Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Utah State University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 10201 - 10230 of 57323

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Influence Of Types Of Debt On Financial Anxiety And Financial Well-Being, Loryn Law Apr 2021

The Influence Of Types Of Debt On Financial Anxiety And Financial Well-Being, Loryn Law

Student Research Symposium

Financial anxiety from debt has shown to increase health issues (Moore, 2018), decrease marital satisfaction (Dew, 2011), and reduce resources left for retirement (Kim et al., 2017; Payne et al., 2019). Research has also shown that employees with more debt are more likely to be less productive at work than those with lower debt levels due to their financial stress (Moore, 2018). As debt levels for Americans are increasing, it is important to examine which types of debts have the greatest effects on financial anxiety and financial well-being. Using data from the 2018 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), this study …

Go to article

Humanity's Place: As Told By May Swenson, Jacob Perry Apr 2021

Humanity's Place: As Told By May Swenson, Jacob Perry

Student Research Symposium

May Swenson's poetry describes the relationship between humanity and the environment in which it lives. Swenson then uses this dynamic to advocate for environmental responsibility. Presentation Time: Thursday, 1-2 p.m.Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83585410381?pwd=KzdEOVc1WEhjVC9ZalpXNXVPdCtqQT09

Go to article

Examining Correlations Between Firm Market And Financial Orientation And Firm Corporate Social Responsibilities (Csr) Engagement, Ashton Kirkham Apr 2021

Examining Correlations Between Firm Market And Financial Orientation And Firm Corporate Social Responsibilities (Csr) Engagement, Ashton Kirkham

Student Research Symposium

A large stream of research has been published that focuses on corporate social responsibilities (CSR) of businesses. Another stream of research exists that focuses on the concept of 'market orientation' in businesses and the performance benefits of strengthening the level of market orientation. What is missing is cross-discipline research that examines if more market-oriented businesses engage more (or less) in CSR activities versus companies that are less market oriented. In this research project we use data from key informants at publicly traded companies to measure the level of market orientation. We then pair that with data from KLD database on …

Go to article

Static Heat Exchanger, James Mullen Apr 2021

Static Heat Exchanger, James Mullen

Student Research Symposium

The USU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering partnered with the Aspire NSF Engineering Research Center to develop wireless charging pads for electric vehicles. These concrete pads, when placed in roadways, charge the batteries of electric vehicles that pass over them. As the pads charge vehicles, they produce excessive thermal energy (heat), which dissipates slowly through the surrounding concrete. This excess heat reduces the efficiency of the charging apparatus and can damage the imbedded electrical components.To manage the pad temperatures, the USU Nanoscale Thermal Energy Lab proposed to submerge the heat-generating elements in a Phase Change Material (PCM). As a …

Go to article

Comparisons Of Mesopheric Temperatures Between 70 And 110 Km: Usu Lidar, Nasa's Timed Satellite, And The Msis2 Empirical Model, David Collins Apr 2021

Comparisons Of Mesopheric Temperatures Between 70 And 110 Km: Usu Lidar, Nasa's Timed Satellite, And The Msis2 Empirical Model, David Collins

Student Research Symposium

Earth’s atmosphere can be characterized by its temperature structure, dividing the atmosphere into natural discrete regions. The mesosphere (50 to ~100 km) has been the least studied. Rayleigh-scatter lidars (RSL) and rockets can obtain local high-resolution measurements above one spot while satellites looking almost horizontally obtain global measurements. These measurements can be analyzed to produce a vertical profile over a given spot. The Rayleigh-scatter lidar (RSL) at USU has been collecting data on the mesosphere since 1993. In 2014 and 2015, these measurements were extended upward from 95 km to 110 km. Given the multiple ways of measuring this data, …

