Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction To Ensemble Watershed Segmentation, Scout Jarman

Student Research Symposium

Compared to color images, hyperspectral images are high dimensional, containing hundreds of channels of information. To distill this information, and capture spatial information, image segmentation is used to group similar pixels together. A popular image segmentation algorithm is the marker-based Watershed Transform. One difficulty with this algorithm is choosing the markers, or locations, that seed the algorithm. There are various approaches for automatic marker placement depending on the application, with little consensus on the most general method for hyperspectral images. We propose using an ensemble of random segmentations. Specifically, we investigate a simple, unbiased random marker placement strategy to generate …

Metasurfaces For Holography, Scott Howell

Student Research Symposium

Using light to store information on photographic plates and metasurfaces that can then be extracted using using the same light source.

The Kp-Index And Behavior Of Quiet Periods, Collette Walbeck

Student Research Symposium

The Kp-index quantifies the electromagnetic effects in the Earth’s atmosphere and is used in a variety of scientific fields. Higher Kp values tend to be the focus in these fields as they relate to high solar activity and geomagnetic storms. This study aimed to examine the significance, if any, of lower Kp indices. A simple data analysis was performed on continuous sequences of low Kp values, deemed Quiet Periods. Both the daily average of the values and the full set of Kp data were used. A decaying exponential relationship was discovered between the length of these periods and their frequencies …

What Is Love For A Black Hole?, Luis Fernando Temoche

Student Research Symposium

One of the many aspects we can characterize for black holes is their behavior under perturbations, like waves for example. This presentation will focus on the study of this dynamics through the obtention of the so-called Love Numbers for Black Holes. Those parameters used to determine the tidal response to perturbations, are known in the literature for vanishing in the case of 4-dimensional solutions. By analyzing different of black holes in 5 dimensions, we attempt to determine if that condition is extrapolable to higher dimensional cases.

Fast Computation Of Friction Stir Welding Process With Model Order Reduction And Machine Learning, Joshua Kay

Student Research Symposium

Joining aluminum alloys and other metal workpieces is a typical manufacturing process, which can be accomplished by various welding techniques. Friction stir welding (FSW), a relatively new technology patented in 1991, has many advantages over conventional welding processes. For the FSW process, it is desirable to determine an optimal set of parameters to avoid product defects in the joints. Modeling and simulating the FSW process is computationally expensive which creates a bottleneck in searching for optimal operating parameters. Reduced order modeling techniques will be used to significantly reduce computation time for FSW models while maintaining accuracy. In addition, machine learning …

Níksókowaawák As Axiom: The Indispensability Of Comprehensive Relational Animacy In Blackfoot Ways Of Knowing, Being, And Doing, Sandra Bartlett Atwood, Ninna Piiksii (Chief Bird) Mike Bruised Head, Mark W. Brunson, Aahsaopi (State Of Being) Laverne First Rider, Tim Frandy, James Maffie, Aakaomo'tsstaki (Many Victories) Michelle Provost, Miiniipokaa (Berry Child) Peter Weasel Moccasin, Itsiipootsikimskai

Environment and Society Student Research

This paper outlines a proposal, based on Blackfoot worldview, for a collective method to stand alongside Western qualitative and quantitative methods and highlights the value of collective methods in collaborative social-ecological research. Neither qualitative nor quantitative methods are adequate to disclose a world where all things are alive, where “objects” are subjects—agentive beings in their own right. Most Indigenous cultures understand and experience the world as a network of living beings, a collective, with whom they are interrelated/connected and therefore, any efforts to collaborate with Indigenous peoples must acknowledge comprehensive relational animacy. Applying coproduction principles in concert with Blackfoot ways …

Connecting Beliefs, Mindsets, Anxiety, And Self-Efficacy In Computer Science Learning: An Instrument For Capturing Secondary School Students’ Self-Beliefs, Luis Morales-Navarro, Michael T. Giang, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Context

Few instruments exist to measure students’ CS engagement and learning especially in areas where coding happens with creative, project-based learning and in regard to students’ self-beliefs about computing.

