Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Behavior Skills Training And Self-Monitoring On Paraprofessionals’ Use Of Incidental Teaching Procedures In A Preschool Classroom, Bayley Thompson

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

This project investigated effects of behavior skills training (BST) and self-monitoring on paraprofessionals’ use of incidental teaching procedures in a preschool classroom. Target behaviors involved correctly implementing two incidental teaching procedures: inadequate portions and sabotage. During baseline the paraprofessional displayed low levels of correct implementation of incidental teaching procedures. The participant then completed a training which included BST and self-monitoring. In addition to treatment data collection, the paraprofessional completed an incidental teaching questionnaire and a social validity survey as secondary measures. Results showed that the BST and self-monitoring package improved the participants’ implementation of correct incidental teaching procedures.

A Survey Of College Students With Learning Disabilities And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder To Identify Their Relationship And Use Of College Disability Resource Centers, Telia M. West

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

College students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) complete college at lower rates than their non-disabled peers (Newman & Madaus, 2015). Colleges receiving federal funding are required to have a disability resource center (DRC) that provides and coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. This project examined the factors that led students with LD and/or ADHD to initially contact their college DRC. This project examined data from 61 college students pursuing an undergraduate degree with LD and/or ADHD who had already contacted their DRC. A survey was sent to those students asking about circumstances surrounding their …

New Ideas From An Old Concept: The Hydrogen Bond, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Ongoing studies of the hydrogen bond (HB), in which a hydrogen (H) atom acts as a bridge between a pair of chemical groups, continues to offer new ideas about this interaction that have applications to biochemical processes. The ability of a proton to transfer within a HB can be controlled by conformational changes that cause small alterations to the HB geometry. The CH group, widely prevalent in biological systems, participates in HBs and contributes to the structure and stability of commonly occurring protein secondary structures such as the β-sheet. The concept of the HB has been extended to systems where …

Violation Of Electrostatic Rules: Shifting Balance Between Pnicogen Bond And Lone Pair−Π Interaction Tuned By Substituents, Zongqing Chi, Tong Yan, Qing-Zhong Li, Steve Scheiner

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Complexes were formed pairing ZCl3 (Z=P, As, Sb) with C2R4 (R= H, F, CN). The first interaction present is a pnicogen bond between the Z atom and the C=C π-bond. This bond weakens as the H atoms of ethylene are replaced by electron-withdrawing F and CN and the potential above the alkene switches from negative to positive. In the latter two cases, another set of noncovalent bonds is formed between the Cl lone pairs of ZCl3 and the π*(C=C) antibonding orbital, as well as with the F or CN substituents. The growing strength of these interactions, coupled with a large …

General Catalog 2019-2020, Utah State University

University Catalogs

This catalog contains information on the Academic Departments and Programs as well as Course Descriptions for the above school year at Utah State University. To avoid large file downloads, the Academic Departments and Programs information is located in this file. The Course Description information is located in the secondary file.

Design And Evaluation Of Convolutional Networks For Video Analysis Of Bee Traffic, Prateek Vats

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been a major threat to bee colonies around the world which affects vital human food crop pollination. The decline in bee population can have tragic consequences, for humans as well as the bees and the ecosystem. Bee health has been a cause of urgent concern for farmers and scientists around the world for at least a decade but a specific cause for the phenomenon has yet to be conclusively identified.

A normal hive inspection can be very disruptive for the bee colony, as the hive needs to be disassembled to visually assess hive health from …

Robust Resource Allocation To Secure Physical Layer Using Uav-Assisted Mobile Relay Communications In 5g Technology, Shakil Ahmed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are also known as drones. Recently, UAVs have attracted the next generation researchers due to their flexible, dynamic, and cost-effective deployment, etc. Moreover, the UAVs have a wide range of application domains, such as rescue operation in the remote area, military surveillance, emergency application, etc. Given the UAVs are appropriately deployed, the UAVs provide continuous and reliable connectivity, on-demand, and cost-effective features to the desired destination in the wireless communication system. Thus, the UAVs can be a great choice to deploy as a mobile relay in co-existence with the base stations (BSs) on the ground …

Examining The Effects Of Discussion Strategies And Learner Interactions On Performance In Online Introductory Mathematics Courses: An Application Of Learning Analytics, Ji Eun Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation study explored: 1) instructors’ use of discussion strategies that enhance meaningful learner interactions in online discussions and student performance, and 2) learners’ interaction patterns in online discussions that lead to better student performance in online introductory mathematics courses. In particular, the study applied a set of data mining techniques to a large-scale dataset automatically collected by the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) for five consecutive years at a public university in the U.S., which included 2,869 students enrolled in 72 courses.

