Digital Commons Network^™

Does Talker Familiarity Or Time Of Testing Facilitate Sentence Recognition When Listening In Noise?, Madison S. Buntrock

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

At the most elementary level, the speech signal is comprised of two parts: linguistic information and indexical information. The linguistic information is the phonetic information of the signal and indexical information is speaker specific and is the paralinguistic information of the signal. Part of this indexical information is talker specific characteristics; which have been shown to help people understand speech. The talker specific characteristic we looked at was talker familiarity. Talker familiarity has been shown to help babies segment speech and adults listen in noise and recall stories. We looked at talker familiarity to see if it would benefit typically …

Maternal Vitamin D Deficiency And Early Childhood Health Outcomes Including Autism Development, Kelsey L. Girardelli

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is associated with a variety of adverse maternal and pediatric outcomes. Disease outcomes that have been observed in pregnant women who are vitamin D deficient include increased risk of C-section, preeclampsia, bacterial vaginosis, and gestational diabetes. In children born to deficient mothers, increased rates of childhood asthma, type 1 diabetes, low birthweight, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been observed. Although there is much evidence to support these correlations, much is yet to be understood regarding the etiology of these outcomes. This paper specifically examines the relationships between risk factors …

Managing Dietary Protein In Cattle As A Means Of Reducing Ammonia Emissions To Improve Air Quality, Ashley Houston

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Particulate matter pollution has become a subject of great concern across the globe. Emissions data has revealed that the agricultural sector is making large contributions to particulate matter through ammonia emissions. Beef and dairy cattle are responsible for producing nearly 50% of annual ammonia emissions in the United States. These animals are often fed amounts of dietary protein that exceed recommendations, resulting in increased excretion of urea and ammonia. These compounds combine with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere to form PM_2.5: particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Research has shown that through proper dietary management …

Don't Panic: A Music Therapy Student's Journey, Kira Lynn Anjewierden

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many college students change majors at some point in their undergraduate study. Studies have found that students who change their major late in their education are more likely to graduate from the institution at which they started than those who switch before their 5th semester. At its conception, the purpose of Don't Panic: A Music Student 's Journey was to serve as an informative source for those interested in the Music Therapy Program at Utah State University, reflecting on both the requirements and the process through the experience of one student. In the time since, the author changed majors, and …

Effect Of Wood Chips As A Component Of Soilless Media On Growth And Nutrition Of Food And Ornamental Crops, Kristen Bullough

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Peat is the central component of the soil-less media mix in all greenhouse crop production but it is expensive because it is harvested in Canada and shipped to greenhouses across North America. Wood chips provide a local, low-cost alternative to peat, but observations by growers indicate potential growth reductions from the addition of wood to peat-based media. Here I report the effects of the addition of wood chips to peat-based media. The study included four treatments: two controls (peat/vermiculite: 50/50 and 75/25) and two treatments with wood chips ' (peat/wood chips: 50/50 and 75/25) with three species (sunflowers, soybeans, and …

Designing A Synthetic Spider Silk-Based Coating For Urinary Catheters To Reduce The Risk Of Cautis, Alexander Cook

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Urinary and Intravenous (IV) catheters are two of the most commonly used medical devices for administering vital drugs and obtaining diagnostic samples from patients. Unfortunately, hospital acquired infections (HAIs) occur at alarming rates due to catheter usage. The aim of this project was to design a urinary catheter that would decrease the occurrence of these infections with a catheter coating that utilizes the antimicrobial properties of synthetic spider silk in combination with the antiseptic chlorhexidine. This synthetic spider silk catheter will introduce a novel approach to catheterization in the medical industry.

International Revitalization: A Study Of Projects From The Intermountain West And Iberian Regions Of The Globe, Emmalee Mangum

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The focus of this study was to study the characteristics of three projects in the Intermountain West region of the United States and three projects in the Iberian region of Europe to analyze the differences within the profession of landscape architecture around the world. The project begins by defining urban revitalization and its importance in the development of urban spaces, as well as studying two projects where urban revitalization attempts were not successful. Then, each project was studied in detail to learn how the project was started and the desired outcome of each project. This study included the "big picture" …

Talking Stories: An Analysis Of Haolewood's Attempts To Tell Hawai'i'S Stories Through Movie Trailers, Pono R. Suganuma

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study investigated how Native Hawaiians and Hawai'i are represented by the media, specifically in movies and their accompanying trailers. Thirty movie trailers from movies released between 1939 and 2016 were analyzed. These movies represented the various movie genres of romantic comedy, thriller, war, animation, drama, historical, and more. The aim of the study was to compile evidence of various themes such as stereotyping, white-washing and language pronunciation within movie trailers in order to validate or extend conceptually the theoretical framework or theory about the lack of accurate representation of Native Hawaiians. This is a feasibility study that could help …

