ward, Jill A. Brown, Natasha F. Bonhomme, Vicki L. Hunting

Psychology Faculty Publications

All families deserve access to readily available, accurate, and relevant information to help them navigate the newborn screening system. Current practices, limited resources, and a siloed newborn screening system create numerous challenges for both providers and families to implement educational opportunities to engage families in ways that meet their needs with relevant and meaningful approaches. Engaging families in newborn screening, especially those from historically underserved communities, is necessary to increase knowledge and confidence which leads to overall improved outcomes for families. This article describes three strategies that the Navigate Newborn Screening Program developed, tested, and implemented in the United States, …

Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions And Stress Tolerance In Maize, Saroj Burlakoti, Ananta R. Devkota, Shital Poudyal, Amita Kaundal

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Beneficial microbes are crucial for improving crop adaptation and growth under various stresses. They enhance nutrient uptake, improve plant immune responses, and help plants tolerate stresses like drought, salinity, and heat. The yield potential of any crop is significantly influenced by its associated microbiomes and their potential to improve growth under different stressful environments. Therefore, it is crucial and exciting to understand the mechanisms of plant-microbe interactions. Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the primary staple foods worldwide, in addition to wheat and rice. Maize is also an industrial crop globally, contributing 83% of its production for …

Importance Of Extrinsic Cues Of Grass-Fed Beef By U.S. Consumers Across Regions, Elizabeth K. Crandall, Kelsey Hall

Applied Sciences, Technology and Education Faculty Publications

Extrinsic qualities have become a priority because they affect the type of beef consumers purchase from grocery stores, farmers' markets, restaurants, and private vendors (Cheung et al., 2017; Gwin & Lev, 2011). Some consumers are concerned with the beef they eat, wanting to know about health benefits (Cheung et al., 2017; Gwin & Lev, 2011), the origin of their food (Grunert, 2005), animal welfare (FMI & FMRPE, 2018; Gillespie et al., 2016), concerns about how their beef is produced (Birt, 2017; Gillespie et al., 2016; Yang & Woods, 2016), environmental practices (FMI & FMRPE, 2018), etc. Increased premiums on grass-fed …

Toxicosis From Range Lupine Ingestion In A Research Herd Of Rafter 7 Merino Sheep, Benjamin J. Weigler, Walter F. Mandeville Iii, Scott Huber, Gary Mccuin, Fabrizio Caragena, Daniel D. Cook, Stephen T. Lee, Chris A. Pritsos

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

An outbreak of lupine alkaloid neurotoxicosis and death occurred in sheep grazed on rangeland areas of the Nevada Great Basin during the summer of 2023. Overall, 97 sheep died despite veterinary supportive care. Lupinus argenteus var. utahensis was implicated as the causative plant with high levels of lupanine (11.5 µg/mg) and spartiene (13.7 µg/mg) in collected and archived samples. Previous reports of sheep deaths due to lupine ingestion have not been recorded in this region. An increased abundance of the number plants producing seed pods having a high alkaloid content may have been associated with abnormally elevated levels of precipitation …

Design Forms And Games, Hillary Swanson, Ha Nguyen, Caroline Lavoie, Trilby Nelson

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for characterizing design processes as design games. Based on Collins and Ferguson's epistemic forms and games, the framework characterizes design processes as games played by designers to fill out design forms, which are general templates underlying specific design artifacts. We introduce our framework through games involved in human-centered design, describing for each the entry conditions, target form, constraints, and moves. We demonstrate how the framework can be used to characterize design games played by experts in museum exhibit design and urban design. Through similar analyses, the framework …

The Role Of Generative Ai In Qualitative Research: Gpt-4'S Contributions To A Grounded Theory Analysis, Ravi Sinha, Idris Solola, Ha Nguyen, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

We present reflections on our experience using a generative AI model in qualitative research, to illuminate the AI's contributions to our analytic process. Our analytic focus was a segment of classroom transcript, which captured a teacher introducing scientific theory-building practices to middle school students. We used a grounded theory approach to produce a fine-grained characterization of the teacher's talk moves during the lesson implementation. Our eventual goal is to build a more nuanced conceptualization of responsive teaching in the context of theory-building activities. We involved GPT-4 during the initial exploratory and later focused coding stages. For our analysis of GPT-4's …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Native Bee Homes, Daniel Findlay, Kaitlin Campbell, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is part of a series about creating sustainable school and home gardens. It provides information and resources on bee homes, including learning about bees and how to help them, how to obtain and install bee homes, fall cocoon care, fun facts, and resources.

