Digital Commons Network^™

Are Logan Police Officers Equipped To Deal With Domestic Disturbances Effectively, Jaden Baugh

Student Research Symposium

If officers do not have proper training to deal with domestic violence, then they become ineffective tools to help the public. We as the public need officers to keep the peace but if there is improper training they are ineffective

Where Is The Contemporary Design?, Anna Nelson

Student Research Symposium

Contemporary Design can be described as Design that is reflective of current trends and attitudes in design, specifically post-modern aesthetics and approaches that move beyond past stylistic and theoretical choices, even though it may be referential to the past.

Determining The Function Of Type Iv-B Crispr-Cas Systems, Eric Jenkins, Brendon Guinn

Student Research Symposium

CRISPR-Cas systems are a diverse group of prokaryotic adaptive immune systems that defend against Mobile Genetic Elements (MGEs) such as bacteriophages and plasmids. CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins bind to guide RNAs (crRNAs) transcribed from a DNA repeat array (CRISPR array) containing spacers complementary to MGEs. Upon infection by a MGE, the Cas protein-crRNA complex binds to the target sequence in the invaders genome and cleaves the nucleic acid.

Faculty Senate Agenda March 31, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes March 3, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - March 6, 2025
• 3:40 Report
• Budget and Faculty Welfare Committee
• Sustainability Council
• Policy 323, 378, 389
• 4:00 Old Business
• 4:05 New Business
• 2025-2026 Calendar and Committee Reports
• President-Elect Nominations
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

The Utah Statesman, March 31, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Contrasting Effects Of Climate Warming On Hosts And Parasitoids: Insights From Rocky Mountain Aspen Leaf Miners And Their Parasitoids, Alisha A. Shah, Emily Hamant, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Beau Larkin, Andrew A. Forbes, H. Arthur Woods

Aspen Bibliography

Because temperature has pervasive effects on biological rates, climate warming may alter the outcomes of interactions between insect hosts and their parasitoids, which, for many host species, constitute the single largest source of mortality. Despite growing interest in parasitoid-host responses due to climate change, there are few empirical tests of thermal tolerance differences between non-model lepidopteran hosts and their parasitoids and almost none from mountain ecosystems where warming is occurring more rapidly. We examined the thermal ecology of a host–parasitoid interaction in the Rocky Mountains using the wild populations of the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) and a …

Community-Oriented Policing In A Majority-Black Neighborhood: In Search Of A Local Solution To A National Problem, Nasaskyia R. Hicks, Shanada Mcfadden, Natallia Sianko

Transforming Communities

Few issues loom larger today than how the United States can rehabilitate its criminal justice system. Although justified and undoubtedly timely, the national focus often shifts attention away from local, interpersonal, and community processes that shape how criminal justice is administered and experienced differently in communities across the country. Our goal is to contribute to the national conversation on community-oriented policing and social innovation to improve police-community relations and increase public trust in majority-Black neighborhoods. This article offers a call to action for the scientific and policy communities to reflect on effective practices that bring the voices of local stakeholders …

Bryce Canyon Aspen: Recent Trends, Future Actions, Paul C. Rogers

Aspen Bibliography

In cooperation with Bryce Canyon National Park, we undertook a survey of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) conditions throughout the Park with the intention of better understanding conditions and prescribing corrective measures where needed. There are clear disparities within the Park between sustainable aspen conditions and failing stands. Based on condition of mature trees, but most importantly regeneration and recruitment of juvenile stems, most aspen forests within Bryce Canyon are in poor condition. Aspen recruitment—generally sapling-sized trees that have survived browsing ungulates—is the most important metric of future stand resilience and here we found 83% of all aspen sample …

An Alternative To Biliverdin, Mesobiliverdin Ixα And Mesobiliverdin-Enriched Microalgae: A Review On The Production And Applications Of Mesobiliverdin-Related Products, Naveena Poudyal, Jon Y. Takemoto, Yuan-Yu Lin, Cheng-Wei T. Chang

Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Research

Despite attracting interest for decades due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capabilities, the use of biliverdin IXα (BV) in medicine and agriculture is hampered by uncertain purity and limited availability. A significant amount of effort has been devoted to the production and application of BV, but with limited success. Mesobiliverdin IXα (MBV), a natural BV analog derived from microalgae, offers a path to overcome the limitations of BV. MBV production is scalable, and it can be obtained at high purity. MBV and BV share important structural features (e.g., bridging propionate groups) and both are substrates of biliverdin reductase A (BVRA), …

