Digital Commons Network^™

Analyzing Market Dynamics: Effects On Quality Grade Premiums And Discounts For Alfalfa Hay, Colby Wilkins

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This paper looks at how market strength affects the price premiums and discounts associated with alfalfa hay quality grades. Previous research has mainly focused on how attributes of alfalfa hay influence the price received. In this study, we use ordinary least squares linear regression and visual data representations to examine the effects of market strength on price received in conjunction with hay quality. The results demonstrate that during periods of relatively high average prices of alfalfa hay there is no significant impact on the average premiums and discounts associated with hay quality. However, during periods of relatively low average prices, …

Sustainable Waste-To-Bioproducts Engineering Center Laboratory Safety Project, Claudine Mock

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Laboratory accidents are common in teaching and research labs; these accidents can be injurious or even fatal. The consequences of each type of laboratory accident are different based on the activities performed and the hazardous materials used in each facility. However, the most common issue related to laboratory accidents is the lack of proper safety measures (e.g., poor handling of hazardous materials, not reporting incidents immediately, etc.). This project aimed to establish and strengthen best practices and procedures to ensure laboratory safety at the Utah State University Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproducts Engineering Center. To achieve this goal, different practices and measures were …

Balancing The Scales: Evaluating Variables Of Greatest Impact To Profit Margins When Finishing Cattle, Ryan Bake

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines the risk associated with finishing cattle in a feedlot, specifically in the context of historically high cattle prices and quality grade grid marketing systems that have not adjusted to these elevated prices. The analysis also looks at performance factors that drive profitability differences in pens of cattle in a commercial feedlot, and how market factors also impact profitability. Regression analysis determines the significance of performance variables such as days on feed, average daily gain, feed conversion rates, and carcass characteristics on pen profitability. The impact of cattle breeding and pre-feedlot management of the cattle are also considered …

Legend Trips And Vernacular Film Theory: Spooky Encounters In Tiktok Mediated Legend Trips, Drew Holley

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In this thesis I looked at how legend tripping is mediated through the affordances of new social technologies and apps, specifically TikTok. Short video formats allowed for folk cinematography to spread legend narratives and at the same time create more visual online landscapes for people to interact with. I defined folk cinematography as the way in which people make videos based on a vernacular level. This has been based on people having more access to video making tools and learning from informal patterns such as trends on sites like TikTok. Because of this, I explored how audiences participate in a …

Token Economies And Implementation In General Education Classrooms, Ana Kesler

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous studies have shown the positive effects token economies can have on student behavior. The current project examined the implementation and effects on student behavior of creating a tier two behavior intervention system based on student preferences for reinforcers and using token economies in a general education first grade classroom. Based on the Assessment portion of the project, five students would benefit from a token economy behavior intervention system. The author collaborated with general education school personnel to design and implement a token economy for each of the students. Using the token economy with preferred reinforcers positively impacted four of …

Tales In The Teeth: Using Isotopic Analysis To Understand The Paleoecology And Social Behavior Of Brontotheres Of The Intermountain Basins During The Middle Eocene, John Michael Michalski

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Isotopic analysis has been a common practice used in paleontology to study ancient ecosystems, and the lives of animals therein. Oxygen isotopic analysis is of particular importance not only because of its use in studying paleoecology, diet, and migration, but also its use in studying mountain elevation, and its impact on ancient ecosystems. I use stable oxygen isotopic analysis to study the habits and ecology of brontotheres from intermountain basins surrounding the Uinta Mountains of Utah and Wyoming, USA. I studied the oxygen isotopes from 16 fossil specimens of teeth, most of which belonged to brontotheres, including the genera Palaeosyops …

How Are Global Trade Relationships Affected By Western Sanctions?, Colin A. Martinez

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Do sanctions actually have an impact on their intended targets? This paper seeks to fill a gap in the existing literature on the effectiveness of sanctions by measuring potential impacts on the trade relationships of targeted states after the imposition of sanctions. To do so, it turns to a comprehensive dataset that combines all trade and sanctions data for each of 229 states, arranged in 23,132 dyads, from 2000 through 2019. It then examines 792 regressions using a hybrid fixed effects difference-in-difference model applied to twelve different types of sanctions, differentiated by the sanctioning state’s membership in certain groups of …

Leveraging Generative Ai For Sustainable Farm Management Techniques Correspond To Optimization And Agricultural Efficiency Prediction, Samira Samrose

