Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Expressive Beauty Of Brahms' Op. 119, No. 1: A Journey Through The Composer's Late Piano Works, Jiaqi Zhang

Student Research Symposium

Brahms' Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119, No. 1 is a profound and beautiful piece that exemplifies the composer's mastery of harmony, melody, and form present in his final works for piano. This composition reflects the cyclical nature of life and also provides insight into Brahms' own personal struggles. Emotional intensity is achieved through harmonic tension and release, and effective interpretation requires pianists to deeply understand these harmonic processes. An examination of both the state of Brahms' experiences during the time of this composition and the harmonic aspects of the piece can deepen one's understanding and appreciation of this late …

Compound Drug Treatment Of Yellow Fever Virus: Evaluation Of Compound X In The Enhancement Of Favipiravir Potency In A Hamster Model Of Yellow Fever Virus Infection, Hunter Stanger

Student Research Symposium

Yellow fever virus (YFV) has long been a worldwide health concern, and recent outbreaks in South America have resulted in significant mortality. Though there is an effective preventative vaccine, currently there are no antiviral compounds approved to treat those already infected. The nucleoside analog drug favipiravir is shown to significantly improve disease signs but is toxic in effective doses. Compound X has been shown to have synergistic effects with favipiravir by increasing the amounts of active favipiravir (ribosylated favipiravir triphosphate) in cell culture. In this study, we administered suboptimal doses of favipiravir with fixed doses of compound X to determine …

United Properties Of Single-Origin Chocolates, Joseph Cooney

Student Research Symposium

In small production facilities, such as those used to manufacture single origin chocolate, cocoa nibs are ground to reduce the particle size to levels below 20 microns. This is a very important step during chocolate production, since chocolates with particles greater than 20 microns will have a grainy texture and unacceptable mouthfeel. The objective of this research was to evaluate changes in viscosity during chocolate grinding as affected by chocolate formulation. Three different types of chocolates were evaluated: 70% dark, 50% milk, and a Swiss-style milk chocolate. Chocolates were processed in a stone grinder and samples were taken as a …

An Evaluation Of U.S. Horseback Riding Instruction Certifications: Availability, Acquisition, Barriers, And Industry Need, Makenna Osborne

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to analyze the U.S. equine industry’s availability of riding instruction certification options, describe the relationship between professional certification and the self-efficacy of horseback riding instructors in the U.S., and explore the expectations that consumers have of instructors and instructor selection criteria. Four research objectives related to instruction were addressed: identifying the competencies and the process for obtaining skill-based horseback riding instructor certifications of the five most popular third-party certifying organizations that are currently available in the U.S., describing the attitudes towards certification in the U.S., and describing the self-perception of currently certified and …

Using Particle Swarm Optimization To Generate Optimal Experimental Designs With Replication Structures, Thomsen Bolton

Student Research Symposium

The modern dominant approach to planning experiments in industrial engineering and manufacturing is optimal design. This is a popular design paradigm because it 1) requires specification of an optimality criterion which incorporates practical objectives as definition of a design with high quality and 2) yields a design via high-dimensional optimization that gives the researcher ‘the most bang for the buck’ for a fixed sample/experimental run size. We aim to adapt the state-of-the-art meta-heuristic optimization algorithm, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), to generating optimal designs with user-specified replication structure. Recently, PSO has been demonstrated to be highly effective at generating candidate …

A Fundamental Approach In Assessing The Improvement In The Performance Of A Vehicle's Engine By Varying The Cooling Fluid And The Engine Material, Peter Okereke

Student Research Symposium

The cooling system plays a crucial role in regulating the engine's temperature. Cooling fluid is an important component of the cooling system of a vehicle. Using an untailored cooling fluid can have negative effects on an automobile's engine and shorten its lifespan. An efficient cooling system prevents the engine from overheating and enables the vehicle to operate at peak efficiency. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cylinder materials and various types of cooling agents in the vehicle's cooling system, which affect the engine block's life span, primarily the cylinders, in light vehicle cooling systems. The lower the …

Delayed Autism Diagnosis In Girls Due To Social Masking, Madeline Abram-Moyle

Student Research Symposium

Objective: To determine if camouflaging social and linguistic skills delays autism diagnosis in girls ages 6-18 years old compared to boys of the same age.

