Digital Commons Network^™

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis, Part 1: Example From The Snake River Plain, Idaho, John W. Shervais, Jacob Deangelo, Jonathan M. Glen, Dennis L. Nielson, Sabodh Garg, Patrick Dobson, Erika Gasperikova, Eric Sonnenthal, Lee M. Liberty, Dennis L. Newell, Drew Siler, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Snake River Plain (SRP) volcanic province overlies the track of the Yellowstone hotspot, a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle. Most of the area is underlain by a basaltic volcanic province that overlies a mid-crustal intrusive complex, which in turn provides the long-term heat flux needed to sustain geothermal systems. Previous studies have identified several known geothermal resource areas within the SRP. For the geothermal study presented herein, our goals were to: (1) adapt the methodology of Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) for geothermal exploration to create a formal basis for its application to geothermal systems, (2) assemble …

Relation Between Halogen Bond Strength And Ir And Nmr Spectroscopic Markers, Akhtam Amonov, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The relationship between the strength of a halogen bond (XB) and various IR and NMR spectroscopic quantities is assessed through DFT calculations. Three different Lewis acids place a Br or I atom on a phenyl ring; each is paired with a collection of N and O bases of varying electron donor power. The weakest of the XBs display a C–X bond contraction coupled with a blue shift in the associated frequency, whereas the reverse trends occur for the stronger bonds. The best correlations with the XB interaction energy are observed with the NMR shielding of the C atom directly bonded …

Utahns' Perceptions Of Climate Change And Disaster Vulnerabilities, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Jennifer E. Givens, Peter D. Howe, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, making people more vulnerable in a variety of ways^1-2. It is essential to determine if individuals believe they are susceptible to the effects of climate change in order to develop effective adaptation strategies.

Climate change has contributed to extreme weather occurrences in Utah in recent years. For instance, in the summer of 2022, there was a severe or extreme drought in all of Utah's counties³. Health effects of drought vary with intensity⁴ and can cause climate related deaths directly and indirectly, such as by …

Are Plant–Soil Feedbacks Caused By Many Weak Microbial Interactions?, Julia K. Aaronson, Andrew Kulmatiski, Leslie E. Forero, Josephine Grenzer, Jeanette M. Norton

Wildland Resources Student Research

We used high-throughput sequencing and multivariate analyses to describe soil microbial community composition in two four-year field plant–soil feedback (PSF) experiments in Minnesota, USA and Jena, Germany. In descending order of variation explained, microbial community composition differed between the two study sites, among years, between bulk and rhizosphere soils, and among rhizosphere soils cultivated by different plant species. To try to identify soil organisms or communities that may cause PSF, we correlated plant growth responses with the microbial community composition associated with different plants. We found that plant biomass was correlated with values on two multivariate axes. These multivariate axes …

On The Computability Of Primitive Recursive Functions By Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks, Vladimir A. Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

We show that, for a primitive recursive function h(x, t), where x is a n-tuple of natural numbers and t is a natural number, there exists a feedforward artificial neural network 𝔑(x, t), such that for any n-tuple of natural numbers z and a positive natural number m, the first m + 1 terms of the sequence {h(z, t)} are the same as the terms of the tuple (𝔑(z, 0), ... ,𝔑(z, m)).

“After She Fell Asleep, It Went To My Next Podcast, Which Was About A Serial Killer”: Unveiling Needs And Expectations Regarding Parental Control Within Digital Assistant, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Voice-based digital assistants (for brevity, we term them as ‘digital assistants’ in this paper, unless otherwise specified) are getting increasingly popular in the household to automate digital routines. Hence, with communal usage of digital assistants in the household, children can gain access to content through digital assistants that are intended for adult audiences and parents are concerned about such risks. To this end, we created a low-fidelity prototype with designs of existing Google’s parental control for Google Assistant (termed as baseline), along with our features deriving from prior literature (termed as treatment). Then, we …