First, the study found that the courses that posted more open-ended prompts, evaluated students’ discussion messages posted …

Deep Learning For Crack-Like Object Detection, Kaige Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cracks are common defects on surfaces of man-made structures such as pavements, bridges, walls of nuclear power plants, ceilings of tunnels, etc. Timely discovering and repairing of the cracks are of great significance and importance for keeping healthy infrastructures and preventing further damages. Traditionally, the cracking inspection was conducted manually which was labor-intensive, time-consuming and costly. For example, statistics from the Central Intelligence Agency show that the world’s road network length has reached 64,285,009 km, of which the United States has 6,586,610 km. It is a huge cost to maintain and upgrade such an immense road network. Thus, fully automatic …

Multiple Imu Sensor Fusion For Suas Navigation And Photogrammetry, Matthew Givens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are devices that sense accelerations and angular rates in 3D so that vehicles and other devices can estimate their orientations, positions, and velocities. While traditionally large, heavy, and costly, using mechanical gyroscopes and stabilized platforms, the recent development of micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) IMUs that are small, light, and inexpensive has led to their adoption in many everyday systems such as cell phones, video game controllers, and commercial drones. MEMS IMUs, despite their advantages, have major drawbacks when it comes to accuracy and reliability. The idea of using more than one of these sensors in an array, …

Bee Shadow Recognition In Video Analysis Of Omnidirectional Bee Traffic, Laasya Alavala

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over a decade ago, beekeepers noticed that the bees were dying or disappearing without any prior health disorder. Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) has been a major threat to bee colonies around the world which affects vital human crop pollination. Possible instigators of CCD include viral and fungal diseases, decreased genetic diversity, pesticides and a variety of other factors. The interaction among any of these potential facets may be resulting in immunity loss for honey bees and the increased likelihood of collapse. It is essential to rescue honey bees and improve the health of bee colony.

Monitoring the traffic of bees helps …

Intermittent Turbulent Exchanges And Their Role In Vineyard Evapotranspiration, Sebastian Alexander Los

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Vineyards are often grown in semi-arid climates, such as California’s central valley, where water resources can be limited. Summer weather conditions result in high water use by these plants. For wine grapes, a high-value commodity, there are known benefits to fruit quality in irrigating grapevines with slightly below optimum for the plant. Growers would like to be able to precisely irrigate without overusing water or overstressing the vines. This calls for improving ways to monitor vineyard water use by estimating the combined soil evaporation and plant transpiration known as evapotranspiration (ET). A computer model developed by the USDA called the …

Twenty-First Century Skills: A Needs Assessment Of School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers, Kisia J. Weeks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Preparing students to be career and work ready is a concern of educators and schools nationwide. Twenty-first century skills prepare students to enter the workforce or higher education with the ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate with others, take the initiative when approached with a task, and use technology to its fullest potential. If students are not learning the skills needed for success, it is because educators and schools are not teaching them. When students possess these skills, they are prepared to work in teams, think critically and creatively about a problem, display leadership and social skills, and communicate …

Barriers, Roles, And Information Source Preferences For Utilizing Agricultural Science Projects Among Utah 4-H Extension Professionals, Aleigh Aurin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agriscience is the growing study of biotechnology, business, and economics within the agriculture industry. Through 4-H, youth can experience hands on learning through different program areas. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers, roles, and how Utah 4-H personnel preferred to learn about new programs. The study showed time and available volunteers were a barrier for 4-H Extension personnel to implement Agriscience projects. Other results included internet and workshops as the top choices for training programs. The Extension personnel agreed it was their job to involve and educate youth. Yet, need training in how to integrate Robotics; …

Electronic Transmutation: An Aid For The Rational Design Of New Chemical Materials Using The Knowledge Of Bonding And Structure Of Neighboring Elements, Katie A. Lundell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Everything in the universe is made up of elements from the periodic table. Each element has its own role that it plays in the formation of things it makes up. For instance, pencil lead is graphite. A series of honeycomb-like structures made up of carbon stacked on top of one another. Carbon’s neighbor to the left, boron doesn’t like to form such stacked honeycomb-like structures. But, what if there was a way to make boron act like carbon so it did like to form such structures? That question is the basis of the electronic transmutation concept presented in this dissertation. …