Go to article

Biophilic Design In Women Health Facilities, Erica Carnea Williams Apr 2021

Biophilic Design In Women Health Facilities, Erica Carnea Williams

Student Research Symposium

In Margaret Robertson’s book, Sustainability Principles and Practice-Routledge, 2017, biophilia is described as “the genetically encoded emotional need of humans to affiliate with nature and with other living organisms, evolved as an adaptive mechanism to protect people from hazards and to help them access resources such as food, water, and shelter.” This expresses that biophilia is the innate desire within human beings to have a positive connection to nature. It was a trait developed through years of evolution to keep us safe and now it is said that it can be used in design to reduce stress, expedite healing, and …

Go to article

Terminal Lakes And Climate Change: Averting Catastrophe Dependent Upon Intervention Efficacy, Andrew Walker Apr 2021

Terminal Lakes And Climate Change: Averting Catastrophe Dependent Upon Intervention Efficacy, Andrew Walker

Student Research Symposium

Terminal Lakes will drastically be affected by climate change. The Caspian Sea, by conservative estimates will drop 30 ft by the end of the century with minimal intervention uncovering an area the size of Portugal, concentrating the current ecological hardship, country conflict, and business contraction. Geoengineering, specifically Solar Radiation Management, poses a significant boon in limiting the damage with an injection of aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere to lower temperatures and reduce evaporation. So far, because of limits placed on field testing by the UN, there has been limited testing outside simulation of …

Go to article

Norse Women Cast Adrift: A Christian Literary Trope In The Sagas Of Iceland, Adrian Thomson Apr 2021

Norse Women Cast Adrift: A Christian Literary Trope In The Sagas Of Iceland, Adrian Thomson

Student Research Symposium

During the late Middle Ages, three literary sources present a Christian textual trope known as “the woman cast adrift.” This trope features a woman of saintly or other prominence, who is “cast” upon the sea in a boat often lacking a rudder, oars or a sail. By divine will, against the sea and its storms, the woman reaches her intended destination. While these prominent sources were written in western Europe from the fourteenth to fifteenth centuries, similar tales of “women castadrift” are present in the Norse sagas of Iceland and Greenland, written earlier during the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. …

Go to article

Emergence Of Classical Black Hole Thermodynamics Using Monodromic Analysis, Alexandra Chanson Apr 2021

Emergence Of Classical Black Hole Thermodynamics Using Monodromic Analysis, Alexandra Chanson

Student Research Symposium

We exhibit the asymptotic solutions of the Klein-Gordon field in the near-horizon geometry of various Black Holes and show, in the thermodynamic limit, the emergence of the 2nd Law of Black Hole Thermodynamics. Indeed, we find that the monodromies around the singular points in the Klein-Gordon field are exactly the infinitesimal, classical Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. By utilizing known properties of monodromies, namely the Fuchs relation, we suggest a classical thermodynamic relationship between regular and Cauchy horizons. Indeed, the Fuchs relation between horizon monodromies has been shown to hold in a wide array of known black hole solutions. The only anomalous cases …

Go to article

An Illness Narrative Of Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: A Case Study, Emma Bowman Apr 2021

An Illness Narrative Of Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: A Case Study, Emma Bowman

Student Research Symposium

Illness narratives are personal stories that are shared to better understand one's experiences while living with an illness or health condition. Narratives are valuable because they allow us to understand our lives, as well as illuminate one's self-identity and well-being. This then gives the audience an insight into the storyteller's perspective on how they cope and process their experiences throughout their life. Our aim was to uncover the subjective experience of a young adult growing up with bilateral cochlear implants in the United States. To do so, we gathered an hour-long story from him and then transcribed and analyzed his …

Go to article

Secondary Sensations Associated With Random-Waveform Electrical Vestibular Stimulation, Kelci Hannan Apr 2021

Secondary Sensations Associated With Random-Waveform Electrical Vestibular Stimulation, Kelci Hannan

