Digital Commons Network^™

“It’S A Hoax!” A Practical Guide For Understanding And Surviving Weird Internet Phenomena, Camille S. Price

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

This project dives into some of the darkest of online spaces, as I seek to uncover the legends, narratives, and beliefs that encourage and popularize culture surrounding self-harm. Building on the extensive research that has been conducted on folk antagonists born on the internet such as the Slenderman, I will discuss another character named Momo who, according to legend, lead their primarily young followers through a series of self-inflicted, harmful acts, each increasing in severity, with the final act ultimately being the taking of one’s life. Research will examine social media threads, YouTube videos, film/television, and fan fiction to unpack …

Selection And Propagation Of Pinyon Pine, Kylie M. Lawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Single-leaf pinyon pines are drought tolerant trees native to the Great Basin. This species is a source of wild-collected, edible pine nuts that are in great demand. With no previous research apparent, this thesis aimed to identify wild trees with high cone production as sources for evaluating grafting onto immature and mature trees. Wild sources of scions were identified from four wild stands and six trees per stand. Counting and analyzing the number of scars left by mature cones along the leader branch provided an estimate for each tree‚Äôs productivity and identified trees with greater productivity within a stand. The …

Effects Of Wi-Fi-Enabled Smart Irrigation Controllers On Water Use And Plant Health Of Residential Landscapes In The Intermountain West, Shane R. Evans

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Residential and commercial landscapes provide home and business owners with several benefits. These benefits range from improved air quality and flood control to the reduction of noise and breakdown of organic chemicals. However, these landscapes are routinely overwatered which can lead to plant disease, nutrient pollution, and large amounts of water being wasted. Utah State University, in conjunction with the Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL), the Utah Division of Natural Resources and Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, conducted an experiment to determine if Wi-Fi-enabled smart irrigation controllers conserve water as compared to average residential irrigation amounts and manually programmed …

Effects Of Short Season Irrigation On Pasture Yield And Predicting Yield With Sentinel-2 Satellite, Ihsan Bugra Bugdayci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deficit irrigation can reduce agriculture water use making additional water available for other uses. This study looked at multi-year impacts of deficit irrigation on pasture yield. The results show that that early irrigation provides the most benefit to cool season pastures and late season irrigation only had small impacts on yield. According to this research, irrigation water can be saved without impacting the yield importantly.

Remote sensing techniques are becoming a part of agriculture. Yield predictions are important for the farmers and others involved with agriculture. In this research, relationships between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from remotely …

Nicotine And Alcohol Interactions, Charles C. J. Frye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Charles C.J. Frye, a graduate student in the Behavior Analysis program at Utah State University, completed this dissertation as part of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology.

Alcohol and Nicotine are the two most commonly abused drugs in the United States, often used at the same time. The goal of the dissertation was to more fully understand how exposure to one drug alters motivation for the other. In Chapter I, we investigated how exposure to nicotine affects relapse for alcohol in rats. Nicotine did not affect relapse for alcohol, possibly due to the method of …

Utilizing Earth's Microbiology To Develop The Framework For A Manufactured Martian Nitrogen Cycle, Kyle Valgardson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

History has shown us that space travel is a complicated activity not to be taken lightly. Extended missions such as those that would accompany a manned mission to Mars are guaranteed to have increased complexity and require creative solutions to problems we likely take for granted. One such issue is how to supply the necessary amount of nitrogen to the astronauts to keep them alive. Nitrogen is an essential component to life on Earth as most biological molecules, such as protein and DNA, contain a significant amount of it. Most organisms have to get it from what they eat, but …

Triggerable, Targetable, And Trackable Flavonol-Based Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecules, Livia S. Lazarus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Long known as a toxic gas, carbon monoxide (CO) has been recently redefined as a health beneficial molecule produced endogenously in humans. The biological activity of CO has been extensively examined in inflammatory conditions, vasoprotection, anti-apoptotic and anticancer studies, although the mechanisms of action are still not well defined. Because CO is a gaseous molecule, a straightforward administration would be inhalation. However, this delivery method is limited to use in hospital settings under professional supervision. For improved control over the amount and location of CO delivery, metal-free and light-triggered carbon monoxide-releasing molecules are of particular current interest. Our lab is …

Reducing Daily Hassles In The Classroom: Teaching Coping Techniques To Elementary School Children, Fiona Molsberry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stress, including stress from daily hassles, can have a negative effect on children. Coping skills can be helpful for dealing with stress, but must be effective for the type of stressor the student is experiencing. Teaching children effective coping skills can help them manage stress and may also have a positive impact on perceived classroom climate.