Teachers' Conceptions Of Mathematics And Intelligent Tutoring System Use, Andrew R. Glaze

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of mathematics and their use of intelligent tutoring systems for mathematics instruction. Intelligent tutoring systems are adaptive computer programs which administer mathematics instruction to students based on their cognitive state. A conception is a mixture of beliefs and knowledge. The participants in this study were 93 junior high school mathematics teachers from three school districts in the Midwest. Data were gathered using a two-part online survey. The first part of the survey contained questions about their use of intelligent tutoring systems, graphing calculators, Desmos and dynamic …

A Structural Equation Modeling Approach Combining Multitrait-Multimethod Designs With Moderated Mediation Analysis, Kaylee Litson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers who study clinical and developmental psychology are often interested in answering questions such as how interventions work, when treatment begins to improve health outcomes, or for whom treatment has the greatest impact. Answers to these and similar questions impact the general understanding of health and behavior, and can be imperative for effectively implementing intervention and prevention programs. To evaluate such complex relationships among variables, researchers have turned to moderated mediation analysis. Moderated mediation analysis is a statistical tool used to identify the conditional processes among observed or latent variables. However, in developmental and clinical psychology, variables are regularly measured …

Computational And Experimental Studies On Energy Storage Materials And Electrocatalysts, Jared B. Moss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the growing global population comes the ever-increasing consumption of energy in powering cities, electric vehicles, and portable devices such as cell-phones. While the power grid is used to distribute energy to consumers, the energy sources needed to power the grid itself are unsustainable and inefficient. The primary energy sources powering the grid, being fossil fuels, natural gas, and nuclear, are unsustainable as the economically-accessible reserves are continually depleted in exchange for detrimental emissions and air-pollutants. Cleaner, renewable sources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric, are intermittent and unreliable during the peak hours of energy usage, that is dawn and …

Machine Learning Techniques As Applied To Discrete And Combinatorial Structures, Samuel David Schwartz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Machine Learning Techniques have been used on a wide array of input types: images, sound waves, text, and so forth. In articulating these input types to the almighty machine, there have been all sorts of amazing problems that have been solved for many practical purposes.

Nevertheless, there are some input types which don’t lend themselves nicely to the standard set of machine learning tools we have. Moreover, there are some provably difficult problems which are abysmally hard to solve within a reasonable time frame.

This thesis addresses several of these difficult problems. It frames these problems such that we can …

Query Autoawesome, Chetna Suryavanshi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research investigates how to improve legacy queries. Legacy queries are queries that programmers have coded and are used in applications. A database application typically has tens to hundreds of such queries. One way to improve legacy queries is to add new, interesting queries that are similar to or based on the set of queries. We propose Query AutoAwesome, a tool to generate new queries from legacy queries. The Query AutoAwesome philosophy is taken from Google’s AutoAwesomizer tool for photos, which automatically improves a photo uploaded to Google by animating the photo or adding special effects. In a similar …

Developing And Securing Software For Small Space Systems, Brandon L. Shirley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The space systems industry is moving towards smaller multi-vendor satellites, known as Small Space. This shift is driven by economic and technological factors that necessitate hardware and software components that are modular, reusable, and secure. This research addresses two problems associated with the development of modular, reusable, and secure space systems: developing software for space systems (the Development Problem) and securing space systems (the Security Problem). These two problems are interrelated and this research addresses them together.

The Development Problem encompasses challenges that space systems developers face as they try to address the constraints induced by reduced budgets, …

Feature Selection And Analysis For Standard Machine Learning Classification Of Audio Beehive Samples, Chelsi Gupta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The beekeepers need to inspect their hives regularly in order to protect them from various stressors. Manual inspection of hives require a lot of time and effort. Hence, many researchers have started using electronic beehive monitoring (EBM) systems to collect critical information from beehives, so as to alert the beekeepers of possible threats to the hive. EBM collects information by applying multiple sensors into the hive. The sensors collect information in the form of video, audio or temperature data from the hives.

This thesis involves the automatic classification of audio samples from a beehive into bee buzzing, cricket chirping and …

Synthesis And Biological Studies Of Amphiphilic Compounds Derived From Saccharides And Aminoglycosides, Madher N. Alfindee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adjacent cells communicate through gap junctions (GJs). These GJs are formed by head to head docking of two hemichannels (HCs) from two adjacent cells. HCs are connexin hexamer proteins. Connexin mutation is the most frequent cause of childhood hearing loss. This hearing impairment affects 2 in every 2000 children. Inhibition of the HCs might be the key factor to treat such disorders. A library of amphiphilic kanamycins was synthesized to be tested as HC inhibitors. These compounds showed excellent inhibition activity in comparison with the parent compound (kanamycin A) with less toxicity.