Student Research Symposium

Random waveform (noisy) electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) is often applied at suprathreshold levels to probe the vestibular system’s influence on posture. Often accompanying the stimulus are unintended, and sometimes undesirable, secondary sensations, such as tingling behind the ears, nausea, and dizziness, among others. Depending on the intensity and rate of occurrence of these sensations, they may deter individuals from participating in EVS-related research. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the occurrence and intensity of stimulus-related secondary sensations during and after EVS delivery. Fifteen healthy, young adults received a 0-25 Hz, 5 mA, random waveform EVS for a total …

Go to article

May Swenson: The Rise Of The Reluctant Feminist, Emily Gould Apr 2021

May Swenson: The Rise Of The Reluctant Feminist, Emily Gould

Student Research Symposium

Lesbian. Woman. Feminist. These are just a few of the labels that others tried to impose on May Swenson throughout her life. However, Swenson revolted against the bonds that others tried to place on her. She did not want to be secured to labels, conform to groups, or be shackled to restrictive societies. Rather, she found her solace in her own soul, and her peace through her individual perspective. Swenson lived her life according to her standards, her beliefs, her doctrine, her conscience, and through her poetry she encouraged others to do the same. One of Swenson’s most anthologized poems, …

Go to article

Mitochondria Delay Proteolysis In An In Vitro Model Simulating Postmortem Conditions, Mackenzie Taylor Apr 2021

Mitochondria Delay Proteolysis In An In Vitro Model Simulating Postmortem Conditions, Mackenzie Taylor

Student Research Symposium

In fresh meat products, the most important attribute dictating consumer satisfaction is tenderness. Accordingly, researchers have rigorously studied the biochemical mechanisms involved in meat tenderization during aging, and found that proteolytic degradation of structural muscle proteins is one of the major mechanisms. Postmortem proteolysis is driven by endogenous proteases present in the muscle, and calpain-1 has been identified as the main protease involved in the tenderization process. Calpain-1 is a calcium-dependent protease that rely on calcium to become proteolytically active. Recently, mitochondria have garnered interest due to their ability to sequester and decrease cytosolic calcium concentration. However, it remains unclear …

Go to article

Novel Approach For Sex Identification In Equine Forensic Samples Using Pcr Amplification, Jessica Felts Apr 2021

Novel Approach For Sex Identification In Equine Forensic Samples Using Pcr Amplification, Jessica Felts

Student Research Symposium

DDX3 is a ubiquitous gene in mammals that codes for a protein in the DEAD-box protein family. This protein is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase, which denotes its involvement in altering the structure of RNA1, functions as a transcriptional regulator1, and is proposed to be involved in the nuclear export of retroviral RNA1. The DDX3 gene is located on the X-chromosome between base pair 34,831,836 and base pair 34,847,409 (15,573 total base pairs). In addition, there is a homologous gene located on the Y-chromosome between base pair 6,194,312 to bp 6,199,142 (4,917 total base pairs). The Y-chromosome homolog, however, contains unique …

Go to article

Informed Polluters: A Comparison Between Pollutant Sources Of Two Lakes And Resulting Remediation Strategies, Jeffrey Kennedy Apr 2021

Informed Polluters: A Comparison Between Pollutant Sources Of Two Lakes And Resulting Remediation Strategies, Jeffrey Kennedy

Student Research Symposium

Excess nutrients are a problem for many lakes and rivers across the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires states to monitor polluted waterbodies and provide plans to remediate them. These plans are commonly submitted in a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report where sources and polluters are identified. These reports have not been successful, however, at solving all nutrient problems. Newman Lake in Washington and Mantua Reservoir in Utah are two lakes that continue to receive excess nutrients, notably phosphorus. High levels of these nutrients lead to increased biological activity and subsequent drops in dissolved oxygen. Many lakes …

Go to article

Teaching At Home: Exploring The Relationship Between Reflective Functioning And Teaching Practices In Preschoolers’ Caregivers, Minah Nguyen Apr 2021

Teaching At Home: Exploring The Relationship Between Reflective Functioning And Teaching Practices In Preschoolers’ Caregivers, Minah Nguyen