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Sustainable farm management practice is a multifaceted challenge. Uncovering the optimal state for production while reduction of environmental negative impacts and guaranteed inter-generational assets supervision needs balanced management. Also, considering lots of different factors (cost, profit, employment etc), the agricultural based management technique requires rigorous concentration. In this project machine learning models are applied to develop, achieve and improve the farm management techniques. This experiment ensures the resultant impacts being environment friendly and necessary resource availability and efficiency. Predicting the type of crop and rotational recommendations will disclose potentiality of productive agricultural based farming. Additionally, this project is designed to …

Developing Educational Tools For Sustainable Stormwater Management, Lauren Houskeeper

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Rapid population growth and development in Western states are exerting strain on the region’s limited water resources. Urbanization exacerbates this issue by increasing impervious surfaces, limiting infiltration of precipitation during storm events and snowmelt, which results in changes to hydrologic conditions with higher runoff volumes and higher peak flows. Stormwater transports pollutants as it flows across impervious surfaces, discharging high volumes of runoff and elevated loads of urban contaminants into receiving waters. The amount of pollution entering waterways continually increases as urban areas expand. Utah is currently experiencing a rapid transition from undeveloped to developed landscapes, necessitating the implementation of …

Evaluation And Improvement Of The Design 4 Every Drop Course, Kenzy Fogle

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah and the greater Intermountain West are experiencing a water crisis. Many factors are contributing to this situation, including an arid climate exacerbated by climate change, rapid population growth, and a high-water-demanding landscape typology. Landscapes currently consume an estimated 60-80% of Utah’s potable water, representing a significant opportunity for water savings. However, changing the traditional water-dependent landscape typology requires educating the public regarding water-wise landscape design processes, best practices, and implementation approaches. Utah State University is the land grant university for Utah and home to one of the oldest Landscape Architecture departments in the Intermountain West. Utah State University’s community …

Introduction To Landscape Architecture State Standards And Curriculum For Utah High Schools, Joseph Pancoast

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah State University (USU) offers a successful Introduction to Landscape Architecture class for college students; this class increases awareness and understanding of landscape architecture as a profession. Though this is a wonderful resource offered at the college level, high school is a key time for career awareness. Unfortunately, there is a lack of student awareness surrounding the profession of landscape architecture. In Utah and the rest of the United States, there are currently no in-person Introduction to Landscape Architecture classes available in a high school setting to increase awareness and understanding for students in a high school setting. Providing a …

Enhancing Monthly Streamflow Prediction Using Meteorological Factors And Machine Learning Models In The Upper Colorado River Basin, Saichand Thota

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding and predicting streamflow along river basins is vital for planning future developments and ensuring safety, especially with climate change challenges. Our study focused on forecasting streamflow at Lees Ferry, a key location along the Colorado River in the Upper Colorado River Basin. We employed four machine learning models - Random Forest Regression, Long short-term memory, Gated Recurrent Unit, and Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average; and combined historical streamflow data with meteorological factors such as snow water equivalent, temperature, and precipitation. Our analysis spanned 30 years of data from 1991 to 2020.

Our findings revealed that the Random Forest Regression …

Fishing Vessel Detection In Exclusive Economic Zones From Low Earth Orbit Satellites With Power And Computational Constraints, Kyler E. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Illegal fishing activities pose a significant threat to the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the economies and societies which rely on them. Detection of fishing vessels engaging in illegal activity is difficult, as many ships engaging in such activity actively avoid detection through radio systems used for maritime traffic monitoring. Satellite imagery provides a promising means for detecting fishing vessels, though designing an effective system is difficult due to limited availability of labeled image datasets of fishing vessels. This research proposes a system to detect illegal fishing activity through the use of a low-power ship detection satellite and proposes a …

Shedding Light On Past Ice-Free Intervals In Northwest Greenland: Luminescence Dating Of The Base Of The Camp Century Ice Core, Hawke Woznick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The goal of this thesis is to provide greater resolution on the age and character of the subglacial sediment recovered from the base of the Camp Century ice core, northwestern Greenland. Geochemical analysis indicated that the upper sub-ice sediments were geochemically different and experienced greater weathering than the basal unit underlying a one-meter silty ice lens. Analysis of feldspars within the very fine sand fraction indicates they are dominated by potassium feldspar. Sediment was dated using luminescence, which provides an age for the last time sediment was exposed to light. Luminescence analysis returned ages around 420 thousand years old, which …

Unveiling Key Features: A Comparative Study Of Machine Learning Models For Alzheimer's Detection, Cailean Bushnell

