Digital Commons Network^™

Habitat Selection Analysis Of Mule Deer To Determine Efficacy Of The Coyote Bounty Program In Utah, Xaela M. Walden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Mule deer populations have been declining over the past couple of decades in many parts of the western United States. Often times, predators are blamed for the decreases in deer populations. Because of this, wildlife managers implement programs focused on reducing the number of predators on the landscape in an attempt to increase deer populations. However, predator removal programs have had mixed results, thus further investigation is needed to determine if coyote removals by the public through a bounty program have a positive effect on mule deer populations. My study investigated whether coyote removals through the bounty program in Utah …

Water Efficient Landscaping At Utah State University: Evaluating The "True" Value Of The Landscape Resiliency And Drought Plan, Mary Claire Jennings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah faces serious water challenges due to its dry climate, growing population, and inefficient water use. While most water conservation efforts focus on homes, businesses, and farms, state institutions like universities also play a role. As Utah’s land-grant university, Utah State University (USU) uses about 260 million gallons of water each year to irrigate its 180 acres of green space, with 92% of that water being used to irrigate grass landscapes. To promote sustainability and meet state water conservation policies, USU developed the Landscape Resiliency and Drought Plan (LR&DP) to create more drought-resistant landscapes. However, implementing water-saving strategies at state …

Exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences And Bullying Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Alyson Connelly Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and bullying can lead to psychological distress, causing both short- and long-term health and mental health problems. Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN), including those who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), face a higher risk of ACEs and bullying, which can affect their well-being.

This study builds on existing literature by (a) reviewing ACEs and bullying in CSHCN, especially those who are DHH, and (b) using data from the 2016-2022 National Survey of Children's Health to analyze ACEs and bullying in children who are DHH, DHH+CSHCN, and CSHCN. The literature review found that disability …

Operationalizing Camera-Based Hydrologic Monitoring With Ai And Edge Computing: Towards Real-Time Water Level And Discharge Measurements, Razin Bin Issa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Monitoring river water levels and flows is critical for managing water supplies, protecting against floods, supporting ecosystems, and informing infrastructure planning. However, traditional methods rely on sensors installed directly in rivers, which can be expensive, difficult to maintain, and vulnerable to damage—particularly in remote or hazardous locations. In many regions, limited budgets and access challenges result in large gaps in river monitoring networks.

This research explores an innovative alternative: using fixed cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor rivers from a distance. The approach allows for non-contact observation of water levels and flows by analyzing images captured by cameras installed …

Warfare And Woodlands: Tracing Environmental And Military History In The Hürtgen Forest, Cedar Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis explores what happens when war enters a forest. From 1944 to 1945, American and German forces fought a long, brutal battle in the Hürtgen Forest near Germany’s western border. The dark, wet, and heavily wooded terrain made the fighting unusually difficult. Soldiers struggled not just with enemy fire, but with freezing rain, deep mud, low visibility, and constant stress. The forest shaped how the battle unfolded and intensified its hardships.

But the war’s impact on the forest continued long after the soldiers left. Unexploded bombs and artillery shells littered the ground. During a heatwave in 1947, many of …

Exploring Biotic And Abiotic Drivers Of Ecosystem Properties: The Influence Of Waterbirds And Photodegradation On Wetland Ecosystems, Lindsay Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wetlands provide a wide range of valuable ecosystem services: these are benefits from the environment that support human well-being, such as water filtration, fish and bird habitat, and shoreline protection. Despite their importance, wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems, facing increasing pressure from natural and human activities. To better predict the future of wetlands and guide effective management and restoration practices, we need to understand the various forces shaping their ecological properties. In this thesis, we examined the influence of two forces: waterbirds and photodegradation (the process by which sunlight breaks down plant material). To explore each of these …

Morphological Correlates Of Limaxivory In Contia (Serpentes: Dipsadinae) Compared To Related Taxa Carphophis And Diadophis, Lauren A. Houstoun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Differences in the skull and musculature of snakes can often be linked to their diet. Snakes that eat snails and slugs have evolved independently at least four times. Several skull features of the skull have already been reported in snakes that eat snails, specifically those in the genus Pareas and some Dipsadini. Among those features are a shorter, more compressed snout and, in some species, asymmetry of the lower jaw. However, little attention has been paid to snakes that specialize only on slugs (limaxivores). Unlike the snail-eating members of the Pareidae and Dipsadini, limaxivores lack the morphological traits associated with …

