Digital Commons Network^™

Script Fading And Training: Evaluating The Necessity Of Visual Cues To Teach Contextually Appropriate Play Commenting, Devanio J. Cousins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is marked by many areas of need, including play and communication. These areas of concern can have a negative impact on a child's development. Applied behavior analysis, specifically script training and fading procedures, has shown promise in teaching communication during play to young autistic children. However, traditional script training and fading methods have some limitations, including the skills the children already possess to learn the scripts and the resources needed to teach the scripts. Recent studies have shown that script frames can be taught without using traditional training formats (i.e., text, auditory) but by using generic …

Data-Driven Techno-Economic Analysis, Optimization, And Uncertainty Quantification Of Integrated Energy Systems In Deregulated Electricity Markets, Jacob A. Bryan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Electricity is a ubiquitous energy source in daily life, powering everything from stovetops and cellphones to vehicles and industrial processes. While wind and solar power have become increasingly common sources of electricity, the majority of electricity is still produced by burning fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases and propelling climate change. Wind and solar power cannot economically replace these fossil fuel energy sources on their own because they do not produce consistent power; the wind must be blowing, and the sun must be shining for them to make electricity. Nuclear power is a reliable source of energy that does not generate …

Constraining Decadal-Scale Erosion And Delivery Of Post-Wildfire Debris Flow Deposits, Casey Langstroth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Debris flows generated from wildfire pose significant risk to increased sedimentation to instream river networks, degradation of water quality, and accumulated sediment behind downstream reservoirs. Despite an abundance of research investigating the probability of debris flow generation, the constraints on deposit initial volume, and most recently the initial grain size distribution, there remains a significant knowledge gap in understanding the temporal scale at which debris flows supply sediment to river networks after deposition. To provide reliable estimates of sediment delivery from debris flow deposits over time, two important metrics must be constrained: 1) how does sediment delivery to river networks …

Agriculture In The Urbanizing Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Views On Water Quality, Agricultural-Related Conflicts, And The Adoption Of Nutrient Management Plans, Edem Avemegah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation analyzes Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW) agriculture by exploring residents' views on water quality issues, agriculture-related conflict, and farmers' adoption of nutrient management plans. The following questions were asked: What is the level of concern among non-agricultural and agricultural residents about water quality issues in local streams and waterways and the CBW, and to whom do the two groups attribute water quality problems? What are nonfarming residents' and farmers' levels of support for various interventions outlined in previous research on water quality issues in local streams and waterways and the CBW? What is the level of nonfarming residents' and …

Ecological Interactions Of Cougars, Deer, And Wild Pigs In The Central Coast Range, California, Mitchell A. Parsons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wild pigs are an introduced species in the Americas that negatively affect ecosystems in many ways. Previous research has documented their negative effects on water quality and vegetation and their potential to spread disease among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. However, how wild pigs affect predator-prey interactions between native wildlife has received little attention. This research explores multiple interactions between wild pigs, a native predator (cougars), and a native prey (black-tailed deer). First, I studies cougar diet to understand how frequently pigs are used as prey. During this project, I also placed wildlife cameras at cougar killed prey to monitor …

Designing Technology-Enriched Learning Environments: The Effects Of An Agent-Based Computer Model On Biology Students' Understanding Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And The Nature Of Models In Science, April Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Science education researchers have called for increased attention to the science practice of modeling to engage students in authentic scientific inquiry. A major challenge to integrating the modeling practice into science instruction is that students tend to conceptualize models as static end-products of research rather than generative tools for theory-building. Engaging students in using computer models, specifically agent-based computer models (ABMs), to explain and predict scientific phenomena could improve students' understanding of models in science. In this design-based research project I investigate the effects of an ABM-supported learning environment on high-school biology students' understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and the …

Examining The Impacts Of Demographics, Individual Experiences, And Perceptions On Range Anxiety And Electric Vehicle Road Trips, Joshua Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Range anxiety is perhaps the most widely cited barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption and use. Range anxiety is generally defined as a general fear that an EV has insufficient battery range or that there is insufficient charging infrastructure to travel from one place to another. Although this barrier is widely cited, there is little research that investigates how EV drivers experience range anxiety and how it might vary based on personal characteristics, perceptions, and experiences. Data on long-distance EV trips is also scarce in the United States and mainly limited to personal stories of an EV road trip.