Objective

We introduce the CS Interests and Beliefs Inventory (CSIBI), an instrument designed for novice secondary students to learn by designing projects (particularly with physical computing).. The inventory contains subscales on beliefs on problem solving competency, fascination in design, value of CS, creative expression, and beliefs about context-specific CS abilities alongside programming mindsets and outcomes. We explain the creation of the instrument and attend to the role of mindsets …

Mesopause Region Temperature And Na Number Density Between 1990 And 2017, Tao Yuan, Chiao-Yao She

Browse all Datasets

The Colorado State University (CSU) Na lidar performed nocturnal mesopause region Na density and temperature observations between March 1990 and March 2010 at Fort Collins, CO (41.6N, 105W). The lidar was relocated to Utah State University (USU) campus and has continued its regular observation at Logan, Utah (42N, 112W) since September 2010.

Global Survey Shows Planners Use Widely Varying Sea-Level Rise Projections For Coastal Adaptation, Daniella Hirschfeld, David Behar, Robert J. Nicholls, Niamh Cahill, Thomas James, Benjamin P. Horton, Michelle E. Portman, Rob Bell, Matthew Campo, Miguel Esteban, Bronwyn Goble, Munsur Rahman, Kwasi Appeaning Addo, Faiz Ahmed Chundeli, Monique Aunger, Orly Babitsky, Anders Beal, Ray Boyle, Jiayi Fang, Amir Gohar, Susan Hanson, Saul Karamesines, M. J. Kim, Hilary Lohmann, Kathy Mclnnes, Nobuo Mimura, Doug Ramsay, Landis Wenger, Hiromune Yokoki

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Including sea-level rise (SLR) projections in planning and implementing coastal adaptation is crucial. Here we analyze the first global survey on the use of SLR projections for 2050 and 2100. Two-hundred and fifty-three coastal practitioners engaged in adaptation/planning from 49 countries provided complete answers to the survey which was distributed in nine languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. While recognition of the threat of SLR is almost universal, only 72% of respondents currently utilize SLR projections. Generally, developing countries have lower levels of utilization. There is no global standard in the use of SLR …

An Exploration Of Computational Text Analysis Of Co-Design Discourse In A Research-Practice Partnership, Mei Tan, Victor R. Lee

Publications

In combination with contextualized human interpretation, computational text analysis offers a quantitative approach to interrogating the nature of participation and social positioning in discourse. Using meeting transcript data from the development of a co-design research-practice partnership, we examine the roles and forms of participation that contribute to an effective collaboration between a multileveled school system and researcher partners. We apply computational methods to explore the language of co-design and multi-stakeholder perspectives in support of educational improvement science efforts and our theoretical understanding of partnership roles. Results indicate participation patterns align with documented roles in co- design partnerships and highlight the …

Geometry And Coding: Introducing An Interactive And Integrated Mathematics-Computer Science Unit, Kimberly Beck, Jessica F. Shumway

Publications

As part of a collaborative project between Utah State University, the Cache County School District, and Stanford, instructional units were designed for fifth-grade students. These units integrated math concepts of geometrical shapes and computer science concepts of sequences, conditionals, and loops. One component of the unit was implemented in math classrooms by math teachers, and the other component was implemented in computer labs. This presentation will focus on the math unit as presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM-V).

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Pah) Contamination In Urban Soils: Testing And Management, Melissa Chilinski, Paul Grossl, Melanie Stock

All Current Publications

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large class of chemicals and common environmental pollutants. Understanding which PAHs and soil test levels may impact human health is an important aspect of gardening and micro-farming, particularly in urban environments that are at increased risk of soil contamination. Land use histories, such as sites associated with vehicle and industrial emissions, burning, and dumping, can elevate concentrations of PAHs in soils. This fact sheet provides instructions on assessing your site for PAHs that may present health risks to humans, testing the soil, and first steps for interpretation and management.