Protecting The Dreams Of Indigenous Psychology Trainees: Stories Of Culturally Competent Supervision, Erica Ficklin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Supervision is the process through which current psychologists pass on important lessons about providing clinical services to the community. Through supervision, psychology trainees learn how to make therapy beneficial to as many people as possible, how to balance their work as therapists with their personal lives, and how to continue learning new skills throughout their careers. Because supervision is vitally important to the field of psychology and future psychologists, it is important that supervision support trainees from all cultural backgrounds. Currently, little research exists on culturally congruent supervision for Indigenous psychology trainees. This study aimed to add to the literature …

Migration As Adaptation: Place-Based Vulnerability Near The Drying Great Salt Lake, Dallin Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The drying of the Great Salt Lake presents a complex and evolving threat to Utah residents, with wide-ranging environmental, economic, and health implications. This study explores the individual and structural factors impacting Utahns' ability to utilize migration as a form of adaptive capacity in response to these threats, using mobility justice and cumulative advantage and disadvantage theory as guiding frameworks. Drawing on survey data, a multilevel logistic regression model identifies key structural factors, including age, income, and gender, that influence perceived migration ability. Additionally, a 2x2 typology categorizes distinct profiles of vulnerability to the Great Salt Lake based on different …

The Experience Of Latine Parents During Covid-19: Coping, Support, And Wellness, Jazmin Lara

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Documentation status affects not just individuals, but entire family units. This project shares the voices of Undocumented Individuals and their Loved Ones (UnLOs), specifically Latine parents navigating multiple, overlapping stressors. Data was collected during a particularly challenging time marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Participants shared how they cope with stress, who they rely on for social support, how they practice wellness, and the type of community programming they would like to see more of. This research was possible through the collaboration between the Latinx Immigrant Health Alliance (LIHA) and …

Setting Salinity Water-Quality Standards Protective Of Aquatic Life: Insights From Analyses Of The Effects Of Salinity On Stream Insects, Katlyn M. Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Freshwater ecosystems are becoming saltier due to human activities like agriculture, urbanization, and resource extraction. This change in salinity is important because we know very little of how stream salinity affects aquatic insects at natural concentrations, much less at elevated concentrations. Increases in salinity may harm aquatic macroinvertebrates, which play important roles in stream food webs and are widely used as indicators of ecosystem health. Understanding how salinity affects aquatic insect growth, survival, and distribution is critical for developing effective criteria protective of aquatic life, but existing methods often rely on field surveys where multiple environmental factors covary, making it …

Still "The Last Best Place"?: Concentrated Ownership, Amenity Migration, And Community Change In Southwest Montana, Elizabeth A. Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Across the American West, amenity rich areas have been grappling with population growth, economic shifts, and associated community impacts. Amenity migration, the movement of wealthy suburban and urban individuals to rural areas for the natural amenities and slower paced life, has contributed to much of the change in amenity rich rural places. However, recently, a new process has begun occurring simultaneously with amenity migration. New high net worth (HNW) individuals have been purchasing large parcels of land, often through the acquisition of multiple ranches that are thousands of acres. Little is known about how these new HNW owners impact the …

Operation: Twisted Arm, Paul Burdiss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This science fiction novella explores the postcolonial tensions that can exist between a settler population and the native population of the land they have colonized. It uses the science fiction genre to translate modern issues into a fully fictionalized setting and is written in novella form to best fit the form of the story. This novella is accompanied by a Critical Introduction which explains the methodology and rationale for many of the choices made in its construction, and references both literary works read in preparation for this project as well as works by other writers regarding fiction writing techniques. The …

Ctso Implementation In Secondary Education: Insights Into Teacher Motivation, Barriers And Training Needs, Ariane Crystal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explores the role of Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) in enhancing the educational experiences of secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers in Utah. By surveying CTE educators, the research identifies key factors that motivate teachers to implement CTSOs, as well as barriers they face in doing so. The findings indicate that a significant majority of teachers recognize the value of CTSOs for fostering student engagement and career readiness. Key motivators include support from school administration and access to professional development, while challenges such as time constraints and resource limitations hinder participation. The study highlights the importance …

Understanding Power Dynamics Of Latter-Day Saint Marriages In The United States Of America, Bonnie Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Power sharing is a key feature of romantic relationships. It is important to understand how various groups navigate power sharing within their relationships. Thirty-one participants who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (16 women and 15 men) reported on their experience of power-sharing in marriage. In-depth individual and couple interviews revealed that couples engage in four individual and relational processes that impact and promote equality in marriage: systemic influences, self-in-relationship processes, relationship processes, and identity outcomes. These processes have important implications for future research and therapeutic practice with Latter-day Saint, religious, and secular couples.

