Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Student Behavior And Score Prediction In Assistments Online Learning, Aswani Yaramala

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding and analyzing student behavior is paramount in enhancing online learning, and this thesis delves into the subject by presenting an in-depth analysis of student behavior and score prediction in the ASSISTments online learning platform. We used data from the EDM Cup 2023 Kaggle Competition to answer four key questions. First, we explored how students seeking hints and explanations affect their performance in assignments, shedding light on the role of guidance in learning. Second, we looked at the connection between students mastering specific skills and their performance in related assignments, giving insights into the effectiveness of curriculum alignment. Third, we …

Essays On The Economics Of Hurricanes, Haishan Yang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation explores how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected the economy in New Orleans and nearby areas in Louisiana. Using a variety of econometric techniques, my dissertation aims to understand the effects of these storms on employment, wages, and housing prices.

In the first essay, I focus on employment in New Orleans. I find that Katrina led to significant and lasting job losses in nearly every sector, while the construction sector stood as an exception, recovering within just three months. Interestingly, wages increased in most sectors. This suggests that with fewer workers available, those who remained became more valuable, leading …

A Systematic Review On Functional Analysis Of Noncompliance, Alyssa Hurd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lack of following instructions is a common caregiver concern that can have adverse effects on the learner. Although certain behavioral assessments (i.e., functional analysis) are often employed for other forms of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, property destruction) to determine why these behaviors are occurring (e.g., to gain attention, toys, or escape from instructions), these assessments are infrequently conducted to determine why a learner is not following instructions. Lack of following instructions is often hypothesized to be motivated by desire to escape from instructions. However, to date, no study has examined the prevalence of variables that motivate lack of following instructions …

The Intersectional Experiences Of Young And Educated Latine Men's Masculinity: An Exploration Of Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Skin Tone, Sexual Orientation, And Region Of Origin, Juan Estrada

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Latine masculinity is often looked at through simplistic concepts like machismo or caballerismo, which fail to fully consider the different aspects of Latine men’s identities. For example, how might a cisgender, gay, dark skinned, Latine man understand his masculinity as he moves between Latine and United Statesian cultures. In this study, we wanted to do two things: first, we wanted to understand how the cultural and intersectional aspects of their lives shape how Latine men see their masculinity. Second, we wanted to celebrate the diverse ways in which they express their masculinity, considering things like their skin color, region …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda December 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Ozgene: To Advance Humanity – Inspire Curiosity, Maarit Patrick, Mike Dixon

Huntsman School of Business Teaching Scholarship Series

The case introduces the students to Ozgene, an Australian firm that experienced a dramatic reduction in lead time of their products because of implementation of Lean principles. The case can be used in undergraduate or graduate courses in operations management or supply chain management as an introduction to Lean principles. The case also encourages students to consider the challenges that make-to-order differ from those of make-to-stock and explore production design principles.

Changes In Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites In Captive Coyotes (Canis Latrans): Influence Of Gender, Time, And Reproductive Status, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky, Cole A. Bleke, Erika T. Stevenson, Susannah S. French

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Reproduction is considered an energetically and physiologically demanding time in the life of an animal. Changes in physiological stress are partly reflected in changes in glucocorticoid metabolites and can be measured from fecal samples. We examined levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs) in 24 captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to investigate responses to the demands of reproduction. Using 12 pairs of coyotes (five pairs produced pups, seven pairs did not), we analyzed 633 fecal samples covering 11 biological periods (e.g., breeding, gestation, and lactation). Levels of fGCMs showed high individual variability, with females having higher fGCM levels than males. …

Herbivores Influence Biogeochemical Processes By Altering Litter Quality And Quantity In A Subarctic Wetland, Taylor Saunders, Jaron Adkins, Karen H. Beard, Trisha B. Atwood, Bonnie G. Waring

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Global change drivers that modify the quality and quantity of litter inputs to soil affect greenhouse gas fluxes, and thereby constitute a feedback to climate change. Carbon cycling in the Yukon–Kuskokwim (Y–K) River Delta, a subarctic wetland system, is influenced by landscape variations in litter quality and quantity generated by herbivores (migratory birds) that create ‘grazing lawns’ of short stature, nitrogen-rich vegetation. To identify the mechanisms by which these changes in litter inputs affect soil carbon balance, we independently manipulated qualities and quantities of litter representative of levels found in the Y–K Delta in a fully factorial microcosm experiment. We …

Assessing Tracheostomy As A Risk Factor For Hearing Loss In Neonates With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Emma Hershey, Terrence Pleasant, Andrew Benvenuto, Katie Kuboushek, Clare Furuta, Patricia Purcell

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Objectives: This study compares the risk of hearing loss in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) based upon whether the child required tracheostomy.

Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted that included all children diagnosed with BPD from 2013–2020 at a single tertiary medical institution. Primary outcome was presence of hearing loss. Children without follow-up audiogram were excluded from analysis. Risk comparison was made using hazard analysis; Cox regression model controlled for exposure to ototoxic medications.