Regeneration Strategies And Forest Resilience To Changing Fire Regimes: Insights From A Goldilocks Model, Tanjona Ramiadantsoa, Zak Ratajczak, Monica G. Turner

Aspen Bibliography

Disturbances are ubiquitous in ecological systems, and species have evolved a range of strategies to resist or rebound following disturbance. Understanding how the presence and complementarity of regeneration traits will affect community responses to disturbance is increasingly urgent as disturbance regimes shift beyond their historical ranges of variability. We define "disturbance niche" as a species' fitness across a range of disturbance sizes and frequencies that can reflect the fundamental or realized niche, that is, whether the species occurs alone or with other species. We developed a model of intermediate complexity (i.e., a Goldilocks model) to infer the disturbance niche. We …

Outdoor Recreation Across The Western United States: A Comparative Analysis Focused On State Agencies, Policies, Programs, And Resources, Casey Trout, Jordan W. Smith

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In recent years, state governments in the contiguous western U.S. (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) have been increasing investment in outdoor recreation to ensure continued and expanded access to outdoor recreation opportunities and to enhance the outdoor recreation economy in their respective states. This report provides an inventory and comparison of how states across the Western U.S. fund, manage, and support outdoor recreation. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations tailored to state legislatures and state government entities regarding how outdoor recreation management may be improved and how additional funding could be …

Allocation Of U.S. Biomass Production To Food, Feed, Fiber, Fuel And Exports, Christopher L. Lant, Suman Paudel, Kaeli Mueller, Grace Larson, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo, Jennifer E. Givens

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the end uses—food, feed, fiber, fuel, and exports—of biomass production in the U.S. in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. They are also analyzed at the state level in 2012. Biomass production is measured as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), an ecological footprint measured as carbon fixed through photosynthesis, derived from data on crop, timber and grazing yields. HANPP was allocated to end uses using publicly available sources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and internet-based sources publishing data on agricultural trade. HANPP was 717–834 megatons (MT) of carbon per year, which comprised 515–615 MT of …

Epidemic Highs And Lows: A Stochastic Diffusion Model For Active Cases, Luis F. Gordillo, Priscilla E. Greenwood, Dana Strong

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We derive a stochastic epidemic model for the evolving density of infective individuals in a large population. Data shows main features of a typical epidemic consist of low periods interspersed without breaks of various intensities and duration. In our stochastic differential model, a novel reproductive term combines a factor expressing the recent notion of ‘attenuated Allee effect’ and a capacity factor is controlling the size of the process. Simulation of this model produces sample paths of the stochastic density of infectives, which behave much like long-time Covid-19 case data of recent years. Writing the process as a stochastic diffusion allows …

A Literature Review Examining Broadening Participation In Upper Elementary Cs Education, Umar Shehzad, Mimi Recker, Jody Clarke-Midura

Publications

Despite proliferated efforts to integrate computer science in elementary education, there is a dearth of studies that synthesize the current state of CS education research in formal educational contexts, specifically in upper elementary classrooms. Further, while numerous studies have investigated approaches and strategies that broaden participation in computing, the majority of them focus on secondary and post-secondary settings. The present study uses a systematic literature review process to review research conducted with students in formal classroom settings in grades 4, 5, and 6 and published since 2013. We review the research through two questions: What are barriers to broadening participation …

The Utah Statesman, March 13, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Addressing Barriers To Proactive Restoration Of At-Risk Sagebrush Communities: A Causal Layered Analysis, Carmen Calzado-Martinez, Mark W. Brunson, Sofia Koutzoukis, Jacobo Baggio, Kari E. Veblen

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Restoration success in degraded rangelands often depends on a site's resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive plants. Because it is more difficult to restore plant communities after they are dominated by invasive species, a potential approach is proactive restoration in sites at risk of crossing degradation thresholds (e.g. initiating restoration prior to invasive grass dominance). When developing a new restoration approach, it is important to consider operational feasibility, including social, budgetary, and environmental factors. Accordingly, we studied influences within land management agencies on the adoption of a specific proactive restoration approach: out-planting native grass and forb seedlings into sagebrush …