Researchers examined what the relation between a brief CBT intervention with a classroom-based generalization phase on the student rated frequency of daily hassles which occur at school and on the student rated distress levels associated with the hassles, how helpful and acceptable do the …

Demographics, Accuracy, And Impact Of Feed Laboratories In The United States, Jerald H. Severe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Feed analysis is very important to modern society. In the United States feed analysis is used to optimize production of food animals. Feed analysis is also used as a tool to place value on crops. As important as feed analysis is to society, little research has been done that describes which feed laboratories are the most popular and why people use them. It has been thought by some patrons that different results from the same feed sample are obtained by different laboratories. Is this true? If so, what is the effect on those that use feed laboratories to produce animals, …

Understanding The Microbial Population Of Lactococcus Lactis. Subsp. Strains During Cheese Making And Initial Storage, Rhitika Poudel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cheddar cheese is manufactured by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria added as Lactococcus lactis. The two major subspecies used are lactis and cremoris. Starter culture for this study was prepared and donated by Vivolac Cultures Corporation, Greenfield, Indiana. Cheddar cheese was made in duplicate using two strains of lactis and cremoris. Milled curd was salted with 2.0, 2.4, 2.8, 3.2 and 3.6% salt, pressed for 3 h and stored at 6¬∞C. The curd was sampled during cheese making and after 6d storage. Two different methods of enumeration were employed. One method involved plate counting which only …

The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Academic Stress, And Attention, Tida Blackburn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Some degree of anxiety in learning situations is expected and normal. However, excessive anxiety and stress negatively affect cognitive performance, especially working memory, concentration, and sustained attention. Studies have shown that higher success in academics is related to a better ability to maintain focus on the information presented including auditory and visual attention. College students who are better able to manage stress are more successful than those who cannot. One method of coping with stress and anxiety is the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment, be aware of one’s mind, body, and …

The Moderating Role Of Psychological Inflexibility In The Relationship Between Minority Stress, Substance Misuse, And Suicidality In Lgb+ Adolescents, Sean N. Weeks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescence is a difficult time, especially for those who do not identify as heterosexual (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, pansexual; LGB+). Increased rates of substance abuse and suicidality are well documented outcomes that tend to be worse in the LGB+ adolescent community than in mainstream groups. Minority stress, the effect of unique stressors experienced by those in the LGB+ community explained by external and societal influences, has been accepted within the research community as a theory used to explain the health disparities seen in this group. This study proposed a possible further explanation, in addition to minority stress, that helps …

When Ice Isn’T Slippery, Alyssa Witbeck Alexander

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is the start of what I envision to be a full-length memoir that addresses themes of perfectionism and sacrifice. I begin with an introductory chapter, then move into three chapters that highlight different elements of my life that are affected by these themes. I begin exploring childhood, passion for figure skating, perfectionism, Mormonism, and my first romantic relationship. The next chapter shows ways in which this commitment to perfectionism and sacrifice results in a severe eating disorder, and the ways in which that affects me, my family, and my relationship with figure skating. The final chapter chronologically covers …

Laboratory Scale Anaerobic Reactors For Bioenergy From Wastes: Materials, Mathematical Models, And Stoichiometry, Yehor Pererva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anaerobic processes are being explored for the production of bioenergy in the form of biomethane and biohydrogen in a "waste-to-value" approach that considers wastes as a resource. Laboratory scale Biomethane potential (BMP) tests and Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors can be used to indicate the potential recovery of bioenergy from industry wastes. The goals of this research were to: (1) conduct a critical review of models for determining biomethane potential, (2) develop a theoretical relationship for stoichiometry for biomethane and biohydrogen from wastes, and (3) develop key design aspects for geometry and infrastructure, including gas-liquid-solid separation in laboratory UASB …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In Adverse Childhood Experiences And Health Outcomes In Adulthood, Sallie Mack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to many negative physical and mental health disorders in adulthood. Many individuals in the United States have ACEs, and rates are higher among people of color. Less is known about how to prevent these physical and mental health disorders and symptoms for individuals with ACEs. Five different factors may help in intervening on the negative effects of ACEs. These include: mental wellness, healthy relationships, physical activity, sleep and nutrition (Burke Harris, 2018). This study investigated how these factors influence health in adulthood for individuals with ACEs. The current researcher used data from the …

Habitat, Diet, And Foraging Ecology Of Willow Flycatcher In Sierra Nevada Meadows, Scott E. Dietrich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The last stronghold of the California Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) population, which exists in the Sierra Nevada, continues to decline, necessitating a clearer understanding of how meadows provide habitat for the species. To gain this understanding, we assessed vegetation type, saturation levels, and invertebrate species at 51 different sites within four meadows located in the Little Truckee River drainage. 17 of these sites were occupied by nesting Willow Flycatcher during the time of the study, 17 sites had been occupied by nesting Willow Flycatcher in annual surveys between 1997 and 2010 but are no longer used, and 17 …

