Digital Commons Network^™

Providing Pest Management Education For Home Gardeners In Utah, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

In January 2024, Utah State University (USU) Extension's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program launched a three-part class series targeting Utah's home gardeners. The goal was to enhance their abilities in identifying and managing insect and plant diseases. With over 200 participants, the series notably increased the knowledge of attendees. This initiative aligns with the USU Extension IPM program's mission to promote sustainable pest management practices across Utah, evidencing its commitment to environmental stewardship and community education.

Rethinking Behavior - Spring 2024, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Spring 2024, Volume 7, Issue 3

Outcomes Of Virtual Diabetes Cook Along Classes, April Litchford, Jenna Dyckman, Cindy Jenkins, Andrea Schmutz, Carrie Durward

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

USU Extension Diabetes Cook Along classes provide diabetes education to the public while removing barriers to participation. These classes teach relevant topics through hands-on activities to increase participants’ ability to effectively self-manage their diabetes symptoms. Evaluation results show that participants experienced high satisfaction (86%) and substantial knowledge gain (92%) after the classes.

Nourishtank: An Innovative Program On Solving Hunger, Palak Gupta, Ashley Sullivan, Kristin Hoch, Lea Palmer, Jocelin Gibson, Mateja Savoie-Roskos, Heidi Leblanc

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

NourishTank, a Shark Tank-style event, saw students propose food and nutrition insecurity solutions. Twenty-eight students formed 11 teams, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The winning idea, 'Farm2Fork Gone Mobile,' earned $1,000 toward their proposed project. NourishTank, through partnerships and media, highlights student-driven efforts combating food insecurity and raising awareness.

Assessing Parent And Guardian Outcomes For The Be Epic, Escape The Vape Program In Rural Southeast Utah, Ashley C. Yaugher, Christina Pay, Josie Hatch, Cris Meier

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Be Epic is a multi-component youth vape prevention program for rural youth, teachers, and parents. Annual parent/guardian events provide vape prevention education during a single session. Evaluation results showed that the program led to an increase in parents' knowledge and intention to talk with their youth about e-cigarettes.

Establishing The Temporal Relationship Between Religious Commitment, Sexual Identity Struggles, And Religious Struggles Among Sexual Minorities, G. Tyler Lefevor, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Conclusions about the temporal relationship between religiousness and both religious and sexual identity struggles are frequently made in the absence of longitudinal data. The present study examines the temporal relationship between religious identification, sexual identity struggles, and religious struggles.

Methods: Participants were 132 Latter-day Saint sexual minorities who provided data at two timepoints, two years apart. We employed two cross-lagged panel models, one focusing on religious struggles and religious commitment and the other focusing on sexual identity struggles and religious commitment, to understand the temporal relationships between these variables.

Results: Cross-lagged panel models suggested that interpersonal religious struggles and …

A Review On Recent Deep Learning-Based Semantic Segmentation For Urban Greenness Measurement, Doo Hong Lee, Hye Yeon Park, Joonwhoan Lee

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Student Research

Accurate urban green space (UGS) measurement has become crucial for landscape analysis. This paper reviews the recent technological breakthroughs in deep learning (DL)-based semantic segmentation, emphasizing efficient landscape analysis, and integrating greenness measurements. It explores quantitative greenness measures applied through semantic segmentation, categorized into the plan view- and the perspective view-based methods, like the Land Class Classification (LCC) with green objects and the Green View Index (GVI) based on street photographs. This review navigates from traditional to modern DL-based semantic segmentation models, illuminating the evolution of the urban greenness measures and segmentation tasks for advanced landscape analysis. It also presents …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda April 4, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes – March 7, 2024
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews: https://usu.curriculog.com/
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 2:30 pm

The Utah Statesman, March 25, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Buckets Of Fun: Impacts Of Fraction Ball Activities On Students' Math-Related Emotions, Siling Guo, Drew H. Bailey, Katherine Rhodes, Kreshnik Nasi Begolli, Vanessa N. Bermudez, Luettamae Lawrence, Daniela Alvarez-Vargas, Lourdes M. Acevedo-Farag, June Ahn, Andres S. Bustamante, Lindsey E. Richland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Rational number learning can cause frustration and negative emotions for elementary school students. Fraction Ball, a play-based math intervention, allows students to actively learn rational numbers through engaging and interactive activities. Based on a cluster-randomized trial with 16 teachers and 360 students, our pre-registered analyses showed moderate positive impacts of Fraction Ball on overall students' self-reported math-related emotions. Exploratory analyses indicated that students with higher negative emotions at pretest showed larger experimental impacts on decreasing negative emotions at posttest. Finally, we found that Fraction Ball evidenced no trade-off between rational number learning and emotional outcomes at the classroom block level, …

Effects Of Stroboscopic Vision On Depth Jump Motor Control: A Biomechanical Analysis, Kenneth D. Harrison, Christopher J. Dakin, Anne Z. Beethe, Talin Louder