This …

Assessing Canopy Features, Its Shading Factor, And Their Influence In The Estimation Of Evapotranspiration In Almond Orchards Using Uas Information And The Two-Source Energy Balance Model, Moises R. Duran-Gomez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explored how canopy biomass and shadows affect evapotranspiration (ET) estimates, a crucial factor for irrigation management in almond orchards in California’s Central Valley. Data from 24 drone flights over three almond plots in 2021 and 2022 were analyzed using the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model, combined with meteorological data from EC-towers. The study found that filtering out shadows improved ET estimation, particularly in young orchards, and identified the importance of using new Leaf Area Index (LAI) models for better accuracy. This research is part of the T-REX initiative, which integrates drone and ground-based data to enhance water use …

The Geoarchaeology Of An Early Agricultural Landscape On Clear Creek, Fremont Indian State Park, Utah, Michael D. Bianchini

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Clear Creek is a major Fremont early agricultural landscape in central Utah. The Fremont culture occupied the northern Colorado Plateau and the eastern Great Basin for approximately 1,000 years between AD 300–1300. This study builds an alluvial chronology that details the local history of alluvial fan development and erosion and examines the geoarchaeological context at Five Finger Ridge, the major occupation site in the valley. Geochronologic dating of sediment deposits, analyses of sediment types, AMS radiocarbon dating, and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) ages has helped identify geomorphic contexts of Fremont agriculture in Clear Creek Canyon. This study focuses on …

Assessing The Short-Term Outcomes Of Erase And Replace: A Series Of Health & Wellness Activities, Gabriela Murza, Christina Pay, Eva Timothy, Melanie Dabb, Cris Meier

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University Extension faculty addressed Utah's high rate of poor mental health with activities that improved participants’ connections, confidence, and abilities. These efforts positively impacted adults' mental health and quality of life and offered an additional resource to address self-care needs while encouraging connection and skill-building.

Peer Relationships, Social Identity, And Motivational Experiences In Youth Sport, Justin T. Worley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Organized sport is a setting in which youth can make friends and explore their identity. Teammate relationships may make important contributions to athletes’ social identity (i.e., their psychological connection to their sport team) and their motivation for sport. This idea was tested across three studies. A review of literature was conducted in study one to identify factors that may contribute to athlete social identity. Seven categories were identified across 60 studies including leadership factors, environmental factors, personal factors, team factors, interventions, moral factors, and interpersonal factors. Less than a third of these studies were conducted with youth athletes and interpersonal …

Investigating The Biochemical Aspects Of Meat Tenderness, Chandler D. Stafford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Of all the attributes that define beef's eating quality, tenderness stands out as one of the most important. Previous studies have shown that consumers are willing to pay a premium for beef that is guaranteed to be more tender and are more likely to purchase that product repeatedly. Yet, due to the influence of numerous internal and external factors, controlling and predicting tenderness remains to be difficult. However, among these factors, meat aging is the primary contributor to end-product tenderness, as it is recognized for breaking down muscle tissue via enzymes present within the muscle. The activity of these enzymes …

Development Of A Multidimensional Index Of Fall Risk For Older Adults: The Cache County Study, Alexandra G. Hammond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

One out of four adults over the age of 65 are estimated to fall each year in the U.S. alone, with that number expected to rise to 52 million falls per year by the year 2030. Improving accuracy for identification of older adults at a higher risk of falling is increasingly important and may be integral in informing the distribution of limited resources and assist in preventing falls in older adults. This project examined the relationship between previously identified risk factors and fall risk to create multidimensional fall risk indexes for older adults, specific for each sex.

Factors best associated …

Analysis Of A Gravity Wave Horizontal Blocking Event Using Hodograph Techniques Applied To Sodium Lidar Data, Neal R. Criddle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Atmospheric gravity waves are ubiquitous and important events in Earth’s atmosphere with impacts on space weather and associated technological effects. The population of gravity waves is determined by their formation mechanisms, and their interactions with the background atmosphere. These gravity waves transport energy and momentum into the near Earth space environment, and are responsible for movement of chemical species. Predicting the occurrence of space weather effects, then, is in part a process requiring the characterization of gravity waves. Case studies of unique and interesting gravity wave events are an important part of this process. These allow for the investigation of …

Assessing The Attitudes Of General Education Kindergarten Teachers Making Classroom And Teaching Adaptations For Students With Disabilities, Joseph Graul

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The transition from preschool to kindergarten can be particularly challenging for children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms (general education classrooms where typically developing children and children with disabilities are taught together) as children face new academic, social, and behavioral expectations. Classroom and teaching adaptations can help these students succeed, making the transition to kindergarten and elementary education smooth and effective. This study looks at how general education kindergarten teachers feel about making various classroom adaptations for children with disabilities and compares current teachers’ views to those of a similar 1999 study conducted by Vaughn et al. which this study replicates. …