Comparison Of Public Mental Health Stigma In Youth, Desiree A. Clarke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study looked at mental health stigma in youth. Mental health stigma is devaluing, disgracing and disfavoring individuals with mental illness. Participants aged 11-14 completed a measure to rate their stigmatizing beliefs toward peers with either ADHD, depression, or asthma. Their ratings were compared for significance between genders and for the three different conditions: ADHD, depression, and asthma. Significant differences were found between the stigma ratings for asthma, depression and ADHD. ADHD had significantly higher stigma ratings than asthma, and depression had significantly higher stigma ratings than ADHD (on some, but not all, areas rated) and had consistently higher …

Rumen Fermentation Responses To Purified Palmitic, Stearic, Or Oleic Fatty Acids And The Impact Of A Palmitic Acid-Enriched Supplement On Animal Performance, Austin Paul Sears

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our research examined the responses of palmitic, stearic and oleic fatty acids on neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and rumen fermentation and the impact of a palmitic acid-enriched supplement on animal performance. In the first research chapter, we evaluated the effect of purified palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids on NDF digestibility and rumen fermentation. Palmitic acid increased NDF digestibility and total production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) compared with oleic acid. Bacterial fatty acid composition was altered by palmitic acid, increasing anteiso-C15:0, C18:2n6 and C18:3n3 fatty acids compared with oleic acid. Compared with control, …

Assessment Of Compost On Dryland Wheat Yield And Quality, Soil Fertility And Water Availability In Utah, Kareem A. Adeleke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 2014-2016 Kareem Adeleke undertook a graduate project under the supervision of Utah State University (USU) Plants, Soils and Climate professors, Drs. Jennifer Reeve, Astrid Jacobson, and Earl Creech. Organic wheat producers face numerous challenges, such as low soil moisture, soil erosion, and low soil fertility. Organic wheat growers generally do not apply fertilizer due to inability to recoup the costs in the short-term. Compost enhances long-term improvement in soil quality, soil fertility and increase yield in low input environments. Understanding of compost carryover effects in dryland wheat systems is necessary for increased yield that will allow adequate supply of …

Assessing The Effects Of Cold Storage Regimes Of North American Bombus Queens: Long Live The Humble Queen, Thuy - Tien Thai Lindsay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bumble bees (Bombus) provide critical pollination services for wild plants and crops. They are generalist pollinators, and do not depend on one singular floral type. Native bumble bees are adapted to pollinating many native plants, such as blueberries, squash, and tomatoes. A critical component of bumble bee pollination in the greenhouse tomato industry is the domestication of commercially bred colonies. However, the domestication of Bombus is pretty early in its development, and not all aspects of the bumble bee life cycle is fully understood. This thesis addresses one of the major obstacles in domestication, which is successful mimicking …

Perceptions Of Disabilities Among Native Americans Within The State Of Utah, Erica Ficklin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native Americans are diagnosed with disabilities at a significantly higher rate than the general American population. Due to cultural differences, other factors are likely impacting this difference in diagnosis rates. One possible factor is that Native Americans may have a different definition for ‘disability’ than the general American population. This study aimed to identify whether there is a difference in the definition for ‘disability’ and to learn about the current services available and what changes should be made to better serve Native Americans with disabilities. Native American participants were asked to share their experiences and thoughts about disabilities in sharing …

Mind-It. Introducing Mindfulness Online To Help Students Change Perceptions And Develop Interest: A Design-Based Research Approach, Joana M. Franco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aligns with contemporary perspectives on higher education suggesting that learning ought to be holistic, going beyond disciplinary knowledge and seeing students as whole beings, to support them in knowing themselves and integrating a more conscious society. In the attempt to contribute to this vision, this study advocates for incorporating mindfulness meditation—a contemplative practice to train the ability to be fully aware of the present moment with a nonjudgmental and curious attitude—into higher education curriculum. Adopting design-based research, I created and iteratively refined a two-week online course called Mind-IT to introduce mindfulness meditation to graduate students in the Veterinary …

System Level Characterization Of The Gridded Retarding Ion Drift Sensor (Grids) For The Petitsat Mission, Benjamin B. Oborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Weather prediction, wherever people live, serves as a beneficial part of everyday life. Weather in the upper portions of Earth’s atmosphere also impacts life on Earth but it is not able to be predicted as well as its terrestrial counterpart. PetitSat is a cube satellite (CubeSat) mission proposed to help remedy this issue. It will collect measurements of charged particles in the upper atmosphere called a plasma. The measurements taken by PetitSat will facilitate better prediction of upper-atmospheric weather. Prediction of when and where weather phenomenon will occur will allow avoidance of negative consequences that can result. Once such negative …

Fate Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Duckweed And Waste Activated Sludge Under Aerobic And Anaerobic Solids Stabilization Conditions, Kwame Tweneboah Duodu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twelve commonly used pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)(acetaminophen, β-Estradiol, caffeine, carbamazepine, DEET, estrone, gemfibrozil, triclosan, TCEP, sulfamethoxazole, progesterone, fluoxetine) were investigated to determine their fate in biosolids. These compounds were selected due to their wide usage, and varying properties, that makes them representative of many other PPCPs.