Solar Flare Prediction Using Multivariate Time Series Of Photospheric Magnetic Field Parameters: A Comparative Analysis Of Vector, Time Series, And Graph Data Representations, Onur Vural, Shah Muhammad Hamdi, Soukaina Filali Boubrahimi

Computer Science Student Research

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive resource for the selection of data representations for machine learning-oriented models and components in solar flare prediction tasks. Major solar flares occurring in the solar corona and heliosphere can bring potential destructive consequences, posing significant risks to astronauts, space stations, electronics, communication systems, and numerous technological infrastructures. For this reason, the accurate detection of major flares is essential for mitigating these hazards and ensuring the safety of our technology-dependent society. In response, leveraging machine learning techniques for predicting solar flares has emerged as a significant application within the realm of …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, March 17, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - February 18, 2025
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Information
• EPC Report - March 6, 2025
• 3:40 Report
• Budget of Faculty Welfare Committee
• Sustainability Council
• Policy 323, 378, 389
• 4:00 Old Business
• 4:05 New Business
• 2025-2026 Faculty Senate Calendar
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Utah Organizations Supporting Women & Girls: Exploring The Landscape, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2024, U.S. News & World Report rated each state using 71 metrics in eight categories. Utah came out on top, declared as the “Best State Overall” for the second year in a row, ranking number two in education, and number three in both economy and infrastructure categories. ¹ In addition, WalletHub dubbed Utah 2023’s Most Charitable State, citing high levels of charitable giving and volunteerism,² and ConsumerAffairs declared Utah the “Best State to Move to in 2024.”³ In addition, Utah also ranks high in work hours, volunteerism, affordability, happiness, outdoor recreation, social mobility, and more.⁴ See …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda March 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - February 6, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
• Caine College of the Arts
• Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
• Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
• College of Engineering
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
• College of Science
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Toward A Construct-Based Definition Of Urban Green Space: A Literature Review Of The Spatial Dimensions Of Measurement, Methods, And Exposure, Doo Hong Lee, Brent Chamberlain, Hye Yeon Park

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Student Research

Interdisciplinary research has significantly advanced our understanding, benefits, and measurements of Urban Green Space (UGS). Further, the rapid expansion of research on this topic has resulted in a diverse array of definitions, which can rely on implicit assumptions without a formal definition. This variability highlights the need for a carefully structured framework to refine and combine these definitions. This narrative review examines constructs underlying UGS, particularly focusing on the spatial aspects of how we spatially measure UGS, the measurements of UGS, and how we define exposure; the latter focuses on two methods: viewsheds and image segmentation. Our findings reveal a …

Managing Beyond Water: Utilizing Community Well-Being Interviews In The Upper Yakima River Basin, Usa, For Climate Change Adaptation, Rebecca Gustine, Alexander Theophilus, Courtney G. Flint, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Emma Epperson, Claudia Mendez Wright, Jennifer C. Adam

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

In contemporary, natural resources dependent and specialized communities, community well-being is connected to the environment. Understanding the local connections between community well-being and the environment can provide a more complete understanding of how to manage social-ecological systems and promote community resilience. Herein, we combine semi-structured community well-being interviews with hydrologic modeling using the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model to suggest climate adaptation pathways for a diverse set of community interests. We found that community well-being across the Yakima River Basin was connected to water, snow, and the environment through recreation opportunities, aesthetics, livelihoods, and having clean water and air. Additionally, …

Age-Based Variations In Frequent Emergency Department (Ed) Use Among Older Adults: An Analysis Using The New York University–Johns Hopkins University Emergency Department Algorithm (Nyu/Jhu-Eda), Uma Kelekar, Amel Ben Abdesslem, Debasree Das Gupta, Diep Tran, Jewel Shepherd, Sidney Carl Turner

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Population aging impacts the utilization of health services, especially in Emergency Departments (EDs). A rising share of older adults in the US report ED use, especially frequent ED use, defined as ≥ 4 visits annually. Prior works have examined frequent utilization of EDs among geriatric populations, but no study has focused on age-based trends or examined type of ED care sought by different age groups. Thus, using the 2017-2019 State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD), we examined how types of ED care influenced frequent ED utilization among geriatric patients in Maryland across the three age groups of youngest-old (65–74), middle-old (75–84), …

What To Do Now That You've Trapped A Nuisance Wild Animal, Cory Farnsworth, S. Nicole Frey

All Current Publications

This fact sheet outlines specific guidelines for legally responding to nuisance wild animals. Management best practices, animal use, euthanasia, and proper disposal are discussed.