Physical Activity In Play Environments Inclusively Designed For Children With And Without Disabilities, Mckall E. Vigil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines physical activity within inclusively designed play environments for children with and without disabilities. The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent children in the third grade with and without disabilities differ in physical activity across various behavior settings of an inclusively designed play environment. Of the 50 third-grade students, 34 participated in eight weeks of observations conducted during lunch recess. Accelerometers and GPS units were utilized to collect data during the observations. The majority of settings on this playground were identified as inclusive. Children with disabilities didn’t engage in organized games as often as …

Adolescent Mental Health And Social Media: The Roles Of Psychosocial Development And Online Interaction, Mark L. Ferguson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Social media has become an integral part of adolescent life, and its effects on adolescents’ mental health has been studied for over twenty years. However, the research approaches used to discover connections between adolescent social media use and their mental health have been diverse, and findings have varied over time. This study sought to explore the potential relationships between adolescent social media use and mental health by including several different variables that aren’t typically accounted for in the same study, such as attachment to parents and peers, internal psychological development, emotional intensity towards social media use, and how adolescents feel …

Mathematical And Statistical Methods To Harness Limited Data In Models For Ecological Space Use Under Global Change, Sarah C. Bogen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The dynamics of how plants and animals use space in their habitats has important implications for the fields of ecology and conservation. However, understanding and responding to these spatial and temporal dynamics is often limited by data availability, financial resources and biases. As average global temperatures increase, suitable habitats shift poleward and require local populations to move with suitable habitat, adapt to the changing environment, or risk extinction. Capacity to persist without movement may be estimated by considering changes to a combination of habitat characteristics. Capacity to track suitable habitat may be modeled through synthesizing information on species demographic mechanisms …

Supervised Generative Adversarial Networks For Time Series Generation In Embedding Space, Mohammadreza Eskandarinasab

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Time series data, such as weather forecasts, stock market trends, or heart rate monitors, plays a vital role in many areas of our lives. However, creating realistic synthetic time series data for research and testing purposes has been a significant challenge due to limitations in existing methods, which often struggle with accuracy and consistency. In this study, we developed two new approaches to generate high-quality time series data more effectively. The first method introduces a dual-feedback system that helps the model learn and replicate real data patterns more accurately by providing guidance at different stages of the learning process. The …

Evaluating The Stress System Of The Grieving Brain: Corticotropin-Releasing Factors And Partner Loss In Female Coyotes, Rachel Tong Xin Ning

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Forming social bonds is fundamental in helping us foster connections with others. The loss of a loved one often results in grief, stress, and loneliness, and the stress response system of the body has been implicated in the physiological symptoms associated with grieving. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is the hormone that initiates the stress response in the body and acts at two different receptor subtypes CRF receptor (CRFR)1 and CRFF2. Many studies on CRF and social loss have been conducted in monogamous prairie voles, but studies in longer-lived monogamous mammals could improve understanding of the effects of losing pair bonds. …

Analysis Of School Lunches- A Systemic Approach, Maggie E. Eguko

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

1.1. This capstone explores the persistent issue of food waste in public school lunch programs and the critical role that grant writers can play in addressing this challenge. School food waste has become a significant concern, with studies indicating that up to 50% of food served in school cafeterias is discarded, contributing to both environmental harm and inefficient resource use (Schwartz & Cohen, 2015).

1.2. The paper highlights the lack of effective waste reduction strategies, and the underutilization of available funding sources aimed at combating this issue. Grant writers, who are often underrepresented in school districts, can secure vital funding …

Selected Projects In Scenic And Props Design, Melanie E. Valera Garcia

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This plan B paper is a compilation of four projects in which I had the opportunity to participate during my years in the master's program, four scenic projects and one on properties. The paper is divided into four chapters: Pinocchio Teatrale, The Boy at the Edge of Everything, Driving Miss Daisy and Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt 2B. Each chapter has an introduction, a synopsis of the play, a descriptive design process, the execution of its design and a final evaluation.

Optimizing Mobility On Demand Systems: Multiagent Reinforcement Learning Approaches To Order Assignment And Vehicle Guidance, Jiyao Li

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation explores ways to improve Mobility on Demand (MoD) systems, which are services like ride-sharing and autonomous taxi systems. The main goal is to make these services more efficient and reliable, benefiting both passengers and drivers by better matching the number of available vehicles with the number of people needing rides.