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis rigorously evaluates the application of an array of natural language processing (NLP) techniques and machine learning models to identify linguistic signatures indicative of dementia, as sourced from the DementiaBank Pitt corpus. Utilizing a binary classification paradigm, this study meticulously integrates sophisticated embedding methods—including Doc2Vec, Word2Vec, GloVe, and BERT—with traditional machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, ADA boost, KNN classifier, and Logistic Regression, alongside deep learning architectures like LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM. The efficacy of these methodologies is evaluated based on their capacity to differentiate between transcribed speech impacted by dementia and that from control …

The Sustainable Sites Initiative As It Applies To Existing Parks In Logan Utah, Randall Smith

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Intermountain West of the United States consists of a variety of climates and landscapes. Despite their diversity, all of these regions face similar issues, such as water shortage, lack of biodiversity, invasion of non-native plant species, land development, and population growth. The pursuit of sustainability has become imperative in order to meet the needs of the present, while simultaneously safeguarding the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Many influential landscape architects have advocated for sustainable design; namely, Frederick Law Olmsted, Ian McHarg, and Laurie Olin. However, sustainability is used too often as a generic buzzword, diminishing …

Exploring The Role Of Whiteness In Sociopolitical Development: Predictive Contexts And Trajectories, Jesiah P. Salazar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Critical consciousness is the ability to understand and challenge oppressive social systems, believe in one's power to create positive social change, and take actions toward making those changes. Sociopolitical development theory suggests that this awareness grows through a mix of social influences, opportunities for activism, and personal identity. Historically, this concept has been viewed as a way to empower youth of color to challenge systemic oppression, rather than just cope with it. Therefore, most research has focused on critical consciousness in youth of color. Recently, however, researchers have begun to explore critical consciousness among White adolescents. Using a person-centered approach, …

Improving The Long-Term Maintenance And Durability Of Pervious Concrete Pavements, Kate Elizabeth Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Impervious concrete is constructed for most new infrastructure such as housing developments, commercial projects, and industrial facilities, which prevents stormwater runoff from infiltrating into groundwater storage. Pervious concrete is a sustainable, economical, and safe alternative to collect runoff and prevent the issues resulting from increased land development.

Although pervious concrete has the benefit of a large porous structure for water infiltration, this high porosity leads to issues with debris, sand, and other materials clogging the porous areas. Pervious concrete also has the challenge of non-standardized material preparation techniques, testing, and construction practices. As such, more research is needed to improve …

Method Development For The Extraction And Analysis Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Wastewater And Biosolids, Victoria Krull

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Per and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are manufactured chemicals that have water and grease repellant properties and do not readily biodegrade. PFAS are present in many consumer products and end up in waste systems and the environment. Studies have shown that PFAS can have adverse health effects on humans and animals.

There are many challenges to processing and analyzing samples containing PFAS including: adsorption of PFAS to equipment, contamination from equipment containing PFAS, and the high sensitivity needed to analyze for PFAS in the parts per trillion detection range. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been developing methods …

An Online Scientific Twitter World: Social Network Analysis Of #Sciencetwitter, #Scicomm, And #Academictwitter, Man Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding who makes up online social worlds as well as how information flows within those communities is important as more people access news, research topics, collaborate with others, and entertain themselves. This study identified and classified the people discussing scientific topics on Twitter, determined the type of social network, and described the member composition of this online world. Scientists, the public, and educators formed this online world. They built connections by initiating activities and interacting with others, which created the Community Clusters social network structure. All three categories of people are in positions of influence in this network leading and …

Shaking Off The Rust: Unraveling The Depositional And Diagenetic History Of Enigmatic Ferroan Dolostones In The Cambrian Bright Angel Formation, Tonto Group, Grand Canyon, Joseph J. Clevenger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Within the siliciclastic-sediment-dominated Bright Angel Formation (BAF) of the iconic Cambrian sedimentary strata (Tonto Group) in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, workers have identified and named prominent reddish-brown cliffs breaking up the generally slope-forming unit near, but separated from, its upper contact with the limestone-dominated Muav Formation, the "Rusty Brown Dolostones" (RBDs). Previous hypotheses suggest that the RBDs are chemically and physically altered tongues of the Muav Formation intercalated with the BAF at increasingly higher stratigraphic positions from west to east within the Canyon. A genetic association between the Muav Formation and the RBDs, as well as between the RBDs …

Cislunar Optimal Robust Trajectory Design With Corrective Maneuvers, Scott J. Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

One common method for determining how to get from point A to point B is by finding the most fuel-efficient path. This is a common method for spacecraft trajectory designers also. Without any random or unexpected occurrences this path is called the deterministic optimal trajectory. Sometimes unexpected events happen that result in deviating from the most fuel-efficient path; while driving, you may encounter a detour. Naturally, we tend to return to the original fuel-efficient path and continue the journey. Similar deviations happen in space. The rocket delivering a spacecraft to orbit likely will not deliver exactly to the intended starting …