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Researchers commonly use the 'free-fall' paradigm to investigate motor control during landing impacts, particularly in drop landings and depth jumps (DJ). While recent studies have focused on the impact of vision on landing motor control, previous research fully removed continuous visual input, limiting ecological validity. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of stroboscopic vision on depth jump (DJ) motor control. Ground reaction forces (GRF) and lower-extremity surface electromyography (EMG) were collected for 20 young adults (11 male; 9 female) performing six depth jumps (0.51 m drop height) in each of two visual conditions (full vision vs. …

Higher Education Attainment: Research Summary, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

During the fall of 2023, Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) researchers conducted a statewide study to establish a baseline for public perceptions related to the awareness, understanding, and attitudes about challenges that Utah women and girls face (see Background & Methods for details). The study was created to support the work of 18 areas of focus (spokes) within the movement called A Bolder Way Forward, which is dedicated to helping more Utah girls and women thrive. One of the 18 areas of focus is higher education attainment, and this summary shares findings that illuminate present circumstances and establishes a …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Minutes March 18, 2024, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order - Maureen Hearns
• University Business - Elizabeth Cantwell, President
• Faculty Senate Business - Maureen Hearns | John Ferguson | Grant Cardon
• Information
• Reports
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn: 4:45 pm

The Utah Statesman, March 18, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Understanding Lightning Damage Formation In A Carbon-Epoxy Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (Prseus) Composite, Dounia Boushab, Aniket Mote, Khari Harrison, Juhyeong Lee, Charles U. Pittman Jr., Thomas E. Lacy Jr.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Lightning damage to composite aircraft structures results from a concurrent and sequential interaction between arc discharge multi-physics and the anisotropic electrical and thermal composite properties. In this study, the impact of nominal 50 and 125 kA lightning strikes on damage formation in a carbon-epoxy Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) was investigated. A combination of visual inspection, ultrasonic phased array testing, destructive sectioning, and various microscopy techniques was employed to characterize the damage. Localized damage, including severe matrix decomposition, melting of polyester warp-knitting yarns, fiber splitting, and large-scale delamination, was confined to the immediate vicinity of the lightning attachment …

“It Is Luring You To Click On The Link With False Advertising” - Mental Models Of Clickbait And Its Impact On User’S Perceptions And Behavior Towards Clickbait Warnings, Ankit Shrestha, Arezou Behfar, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Clickbait, a social engineering attack performed through social media, tricks users through sensationalized or misleading posts into clicking on links that direct them to malicious websites. With the recent boom in social media, clickbait has become a substantial security concern, necessitating efforts from platforms and academia to control it. Despite these attempts, clickbait is effective due to the lack of users’ knowledge. Therefore, we explore user mental models (thought processes about how something works) about clickbait to analyze their deficiencies and their influences on users’ behavior towards clickbait warnings. To this end, we conducted an online study with 770 participants …

Poverty & Homelessness: Research Summary, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

During the fall of 2023, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) researchers conducted a statewide study to establish a baseline for public perceptions related to the awareness, understanding, and attitudes about challenges that Utah women and girls face (see Background & Methods for details). The study was created to support the work of 18 areas of focus (spokes) within the movement called A Bolder Way Forward, which is dedicated to helping more Utah girls and women thrive. One of the 18 areas of focus is poverty and homelessness, and this summary shares findings that highlight present perspectives of Utahns …

The Utah Statesman, March 4, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Towards The Design And Evaluation Of Clickbait Education Content: Leveraging User Mental Models And Learning Science Principles, A. Shrestha, A. Flood, B. Hackler, Arezou Behfar, M. N. Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Clickbait refers to sensationalized or misleading post on social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) that can trick users into clicking on malicious links. Clickbait is often used in cyberattacks, especially to conduct 'social engineering attacks' that direct users to malicious websites, resulting in disclosure of users' personal information or installing malicious software (i.e., malware). Thus, clickbait has become a major security concern with the recent boom in social media use. Therefore, security education has become necessary more than ever for the safe and secure use of social media, where there is dearth in security education literature to explore how we could …

Faculty Senate Agenda March 4, 2024, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:25 Faculty Senate Business .
• 3:35 Information
• 3:40 Reports
• 3:55 Old Business
• 4:05 New Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda March 7, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes – February 1, 2024
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)
• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda March 7, 2024, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes – February 1, 2024
• Program Proposals

• Semester Course Approval Reviews: https://usu.curriculog.com/

• Other Business

• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Long-Term Follow-Up Of Acceptance-Enhanced Behavior Therapy For Trichotillomania, Kathryn E. Barber, Douglas W. Woods, Laura J. Ely, Stephen M. Saunders, Scott N. Compton, Angela Neal-Barnett, Martin E. Franklin, Matthew R. Capriotti, Christine A. Conelea, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy for trichotillomania (AEBT-TTM) is effective in reducing trichotillomania (TTM) symptoms, but the durability of treatment effects remains in question. This study analyzed 6-month follow-up data from a large randomized clinical trial comparing AEBT-TTM to an active psychoeducation and supportive therapy control (PST). Adults with TTM (N=85; 92% women) received 10 sessions of AEBT-TTM or PST across 12 weeks. Independent evaluators assessed participants at baseline, post-treatment, and 6 months follow-up. For both AEBT-TTM and PST, self-reported and evaluator-rated TTM symptom severity decreased from baseline to follow-up. TTM symptoms did not worsen from posttreatment to follow-up. At …