For ride-sharing services, a new method called T-Balance helps match riders with drivers and guides empty taxis to areas where more people need rides. This reduces wait times for passengers and increases earnings for drivers. Another method, called GRL-HM, looks at how riders and drivers behave to further …

Impact Of Snow Accumulation On Structural Integrity: Present And Future Perspectives, Kenneth K. Pomeyie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In the United States, accommodating the weight of accumulated snow on buildings is a crucial consideration in building design. Engineers are tasked with determining the design snow load, which is defined as the weight of accumulated snow that a structure should withstand to limit the risk of building collapse to an acceptably low level. Typically, this process involves analyzing historical data of the annual maximum snow accumulations for each snow season. However, accurately assessing these design snow loads entails navigating through a series of statistical challenges. This dissertation, composed of three papers, is dedicated to addressing these statistical hurdles in …

Course Of Disease Progression And Time To Death Among Different Dementia Types In A Population Based Study, Kaitlyn E. Kauzor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, Other types of dementia include vascular (VaD) and mixed forms, like AD with VaD, other mixed forms of dementia or dementia of unknown etiology (DUE). Research has focused on factors that may increase risk of developing dementia, with less understood about disease course. Factors associated with risk for developing dementia onset include age, female sex, family history of dementia, genetics (e.g. having the ε4 allele of the Apolipoprotein E or APOE gene), and various health conditions. This project used previously collected data from the Cache County Study on Memory and …

Aggregate And Disaggregate Effects Of The Us-China Trade War On Us Agriculture, Aflatun Kaeser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 2018 and 2019, the US-China trade war caused a significant shift in US agricultural trade dynamics. This thesis conducts an aggregate and disaggregate analysis of the impact, using event study analysis to reveal varying effects on US agricultural exports, with a substantial effect on Soybean and Dairy exports. The analysis also found that there are heterogeneous effects on other agricultural commodities such as fruits, wheat, and tree nuts. Using Bayesian Structural Time Series Modeling, the study finds a 29% decline in soybean exports during the trade war period. These findings underscore the importance of considering the heterogeneity in the …

A Mass Balance Model Of The Great Salt Lake, Ut With Adaptive Management Applications, Diana Dunn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Great Salt, Utah, USA is a saline lake that provides critical habitat for ecologic communities and generates $1.3 billion annually. It has gone through detrimental change since the 20^th century. Streamflow reaching the lake has been decreased by upstream withdrawal for industrial and municipal use, causing the lake level to drop and salinity to increase to unhealthy levels. Further, in 1959, it was segregated into north and south sections by a railroad causeway. Due to the causeway and limited exchange of water through two bridges, the lake sections have significantly different water surface elevation and salinity levels. The …

Metabolic Capabilities Of Latilactobacillus Curvatus And The Potential Use As An Adjunct Culture For Food Safety And Quality Control In Yogurt, R. Chase Wahlstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In the quest for healthier and more natural food products, using beneficial lactic acid bacteria to preserve food, known as biopreservation, is becoming increasingly important. This research focused on a strain of beneficial bacteria called Latilactobacillus curvatus and its ability to inhibit fungal growth both in lab settings and in a yogurt system. This has the potential to enhance the safety and quality of dairy products.

We studied a specific strain of this bacteria, named WSU-1, found in dairy. Through detailed analysis, we discovered that this strain could produce substances that may help protect food from harmful microbes. In laboratory …

Barriers And Drivers To Bus Electrification: The Transit Agency's Perspective, Aleks C. Paskett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Battery-electric buses (BEBs) have become increasingly common in recent years, as transit agencies around the world seek to reduce their carbon emissions. Although many agencies and governments have set ambitious climate goals pushing for increased adoption of BEBs, some agencies face difficulty transitioning their fleets to this technology. This study seeks to understand the challenges faced by these agencies, as well as their motivations for adopting BEBs. Researchers conducted a series of interviewers with twelve transit leaders representing ten transit agencies who were leading BEB adoption programs, asking questions about their experiences trying to implement this technology. The interviewees stated …

Development Of A Subsurface Water Velocity And Quality Measurement Payload For Suas, Mitchell Bailey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Aquaculture farms, like oyster farms, often use outdated techniques to measure the quality of their waters. These techniques are often stationary or are deployed by an operator who may struggle to reach a location depending on conditions like the presence of a storm or low tide. This creates data sets with gaps over time and across the area of the farm, meaning the data cannot be used to model the standard farm conditions. An Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) payload is developed in this paper that is capable of measuring depth-velocity profiles through the use of a tethered velocity sensor. The …