Trip Production Models For Persons With Disabilities, Pouyan Saeidian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Nearly 13% of the US population consists of people with disabilities, yet finding an equitable and comprehensive approach to meet their travel needs remains a challenge. Our research delves into the mobility patterns of people with disabilities to understand how their daily travel—both the frequency of trips and the distance covered—compares to those without disabilities. We also explore the factors influencing their travel behaviors and how these insights can guide policymakers in improving accessibility and mobility for this community. Utilizing data from the 2022 US National Household Travel Survey, we applied a blend of statistical analysis and machine learning methods. …

Supplemental Data For: Nonlinear Control Strategies For Rendezvous And Proximity Operations, John Akagi

Browse all Datasets

This repository contains the code necessary to recreate the data in my dissertation with the code divided by control approaches.

The scripts that generate data generally create simple plots while the plots found in the dissertation are generated by dedicated plotting scripts, indicated by the "plot" portion of the script name.

Data for the actual simulations is included for all control approaches.

Data for other analyses is not included but can be generated and plotted using the appropriate scripts.

All data is automatically saved to the control law's "data" folder.

Each control approach has its own subfolder of utility functions. …

From Reliance To Resilience: Teaching Versatile Research Strategies, Stephanie Western, Katie Strand

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

In the rapidly evolving information landscape, students navigate a myriad of research platforms and tools. This presentation delved into the potential consequences of depending too heavily on one platform and discussed the importance of our students developing the fundamental skills necessary to become adaptable, research-savvy individuals. Participants helped craft a repository of openly accessible research platforms and tools in efforts to support our current educational efforts and serve students as life-long learners.

Developing A Hyperspectral Remote Sensing-Based Algorithm To Diagnose Potato Moisture For Water-Saving Irrigation, Qiqige Suyala, Zhuoling Li, Zhenxin Zhang, Liguo Jia, Mingshou Fan, Youping Sun, Haifeng Xing

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Appropriate water supply is crucial for high-yield and high-quality potato tuber production. However, potatoes are mainly planted in arid and semi-arid regions in China, where the precipitation usually cannot meet the water demand throughout the growth period. In view of the actual situation of water shortage in these areas, to monitor the water status of potato plants timely and accurately and thus precisely control the irrigation are of significance for water-saving management of potatoes. Hyperspectral remote sensing has unique advantages in diagnosing crop water stress. In this paper, the canopy spectral reflectance and plant water content were measured under five …

Cherry Powdery Mildew In Utah, Marion Murray, Christina Lilligren, Megan Kast

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides information on powdery mildew, a common problem in commercial tart and sweet cherry orchards in Utah and throughout the western U.S. Hosts, disease biology, symptoms and signs, and management are covered.

What Garfield County Leaders And Residents Can Do To Strengthen The Impact Of Girls And Women In Their Area, Deborah Lin, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

This idea sheet is based on a 2024 gathering of leaders in Garfield County, with input from 22 individuals. Girls and women face challenges unique to the area in which they live, and the goal of this gathering was to identify those barriers and determine strategies and initiatives that local leaders and residents can implement to address them. This document includes recommendations in the following areas: home and family, education, government and community, business and economics, and culture.

Utah Consumer Preferences And Willingness To Pay For Specialty Labeled Fruit Products, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Marcelo Pignatari

All Current Publications

In this fact sheet, we discuss the results of a 2023 study examining Utah consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for fruit products labeled local (Utah’s Own™), organic, and GMO-free. We discuss and compare survey respondents' past consumption, awareness, preferences, and attitudes toward these labeling programs. Additionally, we examine consumer WTP values for each of these labels for three fruit varieties and fresh and dried products, namely fresh apples, strawberries, and dried tart cherries.

Consumer Perceptions And Preferences For Utah Fresh And Packaged Fruit, Makaylie Langford, Kynda R. Curtis, Marcelo Pignatari

All Current Publications

In this fact sheet, we discuss the results of a 2023 study examining Utah consumer perceptions and preferences for Utah fresh and packaged fruit products. Study data were collected online via a Qualtrics survey, and 384 Utah adults completed the survey. Utah consumer food behaviors and attitudes, including participation in food and agricultural tourism activities, are discussed. We analyze the most consumed fruits and the preferred purchasing options for various fruit types, such as packaged, frozen, canned, and fresh. Additionally, we explore the factors influencing consumers’ decisions when buying fruit and review the product information they rely on. Overall, the …