Affirmative Action Bans: Assessing Impacts In A Cross-State Context, Jacklyn M. Sullivan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper builds on previous research on the effect affirmative action bans have on attendance rates for minorities at public and private universities. In total, nine states have implemented affirmative action bans between the present year and 1997. This paper analyzes data from the American Community Survey and provides an overview of related court cases and voter referendums to discuss this policy's effects. We find that affirmative action bans lead to an overall decrease in college attendance for minority students, most prominently seen in an attendance decrease for black students.

Modeling Change Trajectories For Mental Health Symptoms And Functioning During Psychotherapy, Elizabeth Wynn

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Psychological symptoms are routinely measured in clinic settings using self-report surveys to help researchers understand the nature of client progress. Past studies have generally used metrics that compare client scores at two time points (beginning and end of treatment) to classify progress by whether there has been significant improvement or deterioration in their symptom levels. However, contemporary practice often uses more frequent (e.g., weekly) assessment. Thus, methodologies incorporating data from every assessment, such as multilevel modeling, are used to provide more nuanced information about change trajectories. Though there is research on the uses of both methodological frameworks, little research has …

Evaluation Of Antiviral Agents In Two Mouse Models Of Rna Virus Infections, John Hyrum Mcclatchy

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The first model we are evaluating is human influenza virus in mice. Influenza virus is a negative sense RNA virus, which the CDC estimates causes between 9.2 million and 35.6 million illnesses each year in the United States.^[1] In the current influenza season, H3N2 viruses have been the predominant subclade of influenza A virus in circulation.^[2] Development of a mouse model for influenza H3N2 virus infection has been difficult. In these studies, we endeavored to mouse-adapt influenza A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 H3N2 virus by serial passaging in AG129 mice. This virus strain was chosen as it overlaps in serotype with …

Impacts Of Hydroelectric Dams On Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Oviposition Strategies: The Role Of Desiccation, Jesse R. Fleri

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Previous studies quantifying the density, distribution and diversity of aquatic insects overwhelmingly focus on larval life stages. However, many aquatic insects exhibit selective oviposition behaviors, with a preference for emergent substrates along a river's edge. The practice of hydropeaking creates an artificial intertidal zone that is absent from natural rivers and to which freshwater organisms are not adapted. We hypothesized that this novel disturbance could reduce the availability and temporal persistence of oviposition habitats resulting in egg mortality. To test this hypothesis, we quantified the oviposition behavior of four aquatic insects using a hierarchical field survey of habitat availability and …

The Role Of Trailing Behavior In Conspecific Mating In Thamnophis Elegans And Thamnophis Sirtalis, Eleanor Watson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In many gartersnake species, successful mating depends on the ability of males to follow pheromone trails left by females. The populations we investigated (Thamnophis sirtalis and Thamnophis elegans, closely related sympatric species) overwinter together and simultaneously emerge. Although, mating occurs concurrently, there is no evidence of hybridization. Therefore, we sought to investigate the mechanisms that allow male snakes to differentiate between heterospecific and conspecific females to ensure mating success. Behavior studies were conducted by presenting male snakes with extracted scents of conspecific females, heterospecific females, and conspecific males. We measured male preference by number of investigatory tongue flicks …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Changing Social Norms On Female Clothing Attire Pre And Post Ww Ii, Bailey Marie Burningham

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Not only did World War II bring about changes to the economy and policy in the United States, it also changed women's fashion and, consequently, the way in which women's fashion was presented through marketing efforts. This study is an investigation of how changing social norms, as seen in various marketing material, may have impacted women's attire before and after World War II. The study will be conducted by analyzing various reports on how changes came to pass throughout this time, and how different factors may have instigated the change. Additionally, an analysis of marketing materials used pre and post …

Young Women's Sexist Beliefs And Internalized Misogyny: Links With Psychosocial And Relational Functioning And Sociopolitical Behavior, Audrianna Dehlin

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Past literature has examined the impacts of sexism and its correlates. In this study, religious fundamentalism and relationship quality were identified as important factors related to sexist attitudes and internalize d misogyny. Two hundred ten women, ages 18-25, completed a survey including the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Revised Religious Fundamentalism Scale, Attitudes Toward Women Scale, Internalized Misogyny Scale, and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Higher religious fundamentalism was associated with lower relationship quality, mediated by internalized misogyny, traditional gender roles, and hostile sexism. While mental health outcomes were also collected, associations proved to be insignificant. The intersection of sexist attitudes and internalized …