Paraeducators, A Valuable Support In Special Education: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Paraeducator Barriers To Professional Development And Self-Efficacy, Laura Lema

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Paraeducators are an important part of the school system and vital to the success of students with disabilities. Often, they face many barriers and challenges in getting the necessary training to be confident and effective. This study examines the barriers paraeducators face such as, cost, lack of employer support, and training that are not relevant, along with the challenges the state level offices of education face providing training to paraeducators. From surveying 108 paraeducators from ten states and interviewing state education professionals from four states, the research identified financial barriers as a challenge for paraeducators, matching challenges such as lack …

Beyond The Click: Investigating Mental Models, Targeted Attacks, And Behavioral Interventions Against Clickbait, Ankit Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Clickbait is misleading or exaggerated content on social media that tricks people into clicking on links by making them curious. For instance, posts that use headlines such as “This is the worst day to visit a restaurant”. These clickbait posts can lead to fake news, wrong information, and even harmful websites. Even though many people know clickbait can be risky, they often still fall for it. Existing tools to stop clickbait don’t always consider how people think, the situations they are in, or their different needs. This research looks at how people understand and react to clickbait, and develops different …

Political Violence, Electoral Behavior, And Their Interaction With Identity, Zeeshan Saeed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The research takes Pakistan as a case-study to explores how political violence shapes electoral behavior by focusing on two forms of violence: terrorist interventions by non-state actors and political repression by state institutions. Analyzing multiple elections and regional contexts, the study investigates how fear inflicting non-state violence can discourage voter participation, while state sponsored violence can drive communities by triggering anger, particularly those with strong ethnic identities leading to a higher voter turnout. Overall, this work highlights how different types of violence have varying effects on voter participation, and how these effects are conditioned.

Investigating Temporally Dynamic Models Of Choice In Rats And Bumblebees, Jack Van Allsburg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Temporally dynamic models of choice simulate how animals use past experience to make optimal decisions in variable environments. Chapter 1 briefly reviews a series of such modeling approaches and their mathematical properties. Extension of these models to longer experiments (more than 48 hours) designed to produce spontaneous recovery of choice (a behavioral phenomenon implicated in relapse) previously led to results not described well by current models. Chapter 2 comprises an empirical investigation of different explanations for these inconsistent results using rats, evaluating the effect of different test delays on preference following varied reward conditions. The results of the first two …

Examining The Development Of Collective Classroom Efficacy At The Secondary Level, Bradley K. Dutson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

How can educators develop cohesive and productive learning communities at the secondary level? Prior research has investigated how classrooms develop collective classroom efficacy (CCE) or the shared belief that, as a classroom, they can achieve their learning goals together as a community. Previous studies suggest that CCE at the elementary level is developed with a teacher acting in the role of a community organizer. The teacher employs social and academic practices which incorporate the use of relevance, relationship, and responsibility. These help to establish four key elements of developing CCE which include: 1) a positive classroom environment, (2) persistence and …

Pressure Recovery Analysis Downstream Of Valves And Meters: An Experimental And Numerical Investigation, Stephen J. Sanders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In pressurized water systems, flow control devices such as valves and meters cause pressure losses that can affect energy efficiency and measurement accuracy. Industry standards assume that all devices recover within the same distance downstream, but this may not be true for all device types. In this study we used laboratory testing and computer modeling to determine how far downstream pressure stabilizes after flowing through various valves and meters. Devices like Venturi meters recovered pressure quickly, while orifice plates required longer distances and resulted in greater permanent energy loss. In most cases, pressure recovered within four to six pipe diameters. …

Sustainable Planning In Gateway Natural Amenity Region Communities, Kori Ann Kurtzeborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study used six principles of sustainability to comprehensively score general plan documents from seven Gateway Natural Amenity Region (GNAR) communities. The goal was to investigate the sustainability values of communities with public land recreation access based on the understanding that individual participation in outdoor recreation positively influences environmental concern. The study found that while strong sustainability themes are present in gateway community general plan documents, these themes don’t necessarily correspond to higher overall sustainability scores. However, GNAR community plans prioritize the Harmony with Nature principle, indicating an emphasis on ecosystem health in communities with adjacent public land recreation.