Diminished Adolescent Social Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael J. Furlong, Mei-Ki Chan, Erin Dowdy, Karen Nylund-Gibson

Psychology Faculty Publications

Managing the COVID-19 pandemic involved implementing public health policies that disrupted students' lives, creating conditions that substantially influenced their mental health and well-being. Subsequently, research focused don the mental health sequelae of increased depression and anxiety, but the possible impacts on adolescents' social well-being have been largely unexamined. Social well-being is essential to youth's overall mental health and can be diminished even without symptoms of depression and anxiety. This report explored heterogeneities in changes in adolescents' social well-being from pre-COVID-19 to post-restrictions using longitudinal data from adolescents attending middle and high schools in California (N = 1,299; 49.9% female). …

Investigating An Acceptance And Commitment Therapy-Based Exposure Therapy Intervention In Treatment-Refractory Ocd And Related Disorders: Changes In Psychological Flexibility, Treatment Engagement, And Treatment Perceptions, Nate G. Gruner, Jenifer M. Cullen, Jesse M. Crosby, Stephanie N. Decross, Brittany Mathes, Lauryn Garner, Christina Gironda, Yuanjun Hu, Jason W. Krompinger, Jason A. Elias, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

While exposure therapy is the most effective psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and traumatic stress-related disorders, it is not universally effective, indicating a need for further treatment optimization. This study investigated a shift in approach to exposure therapy with 29 treatment-refractory adults in an OCD clinic not responding to standard treatment, comprising habituation-based exposure therapy. Participants completed a standard exposure as continuation of standard clinic treatment, followed by an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) consultation session to assess psychological inflexibility processes interfering with treatment progress, and then an ACT-based exposure targeting behavior change through increasing psychological flexibility. After each exposure, …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (Act) Among U.S. Veterans: A Systematic Review, Marissa L. Donahue, Jeremiah E. Fruge, Felicia J. Andresen, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Veterans of the United States military represent a large sample of the population and a distinctive culture. Veterans have a high prevalence rate of a variety of psychological disorders and disabilities. Research on treatments that meet the needs of this culturally unique group is essential. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may meet this need with its unified treatment approach and its focus on functioning rather than diagnosis. In this study we examine the current state of the literature of ACT for U.S. Veterans. A systematic review of 249 papers found 34 unique relevant studies involving 21 single arm studies, eight …

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

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

An Examination Of Psychological Flexibility As A Mediator Between Mental Health Concerns And Satisfaction With Life Among Autistic Adults, Ty B. Aller, Heather H. Kelley, Tyson S. Barrett, Benjamin Covington, Michael E. Levin, Maryellen Brunson Mcclain

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Experiencing mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress) can have negative effects on satisfaction with life (SWL) for autistic adults. Current mental health supports that may promote SWL do not effectively meet the needs of autistic adults, often due to deficits-based approaches. Methods: To begin addressing the gap in research surrounding mental health supports among autistic adults, we designed a preregistered longitudinal study that used structural equation modeling to assess 289 autistic adults from the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) program to determine if progress toward ones values, a strengths-based component of psychological flexibility, is a potential …

Self-Compassion And Body Image Inflexibility As Mediators Of Outcomes In A Residential Eating Disorder Sample, Julie M. Petersen, Jennifer L. Barney, Leila K. Capel, Mercedes G. Woolley, Tera Lensegrav-Benson, Benita Quakenbush-Roberts, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that are accompanied by negative health outcomes, high mortality rates, impaired functioning, and comorbid mental health conditions. Despite many empirically supported interventions for eating disorders, it remains one of the most challenging mental disorders to treat, as individuals often struggle to maintain treatment gains. One method of improving our understanding of effective eating disorder treatment is to identify important processes of change to target during therapy. The aim of the current study was to test two candidate mediators of disordered eating symptom change during residential treatment: self-compassion and body image inflexibility. In the …

Anomaly Detection On Small Wind Turbine Blades Using Deep Learning Algorithms, Bridger Altice, Edwin Nazario, Mason Davis, Mohammad Shekaramiz, Todd K. Moon, Mohammad A. S. Masoum

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Wind turbine blade maintenance is expensive, dangerous, time-consuming, and prone to misdiagnosis. A potential solution to aid preventative maintenance is using deep learning and drones for inspection and early fault detection. In this research, five base deep learning architectures are investigated for anomaly detection on wind turbine blades, including Xception, Resnet-50, AlexNet, and VGG-19, along with a custom convolutional neural network. For further analysis, transfer learning approaches were also proposed and developed, utilizing these architectures as the feature extraction layers. In order to investigate model performance, a new dataset containing 6000 RGB images was created, making use of indoor and …