Cytokine-Supplemented Maturation Medium Enhances Cytoplasmic And Nuclear Maturation In Bovine Oocytes, Renata Blocher, Ying Liu, Tayler Patrick, Irina A. Polejaeva

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Bovine in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) is an easy way to obtain oocytes for subsequent assisted reproductive techniques but is inefficient compared to in vivo maturation. Supplementation of three cytokines, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), or FLI, has increased oocyte maturation and embryo development in multiple species, but studies have not explored the oocyte differences caused by FLI IVM supplementation. This study aimed to assess important nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation events in high-quality oocytes. FLI-supplemented oocytes had a decreased GV (3.0% vs. 13.7%, p < 0.01) and increased telophase I incidence (34.6% vs. 17.6%, p < 0.05) after IVM, increased normal meiotic spindles (68.8% vs. 50.0%, p < 0.001), and an increased nuclear maturation rate (75.1% vs. 66.8%, p < 0.001). Moreover, in metaphase II oocytes, the percentage of FLI-treated oocytes with a diffuse mitochondrial distribution was higher (87.7% vs. 77.5%, p < 0.05) and with a cortical mitochondrial distribution was lower (11.6% vs. 17.4%, p < 0.05). Additionally, FLI-supplemented oocytes had more pattern I cortical granules (21.3% vs. 14.4%, p < 0.05). These data suggest that FLI supplementation in bovine in vitro maturation medium coordinates nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation to produce higher-quality oocytes.

Sexual Harassment In Utah: A 2024 Update, Maria Blevins, Ariell Hardy, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The term sexual harassment was introduced in April 1975 by Lin Farley; the phrase was revolutionary because in two words it gave a name to the experience women had been facing in the workplace when they endured the unwanted sexual advances of male coworkers.¹ The term helped usher in a new era in which women could resist such behaviors.² Sexual harassment has been illegal in the US for decades,³ and although there has been increased attention to the problem since 1970, including moments surrounding the Anita Hill hearing in 1991 and the #MeToo movement of 2017,^{4 …}

Development And Validation Of A High School Agricultural Literacy Assessment, Rose Judd-Murray, Brian K. Warnick, Daniel C. Coster, Max L. Longhurst

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) are knowledge benchmarks for school-aged youth and are used to improve agricultural literacy (National Agriculture in the Classroom, 2014; National Center for Agricultural Literacy, 2017). Despite educational efforts, prior research indicated that high school populations remained at low or deficient literacy levels. Additionally, no agricultural literacy assessment instruments using the NALOs as a standardization benchmark have been developed for the 9-12th grades. The purpose of the study was to validate a summative NALO-centered assessment that could provide baseline data on agricultural literacy following the completion of secondary education (12th grade). The study followed the …

Pollination And Seed Production Of Lavandula Angustifolia Mill. (Lamiaceae), Sam S. Ingram, Tyler M. Wilson, Joseph S. Wilson, Emma A. Ziebarth, Makenna C. Johnson, Jacob G. Young, Richard E. Carlson

Biology Faculty Publications

Lavandula angustifolia Mill., lavender, is an aromatic plant in the Lamiaceae family. Lavender is an important economic plant that is cultivated throughout the world. Previous studies have shown that the primary pollinators of lavender in Europe and North Africa are bee species, specifically Bombus spp. However, similar studies have not been previously performed in North America. The current study, on cultivated population lavender (grown from seed) in Utah (USA), found a diverse community of bees visiting lavender over a 4-week sequential and successive blooming period. The observed and identified bees were distinguished across 8 genera and 12 species, of which …

Theory-Based Science Communication At Comic Cons, Lisa Lundgren, Emily Slater, Man Zhang, Kadie Kunz, Gabriel-Philip Santos

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The majority of research concerning science communication happens in spaces where people already have a vested interest in or knowledge of science, such as museums and science cafes. Thus, there is a gap in understanding what theory-based science communication looks like in non-science-centered spaces. This qualitative research study, which featured cosplaying science communicators at comic conventions, offers insights into what science communication practices occur within everyday spaces. We conducted observations of and semi-structured interviews with 15 cosplaying scientists, examining how they utilized effective framing and narrative structuring when communicating science at comic cons in cosplay. Across 700 coded utterances, cosplaying …

Creating, Connecting, And Communicating: A Look At Social Support For Postpartum Women, Aubrey E. Jones Phd, Diana Frankenburger Msn, Bsw, Rnc-Ob, Cce, Cls

Transforming Communities

The prevalence of postpartum depression underscores the critical need for support systems for new mothers. Virtual support groups, such as the Fourth Trimester Support Group described in this paper, represent a promising avenue for addressing these challenges and providing much-needed support. This article describes the formation, activities, and evaluation of an online support group that leverages technology to foster a sense of community for new mothers. Further, the details within the case study provide a basic model for starting a similar support group.