Results: There were 177 infants diagnosed with BPD who had sufficient follow-up for inclusion. Thirty-two children (18%) underwent tracheostomy placement. Children with tracheostomy were at …

Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 8 Issue 2, Pages 1-38

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda November 13, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order - 3:30 pm
• Approval of Minutes - October 16, 2023
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information - Education Policies Committee
• Reports
• Old Business - Faculty Code 405
• New Business - Faculty Code 406 & USU Student Code Alcohol Amendment/Resolution
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Fire Regimes Of Utah: The Past As Prologue, Joseph D. Birch, James A. Lutz

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

(1) Background: Satellite monitoring of fire effects is widespread, but often satellite-derived values are considered without respect to the characteristic severity of fires in different vegetation types or fire areas. Particularly in regions with discontinuous vegetation or narrowly distributed vegetation types, such as the state of Utah, USA, specific characterization of satellite-derived fire sensitivity by vegetation and fire size may improve both pre-fire and post-fire management activities. (2) Methods: We analyzed the 775 medium-sized (40 ha ≤ area < 400 ha) and 697 large ( ≥ 400 ha) wildfires that occurred in Utah from 1984 to 2022 and assessed burn severity for all vegetation types using the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio. (3) Results: Between 1984-2021, Utah annually experienced an average of 38 fires ≥ 40 ha that burned an annual average of 58,242 ha with a median dNBR of 165. Fire was heavily influenced by sagebrush and shrubland vegetation types, as these constituted 50.2% (17% SD) of area burned, a proportion which was relatively consistent (18% to 79% yr^-1). Medium-sized fires had higher mean severity than large fries in non-forested vegetation types, but forested vegetation types showed the reverse. …

The Utah Statesman, October 30, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Committee Agenda October 30, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order - Maureen Hearns
• Approval of Minutes - October 2, 2023
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information - Education Policies Committee & Human Resources Policies
• Reports - Academic Freedom & Tenure Annual Report & Athletic Council Annual Report
• Old Business - Faculty Code 405
• New Business - Faculty Code 406 & Policy 104 Concerns
• Adjourn - 4:20 pm

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda October 16, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:30 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - September 18, 2023
• 3:35 University Business
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Business
• Promotion Processes
• 4:00 Information
• Education Policies Committee
• Human Resources Policy 313
• Human Resources Policy 350
• Human Resources Policy 398
• 4:15 Reports
• Academic Freedom & Tenure Annual Report
• Athletic Council Annual Report
• 4:25 Old Business
• Faculty Code 405
• 4:30 New Business
• Faculty Code 406
• Policy 104 Concerns
• Mandatory Employee Reporting
• Adjourn: 4:45 pm

The Status Of Women On Utah State Boards & Commissions: A 2023 Update, Susan R. Madsen, Natasha Birchard, Brooke Scheffler

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

Research shows that organizations will increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles.¹ Gender inclusivity benefits not only businesses, but also entities such as churches, state legislatures, city councils, state governments, and state and local boards and commissions. Studies have shown that there are numerous benefits to attracting, retaining, promoting, and empowering women within organizations and entities. More specifically, research demonstrates the need for the government—and democratic governance processes in general—to reflect gender diversity accurately within its constituency at all levels.² Utah is no exception. In fact, in Utah (Code 67-1-11), since 1992, appointing authorities were …

Active Analysis In The Beginning Acting Classroom, Michael Shipley

Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Often, the exercises in the acting classroom can feel at odds with the processes used in the rehearsal room. I believe Konstantin Stanislavsky’s rehearsal method of Active Analysis provides tools and perspectives for dealing with these challenges. At The S Word Symposium in November 2022, I outlined a process I developed for teaching beginning acting using principles of Active Analysis as a tool to bridge the gap between training and rehearsing. This article outlines the experiences and thought processes that went into creating this class structure and reviews the benefits for students. Applied in this way, Stanislavsky’s impulse to place …

The Sound Of Mormonism: A Media History Of Latter-Day Saints, Jared Farmer

Arrington Annual Lecture

The Sound of Mormonism is an annotated and expanded version of the 2023 lecture “Music & the Unspoken Truth”—an homage to the Music and the Spoken Word radio program and a meditation on the relationships between religion, music, vocality, and quietude.

The Arrington Lecture series, established in honor of one of the twentieth-century American West’s most distinguished historians, Leonard Arrington, has become a leading forum for prominent scholars to address topics related to Latter-day Saint history. Utah State University hosts the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture Series through the Merrill-Cazier Library’s Special Collections and Archives.