Methods: A rapid review from PubMed database to review relevant evidence.

Results: Evidence that social and linguistic camouflaging lead to delayed diagnosis in autistic girls compared to autistic boys is strong, but evidence is lacking that these forms of camouflaging lead to poor mental health in autistic girls ages 6-18.

Conclusion: Diagnostic criteria for autism should be updated to include female behavior and language patterns.

A Fundamental Approach In Assessing The Improvement Of A Vehicle's Engine By Varying The Cooling Fluid And The Engine, Peter Okereke

Student Research Symposium

The cooling system plays a crucial role in regulating the engine's temperature. Cooling fluid is an important component of the cooling system of a vehicle. Using an untailored cooling fluid can have negative effects on an automobile's engine and shorten its lifespan. An efficient cooling system prevents the engine from overheating and enables the vehicle to operate at peak efficiency. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cylinder materials and various types of cooling agents in the vehicle's cooling system, which affect the engine block's life span, primarily the cylinders, in light vehicle cooling systems. The lower the …

Effectiveness Of Multilayer Graded-Z Forms Of Radiation Shielding, Brinley Packer

Student Research Symposium

This study explored how different forms of radiation shielding were more or less effective than standard single-layer shielding. Beta and gamma radiation sources were used and measured using a Geiger counter to determine how well the various forms of shielding protect against the radiation. The shielding effectiveness of standard homogeneous materials (e.g., graphite, carbon/epoxy composites, aluminum, and lead) of various thicknesses for different radiation sources was measured to provide standards for comparison. Once a basis of effective shielding was established, the study can go into greater depth into how to use shielding materials to be more effective, to better shield …

Igneous Petrology Of Rumicolca Lavas From The Peruvian Altiplano: Controls On Compositional Variability And Source Characteristics, Jacob Ladner

Student Research Symposium

Lava flow samples from the Peruvian Altiplano plateau described petrologically, mineralogically, and geochemically for investigation of of genetic relation, compositional variability, and melt source characteristics. Reflective of a metasomatically altered mantle resulting from subduction of the Nazca plate under the western margin of South America.

Radon In Utah Homes, Madison Mackay

Student Research Symposium

Radon gas is a radioactive gas that is all around us. It can get trapped in homes, especially basements. It is potentially hazardous in high amounts, so it is important to know about. This project studied radon gas in several locations in Utah. The decay of radon samples was studied, and levels found were compared to expected high/low levels.

Reduction Of Drag Force In Liquids, Nick Hill

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of different strategies of reducing the drag experienced by an object falling through liquids like water and oil. Different methods include coating the object with a hydrophobic substance or heating the object. The tests will be conducted using objects of different materials, including a steel ball, a marble, and a dimpled ball similar to a golf ball. The drag force will be measured by using a high-speed camera to track the motion of the object. These results could be useful for many applications, specifically when attempting to create an object …

Here Come The Floods: Classification Of Rain-On-Snow Induced Flooding In Nevada, Emma Watts

Student Research Symposium

Given Nevada’s history of destructive flooding resulting from rain falling on mountainous snowpack, often called rain-on-snow (ROS) events, there is a great need to incorporate these events and their residual effects in infrastructure design methods. Examining relationships between USGS streamflow measurements and climate variables (specifically precipitation, temperature, and snowpack) obtained from neighboring SNOTEL stations provides means by which to classify ROS-induced floods from ROS events. Using both temperature and snowpack-based criterion to classify ROS events, this project differentiates between non-ROS and ROS-induced floods in a subset of USGS stations across the Sierra Nevada and reveals that ROS-induced floods produce, on …