A library of monosaccharide esters with varying carbon …

Social Media Use During Crisis Events: A Mixed-Method Analysis Of Information Sources And Their Trustworthiness, Apoorva Chauhan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation consists of three studies that examine online communications during crisis events. The first study identified and examined the information sources that provided official information online during the 2014 Carlton Complex Wildfire. Specifically, after the wildfire, a set of webpages and social media accounts were discovered that were named after the wildfire—called Crisis Named Resources (or CNRs). CNRs shared the highest percentage of wildfire-relevant information. Because CNRs are named after a crisis event, they are easier to find and appear to be dedicated and/or official sources around an event. They can, however, be created and deleted in a short …

Classification Of Isometry Algebras Of Solutions Of Einstein's Field Equations, Eugene Hwang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since Schwarzschild found the first solution of the Einstein’s equations, more than 800 solutions were found. Solutions of Einstein’s equations are classified according to their Lie algebras of isometries and their isotropy subalgebras. Solutions were taken from the USU electronic library of solutions of Einstein’s field equations and the classification used Maple code developed at USU. This classification adds to the data contained in the library of solutions and provides additional tools for addressing the equivalence problem for solutions to the Einstein field equations. In this thesis, homogeneous spacetimes, hypersurface-homogeneous spacetimes, Robinson-Trautman solutions, and some famous black hole solutions have …

Edge Caching For Small Cell Networks, Md Ferdous Pervej

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An idea of storing contents, such as media files, music files, movie clips, etc. is simple yet challenging in terms of required effort to make it count. Some of the benefits of pre-storing the contents are reduced delay of accessing/downloading a content, reduced load to the centralized servers and of course, a higher data rate. However, several challenges need to be addressed to achieve these benefits. Among many, some of the fundamentals are limited storage capacity, storing the right content and minimizing the costs. This thesis aims to address these challenges. First, a framework for predicting the proper contents that …

Interval-Valued Kriging Models With Applications In Design Ground Snow Load Prediction, Brennan L. Bean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One critical consideration in the design of buildings constructed in the western United States is the weight of settled snow on the roof of the structure. Engineers are tasked with selecting a design snow load that ensures that the building is safe and reliable, without making the construction overly expensive. Western states use historical snow records at weather stations scattered throughout the region to estimate appropriate design snow loads. Various mapping techniques are then used to predict design snow loads between the weather stations. Each state uses different mapping techniques to create their snow load requirements, yet these different techniques …

Generalization Of Signal Point Target Code, Md Munibun Billah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Detecting and correcting errors occurring in the transmitted data through a channel is a task of great importance in digital communication. In Error Correction Coding (ECC), some redundant data is added with the original data while transmitting. By exploiting the properties of the redundant data, the errors occurring in the data from the transmission can be detected and corrected. In this thesis, a new coding algorithm named Signal Point Target Code has been studied and various properties of the proposed code have been extended.

Signal Point Target Code (SPTC) uses a predefined shape within a given signal constellation to generate …

Change In The Leading Mode Of North America's Wintertime Stationary Eddies, Yu-Tang Chien

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extreme winter weather events in North America have become more frequent and increasingly destructive. This phenomenon was linked to a jet stream pattern that generates abnormally warm conditions in the west and cold conditions in the east, referred to as the North American Winter Dipole. Studies have shown that the Dipole may have amplified and this amplification could be linked to global warming. By analyzing the atmospheric and oceanic data worldwide, the wintertime circulation in the Northern Hemisphere shows signs of a persistent change after the 1980s. In the first part of this study, we examine how the ocean has …

Trout Habitat In An Altered Gravel-Bed River With An Augmented Flow Regime, Jacob B. Stout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Diamond Fork River, and it’s tributary Sixth Water Creek, has been highly altered in terms of shape, function, and ecologicaly due to large, trans-basin flows additions to the system for irrigation starting in the early 1900s. Flows were exceptionally large for 80 years, after which they were reduced in 2004. Larger than natural flows during the low flow season were then added to the river in an effort to improve ecosystem health and recreational fishing opportunities. Since the prescription additional flow during low flow seasons, the river channel has undergone further change, most noticeably in the form of narrowing. …