Digital Commons Network^™

Epidemiological-Based Study Of Sars-Cov-2 In Faisalabad, Sana Ullah, Muhammad Waseem Khan, Qurat-Ul- Ain, Khushbu Farva, Niaz Muhammad Khan, Hayat Ullah

Biological Engineering Student Research

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) raced around the world across different populations; there needs to be a consolidated effort to understand the divergence of the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Population-based epidemiological characteristics studies measure the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a country. The current research study was designed to report epidemiological data from Pakistan. For this purpose, 246 SARS-CoV-2-infected patients were included in the study. For SARS-CoV-2 confirmation, viral samples were collected from all the study participants; SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by viral nucleic acid detection using a nucleic acid detection kit. After SARS-CoV-2 confirmation, all the study participants …

Reducing Residential Landscape Water Use In Utah: Technologies And Strategies, Maya Cottam, Kendall Becker, Katlyn Stemmler, Shital Poudyal, Wesley Crump, Lewis Kogan, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Water conservation is a critical issue in Utah, and several actions are already underway to help lower residential landscape water use. Strategies include smart irrigation controllers, efficient sprinkler bodies and nozzles, drip irrigation systems, soil amendments that increase water-holding capacity, and drought-tolerant grass cultivars for lawns. While additional conservation efforts will be necessary to reach sustainable water management, statewide adoption of current programs can help reduce water use and loss.

Collaborative Research: Bocp-Implementation: Us-China: Multi-Scale, Multi- Proxy, Integrative Investigation Of Functional Biodiversity On A Changing Proterozoic Planet, Carol Dehler

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Understanding Salt Stress In Watermelon: Impacts On Plant Performance, Adaptive Solutions, And Future Prospects, Sukhmanjot Kaur, Milena Maria Tomaz De Oliveira, Amita Kaundal

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

Soil salinity stress, intensified by extreme weather patterns, significantly threatens global watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai] production. Watermelon, a moderately salt-sensitive crop, exhibits reduced germination, stunted growth, and impaired fruit yield and quality under saline conditions. As freshwater resources decline and agriculture’s dependency on irrigation leads to soil salinization, we need sustainable mitigation strategies for food security. Recent advances highlight the potential of using salt-tolerant rootstocks and breeding salt-resistant watermelon varieties as long-term genetic solutions for salinity. Conversely, agronomic interventions such as drip irrigation and soil amendments provide practical, short-term strategies to mitigate the impact of salt …

Chantsat-1: A First-Time University's Experience In Small Satellite Development, George Hitt, Jean French, Juliana Harding, Ian Hewitt, Louis Keiner, Michael Woodle

Small Satellite Conference

ChantSat-1, Coastal Carolina University (CCU) High Altitude Nadir-pointing Satellite-1, is the first smallsat mission envisioned by our primarily undergraduate university. Capacity development to support mission planning over 18 months has integrated a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders while capturing the attention and imagination of students. The mission’s primary payload will be a multispectral camera for remote sensing of South Carolina’s coastal blackwater rivers, estuaries, and adjacent ocean shelf waters. The resulting coastal habitat mosaic supports ecologically important food webs and related economic and cultural engines of regional growth, while being uniquely vulnerable to the combination of natural episodic climate-related events combined …

Climate - Commercial And Scientific Instrument Opportunities For Small Satellite Constellations, Alex Da Silva Curiel, Rob Elliott, Tony Canas, Stephanie Mottershead, Andy Palfreyman, Martin Sweeting Sir

Small Satellite Conference

There is an economic and social impact in many areas in the world due to lack of information on local climate, and better understanding is widely believed to lead to cost savings and improved living standards. Despite the wealth of spacecraft data available today, many climate variables are still poorly monitored. Small satellites in constellation can help in filling data gaps, and also provides the important temporal resolution required. Such missions could be highly complementary to the NASA NEO and EU Copernicus programs, and their data can be commercially valuable, opening up the potential for novel business models and services. …

Review Of Microgravity Biotechnology For Space Applications: The Anujiva Perspective, Saranya Ravva, Yukti Makkar, Abeneth Ramachandran, Sai Kiran Parre

Small Satellite Conference

Biomanufacturing in microgravity presents transformative opportunities for biotechnology beyond the limitations of terrestrial environments. Gravity-driven convection, sedimentation, and contamination risks often hinder biological productivity on Earth. In contrast, space-based conditions enhance protein crystallization, three-dimensional cell culture, and the production of novel biomaterials. This review synthesizes recent advancements in microgravity-enabled biotechnology, drawing from recent peer-reviewed literature and mission data.