Electron Yield Analysis Of Highly Insulating Granular Particles, Heather Allen, Matthew Robertson, Tom Keaton, Jr Dennison

Student Research Symposium

This project investigates the charging properties and electron yields of highly insulating granular samples, and how these properties may differ from bulk surfaces of the same composition. Measurements were made on both smooth and granular surfaces of materials including aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, sodium chloride, and magnesium oxide. The dramatic effects of surface roughness on electron yield values became evident after comparing the preliminary results of rougher granular samples to those of smooth bulk crystalline surface. In every case tested, the more complex surface morphology resulted in a greatly reduced maximum yield, without substantially affecting the curve shape or energy …

Permittivity Of Thin Film Spacecraft Materials, Cameron Eggleston

Student Research Symposium

Permittivity is the ability of a material to store electrical potential energy under the influence of an electric field. This property is commonly used to determine the best insulating materials and to find the best materials for capacitors. Where my research, the permittivity of thin film space materials, is generally relevant is the realm of spacecraft charging and arcing. The permittivity of thin film space materials affects how charge builds up in the material. While taking permittivity measurements, we noticed that thinner samples were giving smaller values than they should, so we started to look closer. We developed an empirical …

Microclimate Variability Between Coop Weather Station And Proposed Site For Relocation, Ashley Butikofer

Student Research Symposium

The Utah Climate Center has contributed to the Cooperative Observer Program associated with the National Weather Service since 1893. This consistent 130-year climate record of precipitation and temperature is important for studying the changing climate in Logan as well as contributing to a national network of weather data used to verify weather forecasting models. The COOP station is currently located to the Northeast of the Nutrition and Food Science building on USU’s campus. In recent years, there has been concern of bias in the data due to the proximity of the station to highly impervious surfaces including campus buildings, parking …

Differences In Magnetic Field Models Can Affect The Studies That Use Them, Tucker Anderson

Student Research Symposium

The International Geomagnetic Reference Field and World Magnetic Model are used by many organizations for varying purposes. Differences in these models can affect the studies that employ them. Data from these models between the years 1972 and 2022 were compared to demonstrate this.

High Frequency Radio Communication, Tyler Larsen

Student Research Symposium

This research focuses on high frequency radio communication and its link to space weather. It examines a signal from beacon networks across the globe and analyzes that signal as it arrives to the antennae here at USU. By linking that data to space weather data we can more accurately see how the signal is being affected.

Preliminary Maple Sap Data For Boxelder And Norway Maples, Jesse Mathews

Student Research Symposium

Maple sap is a popular agricultural product mainly produced in Quebec, Canada, and the Northeastern United States (U.S.).Almost the entire worldwide production of maple syrup exists in this area. Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are the most popular tree to tap due to its higher sugar content. This species of maple doesn’t grow well in Utah’s soils, which might be a contributing factor to the lack of maple syrup production Utah. There exist about 211,714 boxelder (Acer negundo) trees that could be tapped in Utah. Estimates aren’t available for Norway maple (Acer platanoides) populations, but they exist in almost every park …

Generating Optimal Space-Filling Designs With Particle Swarm Optimization, Rebekah Scott

Student Research Symposium

In 1935, Ronald Fisher published The Design of Experiments, establishing classical designs for various types of experiments. With the rise of computing power came optimal design, where statisticians can better customize designs according to the needs of the researchers running the experiment. This research focuses on generating optimal MaxMin space-filling designs with particle swarm optimization using various distance metrics (Manhattan, Euclidean, etc). Interestingly, changing the distance metric in the objective function had a minimal effect on the design, except for Aitchison geometry on the simplex. Space-filling designs are optimal for supporting high-order models with only a small sacrifice in prediction …

Natural Sugar Substitutes In Sugar Free Ice Cream, Avery Lawes, Cheyenne Davies, Catherine Breitweiser