Commonly used PPCPs (caffeine commonly found in tea, coffee, chocolate and soda, the pain reliever acetaminophen, and the pesticide DEET) were detected in high amounts in the influent of the Hyrum WWTP and Wellsville sewage lagoons. Although conventional WWTPs are not designed to remove PPCPs from wastewater, some PPCPs, such as acetaminophen, …

Influences Of Forest Edges On The Growth And Health Of Old-Growth Coast Redwood Forests, Cody R. Dangerfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the tallest species in the world, frequently attaining heights greater than 300 ft. The unique characteristics of the redwoods has led to the establishment of several preservation areas including national and state parks. However, abrupt forests edges created by previous logging and landcover changes has left the remaining stands exposed to elevated temperature, sunlight, and wind intensities, thereby making redwoods along the forest edge more susceptible to windthrow and drought stress. Despite the rarity of old-growth coast redwood forests and their ecological and cultural significance, very few studies have investigated how forests edges …

A Deep Dive Into Natural Swimming Pool Filtration: Living Walls As Technical Wetland Filters, Anna Farb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Vertical gardens such as living walls can filter air and water, in addition to cooling buildings, reducing noise, increasing urban biodiversity, providing food, and enhancing well-being. Natural swimming pools (NSPs) are an ecologically sound alternative to chemically treated pools, but they have not reached their potential in the U.S. We investigated whether a living wall could be integrated into an NSP system for water filtration purposes, given that the vertical filter would have to produce excellent water quality for human swimmers. This could be a novel landscape design, particularly in the cases of steep contours, urbanized sites with limited space, …

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In South Korea, Woolee An

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although psychologists have emphasized the importance of considering clients’ various cultural backgrounds and researching various populations, research is still overly focused on participants from English-speaking countries like the United States and Western countries. Numerous studies evaluating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been published in South Korea. However, most of the studies are still unknown to English-speaking research communities because of language differences. In order to promote cross-cultural communication of study findings, the current study reviewed treatment research from South Korea.

After searching for Korean ACT studies using Korean electronic databases, 62 studies were selected, and each study’s treatment outcome …

Classification And Prediction Models For Natural Streamflow Regimes In The Arid Southwestern Usa, Angela M. Merritt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding how natural variation in flow regimes influences stream ecosystem structure and function is critical to the development of effective stream management policies and actions. Spatial variation in flow regimes is well understood for stream reaches in mesic regions, but a more robust characterization of flow regimes in arid regions is needed, especially to support biological monitoring and assessment programs. Methods are specifically needed that can accurately predict the flow regime expected at ungauged reaches. We used long-term (41 y) records of mean daily flow from 287 stream reaches in the arid western USA to develop and compare several alternative …

Land-Use Attitudes And Local Election Choice: Estimating Effects Of Land-Use Attitudes On Municipal Electoral Choice, Scott R. Dresher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Predicting voter behavior is a difficult task, however there are factors that suggest which candidates will be more successful. This study examined some factors that predict voter behavior in local elections and asks if local land-use authority can be a factor in predicting vote choice. Using survey responses collected from a sample of college students, answers suggest that some factors more strongly influence voter behavior than others. An analysis of survey results suggests that candidate party affiliation alone or candidate land-use attitudes alone are individually significant influences on voter decision making. However, combining effects of candidate party affiliation and candidate …

Job Satisfaction And Employee Turnover Determinants In Fortune 50 Companies: Insights From Employee Reviews From Indeed.Com, Bishal Sainju

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We explored 682176 employee reviews of Fortune 50 companies from Indeed.com using topic discovery techniques like Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Structural Topic Modeling (STM) to identify salient aspects in employee reviews and automatically infer latent topics that tend to drive employee satisfaction. We also studied how various satisfaction factors could be related to employee turnover. We discovered important topics in the reviews, including Management and Leadership, Advancement Opportunity, Pay and Benefits, Work-Life Balance, and Culture, which we compare to the five Job Descriptive Index (JDI) facets. Both LDA and STM discovered well-separated and distinguishable topics. We also …