Culturally Considerate Trauma-Focused Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment In Latine/X Populations: A Scoping Review, Alejandra Kukuli Delgado, Ryan Holliday, Shira Maguen, Nicholas Holder

Psychology Student Research

Background/Objectives: While theoretical articles describing cultural considerations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment in Latine/x populations exist, empirical trials are less common. The present study aimed to review the existing literature for empirically tested, trauma-focused PTSD treatments among Latine/x samples to describe treatment outcomes, cultural considerations, and gaps in the existing literature. Methods: For this scoping review, we identified studies that met inclusion criteria as culturally considerate, trauma-focused PTSD treatments reporting symptom outcomes in Latine/x adults. We searched databases (n = 7) and collected 2176 unique records. Six reports met inclusion criteria. Studies enrolled 176 participants into five …

Genetic Engineering In Alpacas May Unlock Cures For Currently Incurable Human Disease, James Cisneros

Research on Capitol Hill

We aimed to establish laparoscopic ovum pickup (L-OPU) techniques in alpaca to retrieve oocytes for in vitro maturation and fertilization. Our project successfully retrieved and matured alpaca oocytes in vitro, a crucial step toward genetic engineering. Next, we will apply CRISPR-Cas9 to deactivate the IGM gene in fertilized embryos, aiming to enhance HCAb production. This will lay the foundation for humanizing these antibodies, making them viable for therapeutic use in human medicine.

What Do Utahns Think About Global Warming And Climate Change?, Scott Hotaling, Kendall Becker, Lendel K. Narine, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Roslynn Mccann, Peter D. Howe

All Current Publications

In Utah, there is widespread consensus that global warming is happening, and the strength of this consensus has been steadily rising since 2010. Over the last 14 years, some public opinion metrics have risen dramatically while others have been largely stable. The degree of climate impacts in Utah will depend on residents’ perceptions of climate change and support for implementing policies to help the state adapt to warmer temperatures, more extreme weather events, and other associated changes. In this fact sheet, we integrate multiple data sources to summarize the status and trends of Utahns’ opinions on climate change.

Recent Developments In Heterologous Expression Of Cellulases Using The Pichia Pastoris Expression System: A Comprehensive Literature Review, Nazish Muzaffar, Abdur Raziq, Muhammad Waseem Khan, Niaz Muhammad Khan, Bushra Shahid, Anbareen Gul, Hayat Ullah

Biological Engineering Student Research

Cellulosic biomass is considered an important and sustainable source of renewable energy, which needs a complex mixture of different enzymes for its degradation. After amylase, cellulases are the second most important enzymes, gain more importance due to their broad range of applications at the industrial level, and are considered more economical and environmentally friendly; researchers have focused more on the production of cellulase with its higher expression rate and low cost. Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic yeast strain, has a more effective and well-established system for the production of heterologous proteins, particularly for industrial enzymes. Moreover, its readily achievable high-density …

The Past As Prologue: How Historic Relations With The Federal Government Encouraged Foundations Of Resilience And Autonomy For The Metlakatla Indian Community During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Casey Skvorc, Michelle Watts, Kristin Drexler

Journal of Indigenous Research

Historic relationships with the federal government, converged with the strong cultural heritage, autonomy and self-reliance of the Metlakatla Indian Community (MIC) created foundations for strategic resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sentinel milestone events impacting the MIC during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, initiated by the President of the United States, Congress, and the Federal Courts, are analyzed in the context of their impact and support of evolving tribal-centered development and enaction of protections for the MIC.