Student Research Symposium

The act of teaching, although seemingly commonplace, is often more complex than it appears. Teaching requires an understanding of the learner’s thinking to best support progress and development (Ball & Forzani, 2009). Research increasingly points to the role of parents and informal environments in fostering young children’s learning (Crowley et al., 2001; Tamis-LeMonda & Rodriguez, 2008). While these types of research have outlined steps parents can take, none have explored the extent to which parents are thinking about their child’s understanding. Similarly, parental reflective functioning (PRF), defined as parents’ ability to understand their child’s mental state, has been extensively studied …

Go to article

Analyzing Fatal Bird-Window Collision Mitigation Occurring At The Classroom And Student Services Building, Brigham City, Ut, Hunter Martin Apr 2021

Analyzing Fatal Bird-Window Collision Mitigation Occurring At The Classroom And Student Services Building, Brigham City, Ut, Hunter Martin

Student Research Symposium

Bird-window collisions are often not thought about as if they are a major problem to bird populations worldwide. This is not the case as bird populations are threatened by these collisions. In the United States alone it is estimated that 97.6 - 975.6 million birds fatally collide with human-made windows annually, and another 16 to 42 million collide in Canada per year. Our focus is to investigate a possible window collision problem and explore different mitigation efforts to prevent these collisions at the USU-Brigham City campus (Brigham City, Utah, 84302). We hope to determine how many fatal bird-window collisions are …

Go to article

Cytokine Indicators Of Inflammation In Mice Fed A Western Type Diet, Eliza Owens, Emily Mortensen Apr 2021

Cytokine Indicators Of Inflammation In Mice Fed A Western Type Diet, Eliza Owens, Emily Mortensen

Student Research Symposium

Colorectal cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The risk of colon cancer increases in individuals who suffer from colitis, which is inflammation of the colon lining. Colitis is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The development of colorectal cancer is complex and can be associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, which has been shown to be affected by diet. Disruption of the gut microbiome can lead to the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria which can contribute to disease. Pathogenic bacteria and other bacterial byproducts that manage to cross the epithelial …

Go to article

Do Aspen Stands Reduce Fire Severity And Stop Fire Spread?, Elyse Doty Apr 2021

Do Aspen Stands Reduce Fire Severity And Stop Fire Spread?, Elyse Doty

Student Research Symposium

Aspen stands are widely thought to behave as fire breaks, reducing fire severity and preventing fire spread. However, this prevailing belief has not been well studied. With larger more intense fires in recent decades and further projected changes in fire behavior for the future, having a better understanding of how aspen trees and stands interact with fire would be valuable for forecasting how our forests will respond to climate change and disturbance in the future. In addition, forest managers in Utah and other regions of the Intermountain West conduct aspen restoration treatments for multiple objectives, including fire mitigation. To quantify …

Go to article

Tensions Surrounding Multinational Lunar Development Threaten Global Stability, Highlight Need For Cooperation, Megyn Degraw Apr 2021

Tensions Surrounding Multinational Lunar Development Threaten Global Stability, Highlight Need For Cooperation, Megyn Degraw

Student Research Symposium

The aim of this research is to provide a framework in which US national security can begin to navigate the future of international relations on the moon. The amount of countries participating in space exploration is increasing every year, within the next decade we could see lunar bases being established on the moon by multiple countries, notably Russia and China. Space is becoming more international and in turn, more crowded. This increase is spurred on by the recent discovery of water on the moon, the goals of SpaceX to land on the moon in the next few years, technological advances, …

Go to article

Plant Tissue Decellularization For Complex Vascular Scaffold Applications, Teren Teeples, Mikelle Kearnes Apr 2021

Plant Tissue Decellularization For Complex Vascular Scaffold Applications, Teren Teeples, Mikelle Kearnes