We focus on the emerging field of autonomous bioreactor systems for space applications, emphasizing innovations in miniaturization, closed-loop environmental control, and real-time sensing. As a representative case study, we examine the AnuJIVA initiative, a CubeSat-based platform engineered for cultivating microorganisms such as …

Extended Testing Of A Steam-Powered Propulsion System For Rapid-Orbit Corrections: A Viable Alternative To Chemical Propulsion, Marco Pavan, Ivan Timofeev, Vladimir Fedorov, Jinyoung Shin

Small Satellite Conference

The Steam Thruster One is an electro-thermal propulsion system capable of delivering a thrust level up to 20 mN, using 20 W of power and reaching a total impulse of about 1200 Ns in its 2U configuration. The system operates solely on low-pressure water, ensuring complete safety for integration and operations both on the ground and in space. The propulsion cycle involves converting liquid water into superheated steam, which is then expanded through a nozzle to generate thrust.

The propulsion system was tested in space in Q3 2023 and Q2 2024, where it successfully demonstrated short propulsion manoeuvres. However, for …

Stp-H12-Vantage: Combining Visual And Event-Based Sensing For Earth Observation, Diego Wildenstein, Michael J. Cannizzaro, Ian Peitzsch, Linus Silbernagel, Joshua Poravanthattil, Peter Drum, Mark Hofmeister, Cole Bowman, Natan Herzog, Evan W. Gretok, Alan D. George

Small Satellite Conference

Conducting Earth-observation tasks from orbit can provide valuable research insights in fields such as meteorology, geology, forestry, cartography, and defense. Developing and building space payloads for Earth observation poses significant challenges, including the high cost of radiation-tolerant systems, the widening gap between current state-of-the-art apps and the capabilities of space-grade processors, and the increase in fidelity of modern sensors. Many Earth-observation missions typically collect data by leveraging visual and/or multispectral imagers. However, when using conventional imaging, there can be significant losses in context due to the frame-based operation of these sensors, as well as both relevant and irrelevant data mixed …

Hitching A Ride On History: Nasa’S Space Launch System Artemis Ii Cubesats, Russell Lane, David Beaman, Courtney Ryals, David Hitt

Small Satellite Conference

In early 2026, NASA will launch the Artemis II mission, the second flight of its Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis II will be the first crewed flight of the systems and will see four astronauts venture around the Moon as a key step toward establishing a long-term human presence in deep space. The 10-day flight will demonstrate NASA's foundational human deep space exploration capabilities. Launching along with Orion on SLS will be four 12U CubeSats developed through partnerships with space agencies around the world that are signatories of the Artemis Accords. The CubeSats will deploy in …

Tbearr - Tardigrade Bio-Exploration Reproduction Research Satellite, Natalie Brattain, Kylie Nager, Joshua T. Lozano, Matas Ubartas, Chloe Nissen

Small Satellite Conference

The mission aims to launch four separate cultures of tardigrades aboard a 3U CubeSat to Low Earth Orbit to study the effects of UV and cosmic radiation on their genetics and cell composition, which may, in turn, affect their reproduction cycle.

• tBEARR is a 3U CubeSat mission under development by the Embry-Riddle Orbital Research Association (ERORA), an undergraduate research club at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL.

• Critical life support systems will be developed to maintain tardigrade viability as orbital experiments are being conducted.

• Tardigrades, in their cryptobiotic state, will be exposed to space radiation and …

Northern Arizona Ecological Conservation: Assessing Quaking Aspen Health In Northern Arizona Using Earth Observations, Ikram Morso, Luke Collins, Margaret Cox, Melissa Schwan

Aspen Bibliography

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests in Northern Arizona provide critical habitat for endangered bird species and support regional tourism and recreation. However, aspen populations are declining due to a combination of abiotic and biotic stressors. In response, land managers implemented strategies, such as ungulate exclusion fencing, prescribed burns, and stand thinning, but efforts are constrained by limited data on where and when to intervene. This project worked in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, and Northern Arizona University School of Forestry. The team utilized Earth observations …

Homologous And Heterologous Vaccination Regimens With Mrna And Rvsv Platforms Induce Potent Immune Responses Against Sftsv Glycoprotein, Tomaz B. Manzoni, Jonna B. Westover, Kendall A. Lundgreen, Philip D. Hicks, Raegan J. Petch, Jordan T. Ort, Drew Weissman, Steven H. Y. Fan, Scott E. Hensley, Norbert Pardi, Brian B. Gowen, Paul Bates

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a highly pathogenic bunyavirus with a high case-fatality ratio for which there is no approved vaccine. Studies have assessed different vaccine technologies. However, few studies have yet assessed the immunogenicity of heterologous prime-boost regimens. Methods: Here, we compare a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA-based vaccine encoding the SFTSV glycoproteins, Gn and Gc, to our recently described recombinant VSV SFTSV (rVSV-SFTSV) vaccine in single dose, homologous, and heterologous prime-boost regimens in mice. Results: We show that all regimens protect from pathogenic SFTSV challenge and elicit strong long-lasting antibody responses. Furthermore, strong cellular …