Shifting The Paradigm With Wednesday Addams: An Intersectional Analysis Of The First (Autistic) Female Latinx Detective, Camille Bassett, Jason Gilmore

Communication Studies and Philosophy Student Research

For centuries, Autistic people have been portrayed in media through two dehumanizing stereotypes, the robot and the superhuman savant. Together, the robot and the superhuman savant combine into one of the most popular hybrid stereotypes to appear in media: the detective. Past detectives have been almost exclusively white male characters, a longstanding pattern that erases Autistic women and people of color, among others. In 2022, however, Netflix’s spinoff series of The Addams Family, Wednesday, brought to the screen the first-ever female Latinx detective. This study is a thematic analysis of Wednesday as a character, the autism …

Education Policy Committee Agenda February 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - January 2, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Quantifying Dust Nutrient Mobility Through An Alpine Watershed, Jeffrey R. Nielson, Janice Brahney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Dust has the potential to play a significant role in the nutrient dynamics of alpine watersheds with important ecological implications. However, little is known about how dust nutrients circulate through the environment and which watershed characteristics facilitate dust impacts on water quality. This study explored the contribution of dust-deposited nutrients, focusing on a high-elevation Long Term Ecological Research site, where dust samples have been continuously collected since 2017. We incorporated observed dust nutrient compositions, including fractions of inorganic and organic nitrogen and phosphorus, into a popular hydrological model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, and ran simulations for 2019–2021. By …

Academic Standards Subcommittee Minutes January 24, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• COMMITTEE BUSINESS
• Committee Discussion
• Motion: Peter Howe, Second: Mateja Savoie-Roskos (Approved)
• Committee Discussion
• Motion: Tim Chenette, Second: Mateja Savoie-Roskos (Approved)
• Definition of Academic Grievance
• Academic Grievance Process
• New Topics
• ACTION ITEMS

Proximal Remote Sensing: An Essential Tool For Bridging The Gap Between High-Resolution Ecosystem Monitoring And Global Ecology, Zoe Amie Pierrat, Troy S. Magney, Will P. Richardson, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jen L. Diehl, Xi Yang, William Woodgate, William K. Smith, Miriam R. Johnston, Yohanes R. S. Ginting, Gerbrand Koren, Loren P. Albert, Christopher L. Kibler, Bryn E. Morgan, Mallory Barnes, Adriana Uscanga, Charles Devine, Mostafa Javadian, Karem Meza, Tommaso Julitta, Giulia Tagliabue, Matthew P. Dannenberg, Michal Antala, Christopher Y. S. Wong, Andre L. D. Santos, Koen Hufkens, Julia K, Marrs, Atticus E. L. Stovall, Yujie Liu, Joshua B. Fisher, John A. Gamon, Kerry Cawse-Nicholson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or ‘proximal’ remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions. We provide current best practices for data availability …

Influence Of Process Parameter And Build Rate Variations On Defect Formation In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Ss316l, Tasrif Ul Anwar, Patrick Merighe, Rahul Reddy Kancharla, Boopathy Kombaiah, Nadia Kouraytem

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process that has gained interest for its material fabrication due to multiple advantages, such as the ability to print parts with small feature sizes, good mechanical properties, reduced material waste, etc. However, variations in the key process parameters in LPBF may result in the instantiation of porosity defects and variation in build rate. Particularly, volumetric energy density (VED) is a variable that encapsulates a number of those parameters and represents the amount of energy input from the laser source to the feedstock. VED has been traditionally used to inform the quality …

"It's Definitely New And Different...It's Really Engaging": Understanding The Power Of Storytelling Towards Secure Password Creation, Rizu Paudel, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

There is a dearth in existing literature to attain systematic understanding of leveraging digital storytelling in security designs. As we begin to address this gap, we focused on user authentication where the existing password composition policies and password meters often fail to help users around creating a strong and memorable password. To this end, we conducted a lab study with 19 participants, where we updated our initial designs in an iterative manner based on their feedback. We then conducted a between-subject online study with 104 participants over Amazon Mechanical Turk to evaluate our designs. We found that all of our …

Intrusion Detection For Wireless Sensor Network Using Particle Swarm Optimization Based Explainable Ensemble Machine Learning Approach, Shaikh Afnan Birahim, Avijit Paul, Fahmida Rahman, Yamina Islam, Tonmoy Roy, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Fariha Haque, Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) play a pivotal role in various domains, including monitoring, security, and data transmission. However, their susceptibility to intrusions poses a significant challenge. This paper proposes a novel Intrusion Detection System (IDS) leveraging Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and an ensemble machine learning approach combining Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) models to enhance the accuracy and reliability of intrusion detection in WSNs. The system addresses key challenges such as the imbalanced nature of datasets and the evolving complexity of network attacks. By incorporating Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique Tomek (SMOTE-Tomek) techniques to balance the …