Understanding The Challenges In Academia To Prepare Nursing Students For Digital Technology Use At Workplace, Ankit Shrestha, Prakriti Dumaru, Rizu Paudel, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Digital technology has transformed workplaces in recent years. The technology adoption in medical institutions has challenged nurses to evolve in using complex digital systems. However, academic institutions often fail to keep up with the rapid changes in professional practice in preparing their students. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five nursing faculties in the USA. In our study, we examined the current status of digital technology and privacy education, and identified the challenges in adequately preparing nursing students to embrace and adapt to the changes in digital technology use at healthcare organizations. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights …

"It Doesn't Just Feel Like Something A Lawyer Slapped Together." Mental-Model-Based Privacy Policy For Third-Party Applications On Facebook, Rizu Paudel, Ankit Shrestha, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Users are often unaware of the information that applications collect and are surprised by unexpected data collection and sharing practices. With numerous third-party applications on Facebook potentially accessing the personal information of billions of users, it is essential to understand users’ mental models of data sharing to help them make informed decisions. To achieve this, we conducted semi-structured interviews using drawings and think-aloud protocol with 32 participants. Our participants had misconceptions regarding third-party applications’ data sharing practices with varied mental models. Based on these findings, we created mental model-based privacy policy design that prompts users to consider a specific scenario …

Contemporary Art Authentication With Large-Scale Classification, Todd Dobbs, Abdullah-Al-Raihan Nayeem, Isaac Cho, Zbigniew Ras

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Art authentication is the process of identifying the artist who created a piece of artwork and is manifested through events of provenance, such as art gallery exhibitions and financial transactions. Art authentication has visual influence via the uniqueness of the artist’s style in contrast to the style of another artist. The significance of this contrast is proportional to the number of artists involved and the degree of uniqueness of an artist’s collection. This visual uniqueness of style can be captured in a mathematical model produced by a machine learning (ML) algorithm on painting images. Art authentication is not always possible …

The Status Of Women On Utah State Boards & Commissions: A 2023 Update, Susan R. Madsen, Natasha Birchard, Brooke Scheffler

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Research shows that organizations will increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles.¹ Gender inclusivity benefits not only businesses, but also entities such as churches, state legislatures, city councils, state governments, and state and local boards and commissions. Studies have shown that there are numerous benefits to attracting, retaining, promoting, and empowering women within organizations and entities. More specifically, research demonstrates the need for the government—and democratic governance processes in general—to reflect gender diversity accurately within its constituency at all levels.² Utah is no exception. In fact, in Utah (Code 67-1-11), since 1992, appointing authorities were …

The Sound Of Mormonism: A Media History Of Latter-Day Saints, Jared Farmer

Arrington Annual Lecture

The Sound of Mormonism is an annotated and expanded version of the 2023 lecture “Music & the Unspoken Truth”—an homage to the Music and the Spoken Word radio program and a meditation on the relationships between religion, music, vocality, and quietude.

The Arrington Lecture series, established in honor of one of the twentieth-century American West’s most distinguished historians, Leonard Arrington, has become a leading forum for prominent scholars to address topics related to Latter-day Saint history. Utah State University hosts the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture Series through the Merrill-Cazier Library’s Special Collections and Archives.

Utahns Strongly Support Renewable Energy Sources Such As Solar And Wind, Elizabeth Brunner, Stacia Ryder

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah was the fastest-growing state in the nation by population between 2010 and 2020.¹ This growing population is bringing increased demand for energy. The build out of Utah's electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, with the state aiming to site electric vehicle charging stations at least every 50 miles along its interstate highway system by the end of 2025, will also increase energy demand. This growth will equate to increased carbon emissions if Utah does not change its electricity mix, which is currently composed of primarily carbon-emitting sources. As of 2022 (see Figure 1), 53% of Utah's total electricity net generation …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September 7, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September, 2023
• Subcommittee Reports - Curriculum Subcommittee, Academic Standards Subcommittee, General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Faculty Senate Committee Agenda October 2, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order. Maureen Hearns
• 3:05 University Business. Elizabeth Cantwell, President | Larry Smith, Provost
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business. Maureen Hearns | John Ferguson | Grant Cardon
• 3:25 Information
• 3:40 Reports
• 3:50 Old Business
• 4:05 New Business
• Adjourn:

Using Assessments To Promote Growth Mindset In College Algebra, Hannah M. Lewis, Kady Schneiter, David Lane Tait

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Scientific evidence highlights the positive impact of a growth mindset on student achievement. Students with a growth mindset view errors and obstacles as opportunities for growth and welcome challenges and the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Much has been written about promoting growth mindset through lectures and attitudes, however, assessments can also be an important avenue for encouraging a growth mindset in students. In this paper, we describe how we used assessments to promote growth mindset in a college algebra class. In the sections that follow, we discuss the need for these assessments and the principles that underly their …

The Case For Direct Instruction, Marcy Stein, Kristen Rolf

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

For over 50 years, the best way to educate children has been heatedly debated by those who favour what might be described as ‘teacher-directed instruction’ and those who favour ‘student-centred instruction’. In this article, we contend that Direct Instruction (DI), a teacher-directed approach, offers educators, by several important measures, the most effective approach to meeting the academic needs of underperforming students.

Shallow Composition And Structure Of The Upper Part Of The Exhumed San Gabriel Fault, California: Implications For Fault Processes, Kaitlyn Crouch, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Quantifying shallow fault zone structure and characteristics is critical for accurately modeling the complex mechanical behavior of earthquakes as energy moves within faults from depth. We examine macro- to microstructures, mineralogy, and properties from drill core analyses of fault-related rocks in the steeply plunging ALT-B2 geotechnical borehole (total depth of 493 m) across the San Gabriel Fault zone, California. We use macroscopic drill core and outcrop-sample analyses, core-based damage estimates, optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction mineralogic analyses to determine the fault zone structure, deformation mechanisms, and alteration patterns of exhumed deformed rocks formed in a section of the fault that …

A First Look Into Software Security Practices In Bangladesh, Ankit Shrestha, Tanusree Sharma, Pratyasha Saha, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Software security practices are critical in minimizing vulnerabilities and protecting unauthorized access to the code and the system. However, software security practices outside Western countries need to be better understood. This need for understanding security practices is further necessitated by the increased outsourcing of software development that can result in vulnerabilities on a global scale. This article addresses this gap, focusing on Bangladesh, a country that represents a booming software industry in the Global South. In this study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 developers to understand their security perceptions and identify the factors influencing software security practices in Bangladesh. …

The Utah Statesman, September 18, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda September 18, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:30 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - August 21, 2023
• 3:35 University Business
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Business .
• 4:00 Information
• Education Policies Committee
• Human Resources Policies - 351
• 4:20 Reports
• Educational Policies Committee Annual Report
• Honors Program Annual Report
• 4:30 Old Business
• Update on Divestment Task Force
• Greenhouse Waste Emissions
• 4:40 New Business
• Issue of Faculty Concern
• Adjourn:

A Novel Fuzzy Relative-Position-Coding Transformer For Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Ultrasonography, Yanhui Guo, Ruquan Jiang, Xin Gu, Heng-Da Cheng, Harish Garg

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women worldwide, and early detection is crucial for successful treatment. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been developed to assist doctors in identifying breast cancer on ultrasound images. In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzy relative-position-coding (FRPC) Transformer to classify breast ultrasound (BUS) images for breast cancer diagnosis. The proposed FRPC Transformer utilizes the self-attention mechanism of Transformer networks combined with fuzzy relative-position-coding to capture global and local features of the BUS images. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on one benchmark dataset and compared with those obtained by …

The Utah Statesman, September 11, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Educational Policies Committee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)

• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)

• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)

• Other Business

Cache Code Math Mathematics Lesson Plans: Exponents And Repeats, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This document contains four 5th grade mathematics lesson plans. The activities are intended to be implemented in conjunction with the computer lab activities found in Cache Code Math Computer Lab Lesson Plans: Repeated Addition & Multiplication. The mathematical focus of these lessons is conceptualizing exponents as repeated multiplications fractions.