Second Language Acquiescence Of Multilingual Students In Tanzania, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This research, conducted at a major university in Tanzania, investigated the personal experiences of multilingual students vis-à-vis the government's language policy requiring Swahili as the language of instruction (LoI) at the primary level and English at the secondary level. The participants, who spoke 25 different languages as their L1, were placed into 49 different language groups and asked to write what they remembered about the language policy where they attended school. The data show that Gramsci's cultural hegemony is occurring in Tanzania. The 'common sense' is that people truly believe English is symbolic of prestige and power–even though few people …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Students' Academic Performance: The Case Of The University Of Ghana Business School, Joseph Ofori Acheampong

Political Science Student Research

The unruly consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak have hamstrung higher education institutions. This study aims to investigate the perceived impact of COVID-19 on student learning and academic performance through a qualitative approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 30 purposively chosen informants were used. The results indicated that 70% of students perceive a paradigm shift in their learning experience before and after COVID-19. It was discovered that their sociodemographic characteristics influenced 60% of students, and 57% were influenced by their parent's socioeconomic status, which influenced their academic achievements during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings revealed that 63% of students had faced numerous …

Plagiarism Deterrence In Cs1 Through Keystroke Data, Kaden Hart, Chad Mano, John M. Edwards

Computer Science Student Research

Recent work in computing education has explored the idea of analyzing and grading using the process of writing a computer program rather than just the final submitted code. We build on this idea by investigating the effect on plagiarism when the process of coding, in the form of keystroke logs, is submitted for grading in addition to the final code. We report results from two terms of a university CS1 course in which students submitted keystroke logs. We find that when students are required to submit a log of keystrokes together with their written code they are less likely to …

Accurate Estimation Of Time-On-Task While Programming, Kaden Hart, Christopher M. Warren, John Edwards

Computer Science Student Research

In a recent study, students were periodically prompted to self-report engagement while working on computer programming assignments in a CS1 course. A regression model predicting time-on-task was proposed. While it was a significant improvement over ad-hoc estimation techniques, the study nevertheless suffered from lack of error analysis, lack of comparison with existing methods, subtle complications in prompting students, and small sample size. In this paper we report results from a study with an increased number of student participants and modified prompting scheme intended to better capture natural student behavior. Furthermore, we perform a cross-validation analysis on our refined regression model …

Leveraging Important Covariate Groups For Corn Yield Prediction, Britta L. Schumacher, Emily K. Burchfield, Brennan Bean, Matt A. Yost

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Accurate yield information empowers farmers to adapt, their governments to adopt timely agricultural and food policy interventions, and the markets they supply to prepare for production shifts. Unfortunately, the most representative yield data in the US, provided by the US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) Surveys, are spatiotemporally patchy and inconsistent. This paper builds a more complete data product by examining the spatiotemporal efficacy of random forests (RF) in predicting county-level yields of corn – the most widely cultivated crop in the US. To meet our objective, we compare RF cross-validated prediction accuracy using several combinations of …

Ambient Electromagnetic Radiation As A Predictor Of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Traffic In Linear And Non-Linear Regression: Numerical Stability, Physical Time And Energy Efficiency, Vladimir Kulyukin, Daniel Coster, Anastasiia Tkachenko, Daniel Hornberger, Aleksey V. Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Since bee traffic is a contributing factor to hive health and electromagnetic radiation has a growing presence in the urban milieu, we investigate ambient electromagnetic radiation as a predictor of bee traffic in the hive’s vicinity in an urban environment. To that end, we built two multi-sensor stations and deployed them for four and a half months at a private apiary in Logan, Utah, U.S.A. to record ambient weather and electromagnetic radiation. We placed two non-invasive video loggers on two hives at the apiary to extract omnidirectional bee motion counts from videos. The time-aligned datasets were used to evaluate 200 …