Designing A Synthetic Spider Silk Based Coating For Urinary Catheters To Reduce The Risk Of Cautis, Tess Marie Armbrust

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTis) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with life-threatening conditions. Foley catheters are the most common catheter used when a patient requires hospitalization but can become burdened with microbes which lead to CAUTis, the most common source of hospital acquired infection (HAI). The attached bacteria can form biofilms on the catheter which are difficult to treat using oral antibiotics and can lead to chronic infections. Synthetic spider silk as a catheter coating shows great promise because of demonstrated strength, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial properties. In addition, the antiseptic chlorhexidine can enhance the …

Supplementation And Community Involvement As Drivers Of Salmon Recovery: Summer Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus Keta) Populations In Union And Tahuya Rivers, Washington, United States, Seth M. Elsen

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

Between the 1970s and late 1990s, Summer Chum salmon abundance in the Hood Canal basin declined significantly to the point the population was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (1999), with multiple subpopulations extirpated. The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, developed and implemented a supplementation program to increase spawner abundance in the Union River so that supplementation could eventually take place in the Tahuya River, where Summer Chum had been extirpated. The program, which is only possible with intense volunteer efforts, reduced extinction risks for the Union River …

Bovine Mastitis Resistance: Novel Quantitative Trait Loci And The Role Of Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells, Jacqueline P. Kurz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bovine mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary gland, has substantial economic and animal welfare implications. A genetic basis for mastitis resistance traits is recognized and can be used to guide selective breeding programs. The discovery of regions of the genome associated with mastitis resistance, and knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible, can facilitate development of efficient mastitis control and therapeutic strategies. The objectives of this dissertation research were to identify sites of genetic variation associated with mastitis resistance, and to define the contributions of the milk-secreting epithelial cells to mammary gland immune responses and mastitis resistance. Twenty seven regions …

Evaluating Water Filtration And Disinfection For Household, Using Slow Sand Filters Plus Solar Disinfection, Mariana Demitry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this research, a household water treatment system was built and evaluated as a trial for improving the drinking water quality of the Nile River for the low-income communities. The system consisted of household-scale slow sand filters, and transparent polyethylene terephthalate-bottles for solar disinfection. The evaluation of the system depended on the removal/inactivation of some surrogates for the reference pathogens, and turbidity. The reference pathogens are pathogens specified by the World Health Organization to evaluate the efficiency of the household water treatment options. They were chosen to represent the classes of pathogens in water (bacteria, viruses, protozoa). The surrogates used …

Managing For Multiple Objectives In Southwestern Forests: Evaluating The Trade-Offs Between Enhancing Mexican Spotted Owl Nest Habitat And Mitigating Potential Crown Fire, Daniel C. Deane Mckenna

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), the United States’ forest census, measured sixty-six Mexican spotted owl nest stands in order gain insight into the structure and composition of the nest habitat of this threatened species. I used these data, along with the greater FIA database and the Forest Vegetation Simulator to explore questions surrounding the management of Mexican spotted owl habitat, specifically how to balance the objective of sustaining and enhancing nest habitat in face of increasing forest fire size and severity in the Southwest. My research consisted of three studies. The first study quantified the structure and composition of …

Content Analysis Of Affordances For Social And Emotional Competency Development In Third-Grade Core Reading Programs, Lisa Trottier Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this content analysis study was to identify opportunities embedded in selected reading programs that facilitate the development of social and emotional competencies in the context of literacy instruction. These competencies have been shown to strengthen academic performance and help children learn skills that accelerate success inside and outside of the classroom. The content analysis examined three commonly used third-grade core reading programs to identify content that focuses on social and emotional competencies and instructional processes important in teaching social and emotional skills to children. The study also sought to identify content and instructional processes that might be …

A Grounded Case Study Of Parental Perceptions Surrounding Formalized Special Education Processes, William Eric Strong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this dissertation, I explore, through qualitative means, the perceptions of parents related to discourse (what is said and not said) within formalized and required processes of special education. These processes are federal requirements that parents of children with disabilities or suspected disabilities encounter as their children progress through the school system. The processes purportedly protect the rights of children with disabilities. The goal of the process is to help children with disabilities make academic gains by providing scaffolds that meet their individual needs.