Genomic And Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Polygenic Architecture For Ecologically Important Traits In Aspen (Populus Tremuloides Michx.), Jennifer F. L. Riehl, Christopher T. Cole, Clay J. Marrow, Hilary L. Barker, Carolina Bernhardsson, Kennedy Rubert-Nason, Pär K. Ingvarsson, Richard L. Lindroth

Aspen Bibliography

Intraspecific genetic variations in foundation species such as aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) shapes their impact on forest structure and function. Identifying genes underlying ecologically important traits is key to understanding that impact. Previous studies, using single-locus genome-wide association (GWA) analyses to identify candidate genes, have identified fewer genes than anticipated for highly heritable quantitative traits. Mounting evidence suggests that polygenic control of quantitative traits is largely responsible for this "missing heritability" phenomenon. Our research characterized the genetic architecture of 30 ecologically important traits using a common garden of aspect through genomic and transcriptomic analyses. A multilocus association model revealed …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September 7, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September, 2023
• Subcommittee Reports - Curriculum Subcommittee, Academic Standards Subcommittee, General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Cercocarpus Ledifolius Var. Intricatus ‘Doubledown’, Asmita Paudel, Youping Sun, Larry A. Rupp

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Bonsai (tray landscape, potted scenery, potted landscape, miniature trees, and rockery) is an artistic horticulture practice of developing aesthetically formed trees and landscapes in miniature with appropriately aesthetic containers. This has been practiced over a few thousand years in oriental cultures, including the ancient Chinese tradition of penzai or penjing, from which the art originated; the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ; and the Japanese variations of bonsai and “tray planting” (Gustafson 1995). To produce bonsai plants that share similar shapes and styles of mature, full-size trees, cultivation techniques are used, including leaf trimming, …

The Utah Statesman, September 25, 2023, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda September 18, 2023, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:30 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - August 21, 2023
• 3:35 University Business
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Business .
• 4:00 Information
• Education Policies Committee
• Human Resources Policies - 351
• 4:20 Reports
• Educational Policies Committee Annual Report
• Honors Program Annual Report
• 4:30 Old Business
• Update on Divestment Task Force
• Greenhouse Waste Emissions
• 4:40 New Business
• Issue of Faculty Concern
• Adjourn:

A Novel Fuzzy Relative-Position-Coding Transformer For Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Ultrasonography, Yanhui Guo, Ruquan Jiang, Xin Gu, Heng-Da Cheng, Harish Garg

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women worldwide, and early detection is crucial for successful treatment. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been developed to assist doctors in identifying breast cancer on ultrasound images. In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzy relative-position-coding (FRPC) Transformer to classify breast ultrasound (BUS) images for breast cancer diagnosis. The proposed FRPC Transformer utilizes the self-attention mechanism of Transformer networks combined with fuzzy relative-position-coding to capture global and local features of the BUS images. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated on one benchmark dataset and compared with those obtained by …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)

• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)

• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)

• Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - April 6, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business - New baccalaureate programs template and cross/dual listed info for the EPC handbook
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Detection Of Fish Sedimentary Dna In Aquatic Systems: A Review Of Methodological Challenges And Future Opportunities, Grayson P. Huston, Mark Louie D. Lopez, Yuanyu Cheng, Leighton King, Lucinda C. Duxbury, Maïlys Picard, Georgia Thomson-Laing, Erika Myler, Caren C. Helbing, Michael T. Kinnison, Jasmine E. Saros, Irene Gregory-Eaves, Marie-Eve Monchamp, Susanna A. Wood, Linda Armbrecht, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Lenka Kurte, Jordan Von Eggers, Janice Brahney, Genevieve Parent, Masayuki K. Sakata, Hideyuki Doi, Eric Capo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA studies have proliferated over the last decade, with promising data describing the diversity of organisms inhabiting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The recovery of DNA present in the sediment of aquatic systems (sedDNA) has provided short- and long-term data on a wide range of biological groups (e.g., photosynthetic organisms, zooplankton species) and has advanced our understanding of how environmental changes have affected aquatic communities. However, substantial challenges remain for recovering the genetic material of macro-organisms (e.g., fish) from sediments, preventing complete reconstructions of past aquatic ecosystems, and limiting our understanding of historic, higher trophic level interactions. In this review, …

Machine Learning Radio-Frequency-Based Anomaly Detection For Ground Station And Satellite Telecommunication, Raffaele Bua, Lucia Necchi, Pietro Corrado, Matteo Cappella, Bérenger Villat, Giovanni Pandolfi

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite-to-ground station telecommunication is a crucial aspect of satellite missions, representing a single point of failure of the entire space system.

Each failed contact is an issue for all satellite missions, leading to a potential data loss. The detection and forecasting of data transfer failures are critical challenges in satellite operations, given the unpredictability and variety of potential causes for such anomalies.

Considering the spectral waterfall plot the most appropriate tool to describe the anatomy of satellite contacts, an automatic waterfall analysis could help satellite mission operators, by promptly discovering potential data transmission failures between satellites and ground stations, and …

Optimization Of Propulsion Systems With Real-Time Precise Orbit Determination Technology To Enable Proximity Operations And Advanced Mission Capabilities, Sakari Teerikoski, Javier Tegedor, James Bartle, John Lawrence, Frank Tobin

Small Satellite Conference

Precise orbit determination technologies are an increasingly important enabler for the validation of critical in-space satellite propulsion systems. Advanced maneuvers require precise knowledge of impulse to optimize operations related to rendezvous, docking, in-orbit refueling, debris removal, formation flying and optical intersatellite-links optimization. These applications can benefit greatly from enhanced knowledge of the precise position of the satellite performing the work, and the precise position of the target. Thruster-intensive missions benefit from this ability to optimize thruster use and calculate and optimize actual fuel use.

The authors have combined these technologies to offer a precision 6DOF cold-gas propulsion solution with simultaneous, …