Perspectives On Water Policies And Alternative Land Uses Among Alfalfa Farmers In The Great Salt Lake Basin, Bryn Watkins, Stacia Ryder

Publications

Climate change threatens many resources necessary for life. In arid and semiarid regions like Utah, water represents one of the key climate-related conflicts (1,2). In Utah, a changing climate paired with human overconsumption has contributed to the drying of the Great Salt Lake. Rising temperatures will lead to greater evapotranspiration and decreasing headwater streamflow and groundwater storage, resulting in increasing dryness in the Great Salt Lake Basin regardless of human water consumption (3). This in turn threatens the ecosystems, economies, and cultures of the Great Salt Lake Basin, accelerating the local impacts of climate change (4).

Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems In Southeastern Utah: An Integrated Analysis Of Hydrology, Ecology, And Landscape Change, Colten Lay

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In Southeastern Utah, springs play a critical role in sustaining groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in a semi-arid environment. However, they remain understudied and face growing threats from climate change, land use modifications, and hydrologic alterations. This study addresses knowledge gaps in spring occurrence, hydrologic function, and ecological condition by integrating field surveys, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis across multiple spatial scales. It provides a comprehensive assessment of spring hydrology, water quality, and ecological conditions using field surveys, remote sensing, and GIS analysis to establish a foundational baseline of GDE resources in the region. I applied a multi-scale monitoring approach across the …

Warming Of The Southern Ocean During The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: Inferences From Foraminifera At Site U1580, Samina Anee

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 million years ago) represents an ancient episode of rapid global warming, offering critical insights into climate dynamics and the Earth's response to increased greenhouse gases. This project aims to quantify the magnitude of warming across the PETM at newly recovered IODP Site U1580 (Agulhas Plateau, Southern Ocean) through the analysis of Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O ratios of planktic foraminifera. Understanding the extent of warming at Site U1580 is crucial for comprehending past climate variability and improving future climate predictions. Site U1580 is particularly well-suited to foraminiferal geochemistry because of high carbonate content throughout …

Challenging The Gaze: A Feminist Interpretation Of The S.M.S. Mail Art Collection, Karissa A. Krievins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In the late 1960s, many people called for radical, immediate change to America’s political, societal, and cultural structures. The artistic practices of the time reflected the social and political realities of the moment and played a crucial role in advocating for change. The title of the 1968 S.M.S. (Shit Must Stop) subscription art portfolios was a bold and urgent call for action, challenging artists and audiences alike to confront the pressing injustices of the era and inspire a collective awakening to the necessity of transformative change across the United States. Despite a fifty-six-year gap, today we are …

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 …

Temperature Effects On Fruit Doubling And Bloom Prediction In Tart Cherry, Josette M. Moon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) is a key horticultural crop in Utah. Extreme summer heat and cold weather in late spring are challenges to tart cherry production causing economic losses. These problematic weather conditions are influenced by the local landscape and are exacerbated by changing climate. This research explores (1) the impact of summer heat stress on fruit deformities, and (2) the accuracy of temperature-based predictions of spring bud development. High temperatures and water stress after harvest are known to cause a deformity known as twin or double fruits, resulting in unmarketable fruit. This disorder has been studied in …

Living Pantry: Affordable Housing And Traditional Agriculture, Alanna S. Nafziger

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah is a beautiful and unique landscape with a vibrant food history that is, as I write this in 2025, undergoing some dramatic changes in both climate and population.

The population is projected to almost double by 2065, increasing by 2.8 million people over a 50-year period. Cache Valley, in the Northern part of the state, is projected to increase its population by 93% in that same time frame (Perlich et. al., 2017).

This population growth represents a huge increase in demand for housing, but while demand grows, the market becomes less affordable, with the median home price 6.26 times …

Alevi-Bektashi Ballads: Malady, Melody And Remedy, Mustafa Cingoz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research focuses on how ballads play a central role in the cultural and spiritual life of the Alevi-Bektashi community in Türkiye. These ballads, performed by folk poets known as aşık (minstrel) with the stringed instrument bağlama are the inseparable elements of their daily life and sacred rituals. As rooted in the path of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam, and the teachings of 13th-century Sufi saint Haji Bektash Veli, Alevi-Bektashi ballads express shared emotions, struggles, and hopes. Therefore, my point of view argues that these ballads do more than preserve the Anatolian ballad tradition. They create a sense of …

The Pharmacology Of Gpr171 Ligands In The Treatment Of Pain: An In Vitro And In Vivo Preclinical Characterization, Max V. Mcdermott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Opioids are addictive, ineffective for long-term treatment, readily produce withdrawal and tolerance, and can cause overdose and death. These properties have contributed to an epidemic of addiction and overdose, which continues unabated in the United States. Therefore, new drugs to treat acute and chronic pain are needed. Opioids bind to receptors belonging to a superfamily of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs are the most commonly targeted proteins among FDA-approved drugs. As such, under-researched GPCRs are a viable source of new targets in the field of drug development. One such underexplored GPCR is GPR171. Studies have demonstrated that a …