Cultural Adaptation Of The Act Guide For Immigrant Community Members, José Manuel González Vera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Undocumented immigrants face many challenges that can harm their mental health, such as anti- immigrant policies, the threat of deportation, and difficulty accessing mental health care. Online mental health programs can make mental health care more accessible. The ACT Guide is a self-paced online tool designed to help with anxiety and depression. While it has mainly been used by white college students, similar ACT-based programs have been effective for diverse communities worldwide. The first paper was focused on gathering feedback from community members and Latine psychologists. This was done in partnership with United We Dream (UWD) and the Latinx Immigrant …

Population Analysis Of Cyanobacteria In Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors, Eric H. Matthews

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Algal biofilms have numerous applications in wastewater treatment and bioproduct production. The Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproducts Engineering Center at Utah State University is working to develop rotating algal biofilm reactors (RABRs) to remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater effluent while producing biomass for downstream production.

Genetic analysis of algal biofilms on various RABRs was performed to gain improved understanding of the biofilm populations. This analysis focuses on a pilot-scale RABR and how it compares to several other RABRs. Additionally, old methods of genetic analysis filtered out important cyanobacterial populations. A new method was developed to identify the cyanobacteria within the biofilms. …

Soil Health On Utah's Farms And Ranches, Jenae Dean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The term soil health has gained popularity in agriculture due to prolonged droughts, rising food costs, and the growing public concern for sustainable and organic practices. Soil health practices can offer solutions to all of these pressures. This thesis provides Utah's farmers and ranchers with quantifiable data on implementing soil health practices in Utah's unique climate. It presents the first two years of on-farm trial results on yield and quality after implementing various soil health practices on five categories of crops: corn, mixed hay, alfalfa, produce, and dryland grain. Over a two-year period, none of the soil health practices resulted …

Perceptions Of National Identity And Government Trust: The Effects Of Migrant Education Policies In Thailand, Kathryn Creglow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study looks at how government policies that shape national identity influence people's trust in the federal government. Using Thailand as an example, it focuses on immigration policies and their effect on public trust, especially in a country with a strong sense of national identity. This research study specifically examines Thailand’s 2005 “Education for All” policy, which allowed immigrant children to attend public schools. This policy was seen by some as a challenge to national identity. The study investigates whether such policies impact how much people trust the government.

To measure this, the study compares changes in trust over for …

"Why Does Coach Do That?" Exploring Influences Of Coach Behavior In Non-Elite Women's Artistic Gymnastics, Katherine Vernay Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This two study dissertation explores coaching in women's artistic gymnastics, as the sport has been criticized for harsh and controlling coaching methods. The first study investigated whether coaches who experienced mistreatment as young gymnasts were more likely to adopt controlling coaching practices. While there was no direct link, those with a history of mistreatment tended to struggle more with managing their emotions. The second study tested whether coaches view controlling coaching as more acceptable for younger or more advanced gymnasts. The results showed that neither age nor skill level made a difference—controlling coaching was generally viewed as unacceptable, while supportive …

Drawing On The Past: Understanding Japanese American Internment Through Camp Newspaper Comics, Rory Olsen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

When studying the past, what artifacts are left behind for us to study? In understanding Japanese American internment in the United States during WWII, camp newspapers help give a look at the reality of camp life, which included the ongoing issues of a lack of supplies,, the generational divide between older and younger Japanese Americans, and even the racist leanings of some members of the camp. With a balance of humor and seriousness, as well as reality and the abstract, three artists - Roy Kawamoto, Harry Kuwada, and Michiko "Rosie" Arima - who were interred in Camp Jerome (located near …

The Effects Of Temperature And Cardiotonic Steroids On Cardiac Function And Metabolism In Snakes, Hannah Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The function of the heart provides a window into the physiology of vertebrates and a means of evaluating their response to the stresses imposed by diverse activities. I developed a miniaturized instrument to record electrocardiograms (ECGs), using open-source Arduino technology, that a snake can wear as a backpack. The backpack can also be used when the snake is in a metabolic chamber, to record the metabolic rate and ECG simultaneously. I first used the ECG backpack to record the physiology of snakes under different temperature conditions, to verify that the system worked as expected. the backpack was then used on …

Studies In Number Theory: Reciprocity Laws And Fundamental Domains, C. Xavier Parent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis consists of two sections. The first section is an introductory survey of number theory discussing the reciprocity laws with a focus on accessibility. Number Theory has always been a fundamental area of mathematical study, with Gauss calling it “the queen of mathematics”. The reciprocity laws are a classical set of results from number theory which have driven number theory for quite a long time. Unfortunately, these results, while important, have always been very inaccessible to undergraduate students, making it hard to start studying the field. This survey attempts to help bridge that gap, giving a resource for novices …