Post-Launch Calibration Of A Line-Of-Sight Model For Planetscope, Graham Mills

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

Planet’s medium resolution satellite imagery products are derived from a fleet of roughly 200 SuperDove CubeSats operating in low Earth orbit. Their hardware is frequently updated and the constellation replenished to ensure the availability of daily updates to the image catalog. Until now, on-orbit geometric calibration of these satellites has been limited to an initial estimation of lens distortion parameters performed during commissioning. A new line-of-sight model describes the SuperDove imaging system in greater detail, adding rotational parameters for boresight calibration and incorporating corrections for pointing errors in the attitude control system. Using historical imagery we study the temporal stability …

Planet’S Hyperspectral Constellation: First Light Campaign And On-Orbit Calibration, Geert Barentsen, Joseph Harris, Hannah Bourne, Justin Haag, Emily Martin, Caroline Pritchett, Paul Giuliano, Dominic Leduc, Keely Roth, Alan Collison, Graham Mills, Arin Jumpasut

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

No abstract provided.

Observations For A Changing Planet: Noaa’S Future Geostationary Satellites, Pam Sullivan

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

No abstract provided.

Who Gets To Decolonize: A Reflection On The Importance Of Positionality In The Decolonization Of Digital Learning Spaces And Learning Design, Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Tutaleni Iita Asino

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Decolonization as a term and concept gained prominence in the 20th century as new nations emerged from the cessation of the global colonial project which primarily saw European countries occupying different parts of the world. In modern times, interests in decolonization have taken different forms, particularly in learning design and digital learning spaces. In the digital space, researchers mainly suggest introducing indigenous perspectives and cultural lenses in the design of digital learning environments and the design of emerging technologies that embed indigenous perspectives (Nede, 2023). This reflexive essay discusses the importance of positionality in digital learning spaces and learning/instructional design. …

Lower Limb Muscle Activation In Young Adults Walking In Water And On Land, Christopher Long, Christopher J. Dakin, Sara A. Harper, Joonsun Park, Aaron Folau, Mark Crandall, Nathan Christensen, Talin Louder

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that exercise interventions requiring increased activation of the tibialis anterior (TA), the primary ankle dorsiflexor, can improve walking performance in individuals with foot drop. Correspondingly, heightened drag forces experienced during walking performed in water may augment TA activation during the swing phase of gait, potentially leading to improved walking gait on land. Therefore, this study aimed to compare surface electromyographic (sEMG) activation in the TA and medial gastrocnemius (GM) during gait performed in water versus on land. Thirty-eight healthy, recreationally active young adults, comprising 18 females and 20 males, participated in the study. Each participant completed …

Using Dna Barcoding To Identify High-Priority Taxa (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) From Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Emerie Landers, Brandon Claridge, Will Kuhn, Victoria Seymour, Hettie Peek, Scout Fluet, Jake Ramgren, Jake Phelps, Brayden Paulk, Lydia Cordner, Jeremy Blaschke

Biology Student Research

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) seeks to document every species of living thing in the park. The ATBI is decades in progress, yet some taxa remain virtually untouched by taxonomists. Such "high priority" taxa include the hyper-diverse parasitoid wasp family Ichneumonidae. Despite the positive and multifaceted effects ichneumonids have on their environment, only a small percentage of those collected in the park have been identified as species, mostly to their complex morphology and overwhelming diversity. Recently, DNA barcoding has transformed biodiversity inventories, streamlining the process to be more rapid and efficient. To …

A Comprehensive Examination Of Age-Related Lower Limb Muscle Function Asymmetries Across A Variety Of Muscle Action Types, Kylee L. Heap-Eldridge, Brennan J. Thompson, Cody Fisher, Talin J. Louder, Jon Carey

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Previous research has found that lower limb muscle asymmetries increase with age and are linked to fall and injury risks. However, past studies lack a wide variety of muscle function modes and measures as well as comparison to a comparable younger age group. The purpose of this study was to examine age-related lower limb muscle function asymmetries across a variety of muscle action types and velocities in young and old adults. Lower limb balance, strength, power, and velocity were evaluated with concentric, isometric, isotonic, and eccentric muscle actions during a single-leg stance test and on single- and multi-joint dynamometers in …

Ecosystem Sentinels As Early-Warning Indicators In The Anthropocene, Elliott L. Hazen, Matthew S. Savoca, T.J. Clark-Wolf, Max Czapanskiy, Peter M. Rabinowitz, Briana Abrahms