Systematics, Evolution, And Species Delimitation Of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) Based On Ultraconserved Element Phylogenomics, Brandon Ross Claridge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The diversity of life on Earth is highly skewed towards a few key groups of organisms. Parasitoid wasps are among the most species-rich yet understudied organisms on our planet. Ichneumonidae, the largest parasitoid wasp family, includes 25,000 known species out of an estimated total of 100,000, far exceeding the nearly 70,000 species of vertebrates. As parasitoids, ichneumonids lay a single egg onto or inside their hosts, and the resulting ichneumonid larva consumes its host, ultimately killing it. Most hosts are the larvae or pupae of moths, butterflies, flies, beetles, and other wasps, including many pest species injurious to agriculture and …

Gender-Diverse Individuals' Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Aliya Halterman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many factors influence how well someone learns and achieve in school and daily living, with motivation being especially important. One key part of motivation is something called self-efficacy, which refers to how much someone believes they can successfully do a specific task (Bandura, 1986; 1997). Research has shown that self-efficacy plays a major role in how well people do, and the quality of their efforts (Pintrich & Schrauben, 1992; Weinstein & Mayer, 1986; Zimmermann, 2000). Additionally, mathematics skills are tied to better outcomes in school, careers, and in daily life. Mathematics also has also had a complex history when it …

Geochemical And Stratigraphic Characterization Of The Morrison Formation And Cedar Mountain Formation Contact In The Island Park Quadrangle, Uintah County, Utah, Emily Mcdermott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation are among the richest sources of dinosaur fossils. Despite a 24-million-year gap in time (the Jurassic–Cretaceous unconformity), these formations are difficult to distinguish due to their similar rock types and colors. In Utah's Island Park quadrangle (IPQ), these formations are not separated on existing geological maps. This study focuses on identifying and understanding the formational boundary between them using field observations, stable isotope analysis, clay mineralogy, and chemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF).

Unlike other areas where a conglomerate layer marks the boundary, the …

The Validation Of The Patient’S Endorsement Of The Biopsychosocial Model Of Chronic Pain (Peb) Scale In Young Adults, Mathias M. Sanyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research examined a new tool designed to measure how patients view their chronic pain. While healthcare providers increasingly recognize that chronic pain involves biological, psychological, and social factors (a "biopsychosocial approach"), no previous tool existed to assess whether patients share this perspective. This study tested the reliability and effectiveness of the Patient's Endorsement of a Biopsychosocial Model of Chronic Pain (PEB) Scale in young adults with chronic pain. Results confirmed the scale accurately measures a single, consistent concept and correlates with patients' willingness to consider new pain management approaches. Unlike in older adults, the scale didn't predict active maintenance …

Risk Perceptions And Water Governance: Experiences Of Irrigation Companies In The Great Salt Lake Basin Of Northern Utah, United States, Bailey M. Holdaway

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Irrigation companies are important water management entities in the Western US. However, these companies often face barriers when managing water. Particularly as the state of Utah grows and water resources are drying, there is much finger pointing at those in irrigation and agriculture for better water management. However, pointing fingers without the participation of these companies often does not lead to effective water management outcomes. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of these irrigation companies, and particularly how they are approaching water management.

I set out to understand the role of these irrigation companies, specifically in the Great …

Graph-Based Machine Learning: Higher-Order Interactions, Guided Generation, And Knowledge-Graph Tools, Thomas J. Kerby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation brings the power of graph thinking to three key challenges in modern AI, making complex data more transparent, generative design more controllable, and scholarly exploration more intuitive. First, we introduce Local CorEx, a new machine learning technique that uncovers hidden relationships among variables, making it easier to understand complex datasets without heavy computation. Next, we show how to guide the creation of new molecules by viewing the generation process itself as a walk through a "state graph," letting researchers steer outcomes toward desired chemical properties—without any extra model training. Finally, we deliver an open-source toolkit that builds interactive …

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 …

Evaluating The Effects Of 3d User Interactions And Virtual Displays On Human Cognition And Perception For Immersive Analytics, Dongyun Han

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research investigates how virtual reality (VR) can be utilized effectively for users to explore data. Traditional data analysis typically takes place on flat, two-dimensional computer screens. In contrast, immersive technologies like VR offer a three-dimensional environment where users can engage with data more naturally and intuitively. Such immersive experiences have the potential to improve comprehension, memory, and insight during data analysis tasks. Despite this potential, several challenges remain in making immersive analytics practical and effective. Key questions include which types of 3D interaction techniques are most helpful and how accurately people perceive visual information in immersive environments. To address …