Student Research Symposium

The rapidly expanding field of scaffolding within tissue engineering has produced plant tissue decellularization techniques to create cellulose scaffolds that replicate complex vasculature. Spinacia oleracea (Spinach) leaves have been the primary focus of decellularization research in creating scaffolding due to their wide availability and highly vascularized structure. To expand on previous research, this experiment has been conducted to compare S. oleracea, Brassica oleracea var. sabellica (kale) and Lactuca sativa (romaine lettuce) in the visualization and density of vasculature. The decellularization process has been adapted from previous literature using the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate to remove cellular matter and residual DNA. …

Go to article

Designing An Effective Employee Wellness Program: A Targeted Approach Using Employee Health Surveys, Sierra Giles Apr 2021

Designing An Effective Employee Wellness Program: A Targeted Approach Using Employee Health Surveys, Sierra Giles

Student Research Symposium

Purpose – Given that employees typically spend a significant amount of their time at the workplace, an effective workplace wellness program has the potential to reduce employees’ health risks and improve their quality of life. The purpose of this project was to collect and assess baseline data on current health status for a Utah organization with approximately 400 employees and use the results to inform a comprehensive wellness program. Methods – Based on validated questionnaires from the literature, I developed an employee health screening survey which consisted of two parts – a biometric screening and a mixed methods health assessment …

Go to article

Growth Of Arpe Cells On A 3d Printed Pla Scaffold, Dallin Fairbourn, Jamen Cannon, Jake Accordino Apr 2021

Growth Of Arpe Cells On A 3d Printed Pla Scaffold, Dallin Fairbourn, Jamen Cannon, Jake Accordino

Student Research Symposium

Forming blood vessels is a common obstacle that is faced when attempting to develop artificial organs. One possible method of overcoming this obstacle is by using a 3D printed material as a scaffold for blood vessel growth. In previous studies, it has been shown that Poly-lactic acid (PLA) is an ideal material for use as a scaffold in tissue engineering applications (Kudryavtseva et al., 2017). The following proof of concept will evaluate the ability of PLA to support cell growth on its surface. Specifically, this project aims to determine its usefulness as a scaffold in the culture of Adult Retinal …

Go to article

Illegal Wildlife Trade Increases Probability Of Zoonotic Disease Spread In The United States, Ryan Bushman Apr 2021

Illegal Wildlife Trade Increases Probability Of Zoonotic Disease Spread In The United States, Ryan Bushman

Student Research Symposium

Illegal wildlife trade is a major contributor to the spread of zoonotic disease in the United States and may potentially lead to further public health emergencies, a significant loss of life, and can cost billions of dollars. The trade of bushmeat and exotic pets are examples of illegal wildlife trade that can result in the spread of zoonotic diseases. These illegal activities are driven by deep-rooted cultural beliefs, financial necessity, and luxurious lifestyles. An analysis of the existing literature on these subjects through the lens of anticipatory intelligence reveals certain areas of the current systems that combat illegal wildlife trade …

Go to article

Discerning The Efficacy Of Potential Non-Opioid Pain Drugs With Camp Analysis, Matthew Mattoon Apr 2021

Discerning The Efficacy Of Potential Non-Opioid Pain Drugs With Camp Analysis, Matthew Mattoon

Student Research Symposium

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a relatively new discovery in molecular biology and have been fundamental for the development of new drug therapies. GPCRs are receptors within the outer membrane of a cell that trigger reactions throughout a cell. There are multiple units that attach to the GPCR: the alpha, the beta, and the gamma subunits. A ligand (activating or agonistic molecule) binds to the protein receptor, causing a change in structure that allows the attached subunits to move. These movements can generate various signaling pathways that can change a cell. This experiment focuses on the alpha sub-unit whose movement …

Go to article

Deepnec: A Novel Alignment-Free Tool For The Characterization Of Nitrification-Related Enzymes Using Deep Learning, A Step Towards Comprehensive Understanding Of The Nitrogen Cycle, Naveen Duhan Apr 2021

Deepnec: A Novel Alignment-Free Tool For The Characterization Of Nitrification-Related Enzymes Using Deep Learning, A Step Towards Comprehensive Understanding Of The Nitrogen Cycle, Naveen Duhan