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We are already experiencing the rapid pace of environmental perturbation in the Anthropocene, necessitating the development of new tools and techniques for measuring changes in ecosystem dynamics. Sentinel species, from birds to invertebrates, have been used to provide insights into ecosystem function, as leading indicators of risk to human health and as harbingers of future change, with implications for ecosystem structure and function. Here, we offer an update to previous research identifying marine top predators as indicators of ecosystem shifts and examine terrestrial sentinels and the latest research on sentinels of pollution and human health. Using ecosystem sentinels enables rapid …

50 Common Questions About Field Crops, Matt Yost, Burdette Barker, Cody Zesiger, Jody Gale, Justin Wyatt Clawson, Mark Nelson, Matthew Palmer, Michael Pace, Cheyenne Reid, Steven Price, Earl Creech, Corey Ransom, Grant Cardon, Clara Anderson, Madelyn Kunzler

All Current Publications

Utah State University Extension strives to provide research-based information and knowledge to help agricultural producers. Producers often have questions about several aspects of field crop production. This article is not comprehensive of all questions about field crops but represents some of the common questions that USU faculty have received from the public, producers, and crop advisors.

A Beginner's Guide To Growing Mushrooms At Home, Jacob Hawkes, Paul R. Grossl, Melanie Stock

All Current Publications

Welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms! Researchers have shown that mushrooms are not only nutritious and delicious but also provide a myriad of known medicinal benefits, such as protection against cancer, protecting brain health, stimulating gut health, and supporting a healthy immune system. Lately, psychedelic mushrooms have been receiving considerable attention as a promising treatment for mental health conditions, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life anxiety among the terminally ill. This publication provides a simple guide for beginners interested in growing basic gourmet and medicinal mushrooms at home for personal use using easily accessible, relatively inexpensive materials.

Wildfire Smoke Impacts Lake Ecosystems, Mary Jade Farruggia, Janice Brahney, Andrew J. Tanentzap, Jennifer A. Bentrup, Ludmila S. Brighenti, Sudeep Chandra, Alicia Cortés, Rocio L. Fernandez, Janet M. Fischer, Alexander L. Forrest, Yufang Jin, Kenneth Larrieu, Ian M. Mccullough, Isabella A. Oleksy, Rachel M. Pilla, James A. Rusak, Facundo Scordo, Adrianne P. Smits, Celia C. Symons, Minmeng Tang, Samuel G. Woodman, Steven Sadro

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Wildfire activity is increasing globally. The resulting smoke plumes can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers, reflecting or scattering sunlight and depositing particles within ecosystems. Several key physical, chemical, and biological processes in lakes are controlled by factors affected by smoke. The spatial and temporal scales of lake exposure to smoke are extensive and under-recognized. We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 to 2021. Because smoke can be transported at …

The Status Of Women Leaders In Government – State Of Utah: A 2024 Update, April Townsend, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Organizations thrive more abundantly when both men and women hold leadership roles and work together. Gender inclusivity in leadership benefits not only Utah’s businesses but also its government organizations, such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies.¹

American democracy is based on the concept of representation.² Governments mirror this idea by encouraging agencies to employ a workforce that shares the demographic characteristics of the community it serves.³ In fact, the presence of a diverse public workforce “implies equal access to government positions promoting empowerment and connection with government in diverse communities, [and] can also …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Create A Garden Anywhere, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is part of a series about creating sustainable school and home gardens. It provides information and resources on creating gardens anywhere, such as in containers, towers, raised beds, and forests. It also includes ideas and resources for encouraging beneficial insects and providing food and habitat for pollinators.

Distances To Emergency Departments And Non-Urgent Utilization Of Medical Services: A Systematic Review, Uma Kelekar, Debasree Das Gupta, Nicole Theis-Mahon, Emily Fashingbauer, Boyen Huang

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Background

The use of Emergency Departments (EDs) for non-urgent medical conditions is a global public health concern.

Objectives

A systematic review, guided by a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42023398674), was conducted to interpret the association between distance as a measure of healthcare access and the utilization of EDs for non-urgent care in high- and middle-income countries.

Methods

The search was conducted on 22 August 2023 across five databases using controlled vocabulary and natural language keywords. Eligibility criteria included studies that examined non-urgent care, and featured concepts of emergency departments, non-urgent health services and distance, reported in English. Articles and abstracts where …

So, You're Going On A Trail Ride, Gabriela Murza, Katelyn Barsnick, Karl Hoopes

All Current Publications

Horse trail rides provide an opportunity for individuals to partner with horses to experience the natural world in a new way. However, we should consider the physical demands it places on both riders and horses. Adequate preparation, including selecting appropriate clothing, employing safe riding practices, and engaging in pre-ride stretches to enhance rider fitness, allows participants to fully appreciate the experience.