Cache Code Math Computer Lab Lesson Plans: Repeated Addition & Multiplication, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway, Kimberly Beck, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker

Instructional resources

This document entails a number of computer lab concepts and accompanying activities for fifth grade students. The activities are intended to be implemented in conjunction with the mathematics lessons "Cache Code Math September Unit: Repeats in Math and Programming" and "Cache Code Math Computer Lab Lesson Plans: Exponents and Repeats". Here the mathematics concepts of repeated addition and multiplication are explored using the computer coding concept of repeat loop blocks.

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - April 6, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business - New baccalaureate programs template and cross/dual listed info for the EPC handbook
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

The Irrigation Efficiency Trap: Rational Farm-Scale Decisions Can Lead To Poor Hydrologic Outcomes At The Basin Scale, Christina N. Morrisett, Robert W. Van Kirk, London O. Bernier, Andrea L. Holt, Chloe B. Perel, Sarah E. Null

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Agricultural irrigation practices have changed through time as technology has enabled more efficient conveyance and application. In some agricultural regions, irrigation can contribute to incidental aquifer recharge important for groundwater return flows to streams. The Henrys Fork Snake River, Idaho (United States) overlies a portion of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, where irrigated agriculture has occurred for over a century. Using irrigator interviews, aerial and satellite imagery, and statistical streamflow analysis, we document the impact of farm-scale decisions on basin-scale hydrology. Motivated to improve economic efficiency, irrigators began converting from surface to center-pivot sprinkler irrigation in the 1950s, with rapid …

Detection Of Fish Sedimentary Dna In Aquatic Systems: A Review Of Methodological Challenges And Future Opportunities, Grayson P. Huston, Mark Louie D. Lopez, Yuanyu Cheng, Leighton King, Lucinda C. Duxbury, Maïlys Picard, Georgia Thomson-Laing, Erika Myler, Caren C. Helbing, Michael T. Kinnison, Jasmine E. Saros, Irene Gregory-Eaves, Marie-Eve Monchamp, Susanna A. Wood, Linda Armbrecht, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Lenka Kurte, Jordan Von Eggers, Janice Brahney, Genevieve Parent, Masayuki K. Sakata, Hideyuki Doi, Eric Capo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA studies have proliferated over the last decade, with promising data describing the diversity of organisms inhabiting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The recovery of DNA present in the sediment of aquatic systems (sedDNA) has provided short- and long-term data on a wide range of biological groups (e.g., photosynthetic organisms, zooplankton species) and has advanced our understanding of how environmental changes have affected aquatic communities. However, substantial challenges remain for recovering the genetic material of macro-organisms (e.g., fish) from sediments, preventing complete reconstructions of past aquatic ecosystems, and limiting our understanding of historic, higher trophic level interactions. In this review, …

The Irrigation Efficiency Trap: Rational Farm-Scale Decisions Can Lead To Poor Hydrologic Outcomes At The Basin Scale, Christina N. Morrisett, Robert W. Van Kirk, London O. Bernier, Andrea L. Holt, Chloe B. Perel, Sarah E. Null

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Agricultural irrigation practices have changed through time as technology has enabled more efficient conveyance and application. In some agricultural regions, irrigation can contribute to incidental aquifer recharge important for groundwater return flows to streams. The Henrys Fork Snake River, Idaho (United States) overlies a portion of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, where irrigated agriculture has occurred for over a century. Using irrigator interviews, aerial and satellite imagery, and statistical streamflow analysis, we document the impact of farm-scale decisions on basin-scale hydrology. Motivated to improve economic efficiency, irrigators began converting from surface to center-pivot sprinkler irrigation in the 1950s, with rapid …