Designing Hybrid Human-Ai Orchestration Tools For Individual And Collaborative Activities: A Technology Probe Study, Vanessa Echeverria, Kexin Yang, Luettamae Lawrence, Nikol Rummel, Vincent Aleven

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Combining individual and collaborative learning is common, but dynamic combinations (which happen as-the-need arises, rather than in pre-planned ways, and may happen on an individual basis) are rare. This work reports findings from a technology probe study exploring alternative designs for classroom co-orchestration support for dynamically transitioning between individual and collaborative learning. The study involved 1) a technology-probe classroom study in an authentic, AI-supported classroom to understand teachers' and students' needs for co-orchestration support over dynamic transitions; and 2) workshops and interviews with students and teachers to get informed feedback about their lived experiences. 118 students and three teachers from …

Relevancy Of Pulsed Electroacoustic Measurements For Investigating Spacecraft Charging, Zachary Gibson, J. R. Dennison

Journal Articles

The magnitude and spatial distribution of charge embedded in dielectric materials and the evolution of the charge distributions with time are paramount for the understanding and mitigation of spacecraft charging. Spacecraft materials are charged primarily by incident fluxes of low-energy electrons, with electron fluxes in the 10–50 keV range often responsible for the most deleterious arcing effects. While the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) method can provide sensitive nondestructive measurements of the internal charge distribution in insulating materials, it has often been limited for spacecraft charging applications by typical spatial resolutions of ≤ 10 μm , with a 10- μm …

Space Environment Effects On The Electron Yields Of Ldef Thermal Control Coatings, Trace Taylor, Matthew Robertson, Heather Allen, Jr Dennison, Michael Guy, Emily Willis

Journal Articles

Space-environment-induced degradation of white thermal control coatings from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was investigated. Much of the exterior of the LDEF was painted with a white thermal control coating, Aeroglaze A276; and most of the interior was coated with a black thermal control coating, Aeroglaze Z306. Outgassing from these coatings and other LDEF materials interacted with the white surface when exposed to sunlight after volatile materials condensed on the LDEF surfaces. Surface morphology was characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopies. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were used to identify the chemical compounds and elements present …

Comparison Of Pulsed Electroacoustic Measurements And Af-Numit3 Modeling Of Polymers Irradiated With Monoenergetic Electrons, Zachary Gibson, J. R. Dennison, Brian Beecken, Ryan Hoffmann

Journal Articles

Successful spacecraft design and charging mitigation techniques require precise and accurate knowledge of charge deposition profiles. This paper compares models of charge deposition and transport using a venerable deep dielectric charging code, AF-NUMIT3, with direct measurements of charge profiles via pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) measurements. Eight different simulations were performed for comparison to PEA experiments of samples irradiated by 50 or 80 keV monoenergetic electrons in vacuum and at room temperature. Two materials, polyether-ether ketone (PEEK) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), were chosen for their very low conductivities so that minimal charge migration would occur between irradiation and PEA measurements. PEEK was found …

Primary Production Modeling Identifies Restoration Targets For Shifting Shallow, Eutrophic Lakes To Clear-Water Regimes, Leighton King, Janice Brahney, Scott Daly, Michael J. Paul, Kateri R. Salk, Soren Brothers

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Benthic primary production (BPP) plays an important functional role in lakes, improving water quality by stabilizing clear-water regimes. Shallow, eutrophic lakes lacking BPP communities can be difficult to restore because self-stabilizing feedbacks of phytoplankton dominance can impede the establishment of BPP. BPP in lakes is light limited, and ecosystem models can provide guidance for determining the water clarity necessary to re-establish BPP dominance. We developed a multi-tiered framework for the restoration of shallow, eutrophic lakes that incorporates multiple turbidity sources, lake morphometry, and water-level fluctuations to determine water-clarity thresholds above which BPP dominance may be established. We present a case …