During this process, parents of children with disabilities become empowered or disempowered by discourses focused on …

Evaluation Of Oocyte Developmental Competence And Potential Strategies To Improve Oocyte Quality, Min Yang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have now been extensively used to promote reproductive efficiency as a fertility treatment not only in human medicine but also animal reproduction. ARTs serve as an important tool to advance the fundamental knowledge of reproductive processes. The quality of female’s eggs defines its ability to undergo maturation, fertilization, and development. This quality is determined by various factors and is crucial for the success of ARTs. Any alternations happening during the egg growth and maturation process can result in the decreased quality, which could have long-lasting effects on development. Improving the developmental efficiency of the egg is …

Three Environmental Fluid Dynamics Papers, Eden Furtak-Cole

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three papers are presented, applying computational fluid dynamics methods to fluid flows in the geosciences. In the first paper, a numerical method is developed for single phase potential flow in the subsurface. For a class of monotonically advancing flows, the method provides a computational savings as compared to classical methods and can be applied to problems such as forced groundwater recharge. The second paper investigates the shear stress reducing action of an erosion control roughness array. Incompressible Naiver-Stokes simulations are performed for multiple wind angles to understand the changing aerodynamics of individual and grouped roughness elements. In the third paper, …

Utilizing A School-Based Treatment To Address Socially Anxious Elementary School Students, Mckell Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite the availability of promising clinic-based programs, youth exhibiting socially anxious behaviors rarely receive the treatment they may need. Those that do get treatment, often do so in the school setting. Thus, the demand for effective interventions to address those needs in the school-setting is growing. The present study investigated the effects of a modified CBT intervention, delivered in the school setting, on positive peer interactions and self-rating social anxiety. Results showed that the treatment package provided an increase in positive peer interactions across all four participants, as well as a decrease in self-rated anxiety behaviors.

Examining The Effect Of A School-Based Treatment On Anxiety For Latino Students, Emilie J. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the efficacy of a brief culturally and instructionally modified cognitive behavioral therapy program for five anxious Latino/a youths ages 8-11 years in an elementary school setting. Each student exhibited anxiety in a classroom setting as reported by their teachers and parents or guardians. A noncurrent multiple baseline design was implemented using A-B replications to assess the effects of baseline and treatment on daily self-report student distress ratings as well as daily teacher rated distress, academic engagement, and work completion. All participants completed the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale-2 pre- and post-treatment as well as a Children’s Intervention …

Phenology Of A Southern Population Of Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Ponderosae), Anne Elise Mcmanis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae, Hopkins) is a major disturbance agent in pine ecosystems of western North America. Adaptation to local climates has resulted in primarily univoltine (one generation per year) generation timing across a thermally diverse latitudinal gradient. We hypothesized that this pattern in total development time is shaped by selection for slower developmental rates, altered developmental thresholds, or oviposition rates in southern populations inhabiting warmer climates. To investigate traits responsible for latitudinal differences we measured lifestage-specific development of southern mountain pine beetle eggs, larvae and pupae across a range of temperatures. We also describe and model …

Marginal Mediation Analysis: A New Framework For Interpretable Mediated Effects, Tyson S. Barrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mediation analysis is built to answer not only if one variable affects another, but how the effect takes place. However, it lacks interpretable effect size estimates in situations where the mediator (an intermediate variable) and/or the outcome is categorical or otherwise non-normally distributed. By integrating a powerful approach known as average marginal effects within mediation analysis—termed Marginal Mediation Analysis (MMA)—the issues regarding categorical mediators and/or outcomes are, in large part, resolved. This new approach allows the estimation of the indirect effects (those effects of the predictor that affect the outcome through the mediator) that are interpreted in the same way …

Evaluation Of A Side-By-Side Full-Scale Biofiltration Conversion In A Nutrient-Limited Environment, Stetson S. Bassett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to meet increasing water demands and more stringent regulations drinking water treatment plant managers must continually look to new treatment strategies and optimization techniques. One such strategy is to eliminate chlorine residual before filtration, allowing indigenous bacteria already present in the source water to grow on the filter media. These microorganisms help improve effluent water quality by increasing organic and inorganic contaminant removal. The process is known as biological filtration, or biofiltration. The implications of converting a conventional filtration plant (not specifically designed for biofiltration) to a biofiltration plant are still not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of …

Integrated Systems Modeling To Improve Watershed Habitat Management And Decision Making, Ayman H. Alafifi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Existing river management tools prioritize human uses and provide for ecosystem water needs as minimum instream flow requirements. Management efforts to provide water for multiple human and ecological needs can be improved by tools that recommend when, where, and how to allocate water between competing users across a river basin. This dissertation presents a set of tools in three studies to help managers make decisions on the allocation of water and money to improve habitat quality and area. The first study develops a new metric to measure habitat quality and area for priority river, riparian, and wetland species. The second …