Student Research Symposium

Abstract: Nitrification is an important microbial two-step transformation in the global nitrogen cycle, as it is the only natural process that produces nitrate within a system. The functional annotation of nitrification-related enzymes has a broad range of applications in metagenomics, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, etc. The time and resources needed for determining the function of enzymes experimentally are restrictively costly. Therefore, an accurate genome-scale computational prediction of the nitrification-related enzymes has become much more important.In this study, we developed an alignment-free computational approach to determine the nitrification-related enzymes from the sequence itself. We propose deepNEC, a novel end-to-end feature selection and …

Go to article

Isolation Of Halotolerant Bacteria From The Rhizosphere Of Ceanothus Velutinus May Lead To Contributions In Plant Health In Saline Conditions, Jacob Davis Apr 2021

Isolation Of Halotolerant Bacteria From The Rhizosphere Of Ceanothus Velutinus May Lead To Contributions In Plant Health In Saline Conditions, Jacob Davis

Student Research Symposium

As global temperatures have been steadily rising in the past few decades, soil salinity has been steadily increasing in many parts of the world as well. This increase in salinity has proven detrimental and especially challenging for many plant species. The soil directly in contact with the roots of plants is known as the rhizosphere. The rhizosphere hosts plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR plays a significant role in a plant's ability to deal with stressors such as drought, heavy metal contamination, and extreme cold temperatures. Native plants are known to show versatility to these stressors as well. One such native …

Go to article

Pyseqrna: An Automated Python Package For Advanced Rna Sequencing Data Analysis And Annotation, Naveen Duhan Apr 2021

Pyseqrna: An Automated Python Package For Advanced Rna Sequencing Data Analysis And Annotation, Naveen Duhan

Student Research Symposium

Abstract: With the advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, numerous data is being generated every day, however, streamlined analysis remains a big hurdle to efficiently use the technology. A large number of algorithms, statistical methods, and software tools have been developed in recent years to perform the individual analysis steps of various NGS applications. Some NGS applications data analysis procedures are therefore very complex, requiring several program tools to be downloaded for their various processing steps. There is a significant room for the development of scalable computing environments that link the individual software components to automated workflows to efficiently and …

Go to article

Exploring Canid Monogamy: Characterization Of The Distribution Of Vasopressin 1a Receptors In The Brain Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Madeline Measom, Sophia Adamis Apr 2021

Exploring Canid Monogamy: Characterization Of The Distribution Of Vasopressin 1a Receptors In The Brain Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Madeline Measom, Sophia Adamis

Student Research Symposium

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide hormone that has been shown to be a factor in the biological basis of social attachment in monogamous species. It functions in the brain to modulate social memory, territoriality, and social attachment between pair-bonded adult mates of the same species. Research has mostly focused on the vasopressin 1a receptors (AVPR1a) in the brains of socially monogamous rodents and non-human primates. These studies demonstrate a critical role of AVP and AVPR1a in the neurobiology of social attachment, especially influencing species-specific, pairbond-related behaviors. Coyotes are a unique species in the context of social research because they …

Go to article

The Influences Of Individual Differences In Working Memory Capacity And Multiple Narrators On Adults’ Story Comprehension: A Pilot Study, Stephanie Johnson Apr 2021

The Influences Of Individual Differences In Working Memory Capacity And Multiple Narrators On Adults’ Story Comprehension: A Pilot Study, Stephanie Johnson

Student Research Symposium

It is well-known that people struggle to listen and comprehend spoken language in environments where multiple talkers are present. It is cognitively demanding to communicate in these difficult listening environments that occur commonly in everyday life (Plomp, 1994); therefore, one’s working memory abilities may play a role in how successful they can communicate when multiple talkers are present (Schneider et al., 2007). This preliminary study aimed to explore the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and spoken language comprehension in the context of multiple talkers. Six participants performed complex span tasks to assess their WMC abilities. Participants also listened to …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last