Student Research Symposium

Artificial sweeteners have become increasingly more popular over the years as good sucrose substitutes but how do these sweeteners affect ice cream? As most of the population is struggling with obesity and diabetes, is there a way to make an ice cream that is both high in nutritional content and tastes good? The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect on volume, texture, flavor, aftertaste, and meltability when substituting naturally occurring sugar substitutes for liquid Stevia in vanilla ice cream. This was done by mixing 4 different batches of ice cream using different naturally occurring sweeteners (honey, agave, …

Effect Of Ph On Yeast Activation In Leavened Bread, Halle Larson, Gracee Allen, Allison Jones, Hanna Jensen

Student Research Symposium

Bread is a staple in the diet of many different populations around the world, and yeast is an important component of bread making. The amount of yeast fermentation that is achieved has a large impact on the outcome of the bread, most particularly on the final volume and density. The purpose of our research was to determine if pH had an effect on the fermentation process of bakers yeast in bread. We decided to test this by altering the pH of the activation solution used in a basic bread recipe to various pH levels, including basic (9), neutral (7), acidic …

All Purpose Flour Alternatives In Brownies, Georgia Johnson, Mckayl Black, Jouri Lacome

Student Research Symposium

Brownies are a very popular dessert. Many people are not able to tolerate the gluten in their diets, while some people may just want to add different flours. You can get other nutritional benefits from switching the flour from the all purpose flour. The alternatives in our experiment, or independent variables, were oat flour, rice flour, and banana flour. Each flour was used to bake a batch of brownies. After the brownies were finished, twelve people participated in a blind taste test. These participants subjectively tested the appearance, texture, and taste. Overall, all-purpose flour was the most desirable among participants. …

Effects Of Folding On Laminated Dough, Shelby Thorpe, Sarah Moore, Heather Burr, Colton Coombs

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect on volume, flakiness, and air cell size and amount in basic croissants when the dough is folded less than and more than what’s currently considered standard. The process of dough lamination, or the creation of alternating layers of dough and fat, is a technique used in various pastries. The layer of fat, often butter or margarine, creates an impenetrable barrier to the steam, or water vapor, produced by surrounding dough layers. This facilitates lift within the pastry and while many types don’t contain yeast, lamination becomes crucial to the finalized …

How Does Protein Content Of Flour Affect Sourdough Bread?, Julie Eggett, Callie Goble, Whitney Nelson

Student Research Symposium

The goal of this experiment was to evaluate if the micro-differences in protein content of bread flour made a difference in volume, air cell size, appearance, texture and flavor of sourdough bread. The flour used in this experiment included Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Big J Mill Golden Loaf Bread Flour, Gold Medal Bread Flour. The protein contents were 13%, 12.7%, and 10.5%, respectively. The bread was baked using a standard recipe with only the brand of bread flour varying from sample to sample. The samples were then objectively and subjectively measured. Volume of bread samples of equal weight …

Active Energy Management Of Hybrid Lithium-Ion Batteries For Electric Vehicle Applications, Marium Rasheed

Student Research Symposium

Energy storage systems that incorporate hybrid Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs leveraging the energy density and power density characteristics of different Li-ion chemistries have shown promise in reducing weight and volume while improving overall lifetime. A capacitively-coupled architecture, composite hybrid energy storage system (CHESS), has been proposed and demonstrated as a viable design for hybrid energy storage systems that combine energy-dense and power-dense battery packs. However, this architecture requires effective energy balancing among the battery packs to ensure optimal utilization.This work proposes an energy transfer unit (ETU) that consists of modular low-power dc-dc converters configured in a series-input, parallel-output arrangement. This …

Social Network Analysis Shows Equal Numbers Of Public, Educators, And Scientists Within An Online Social World, Man Zhang

Student Research Symposium

Characterizing who participates in and contributes to conversations with online social worlds can help extend our understanding of the science education ecosystem, including giving insight into what kinds of communication works for whom and under what conditions. We describe methods for characterizing an online, scientific affinity space using three science-based hashtags: #ScienceTwitter, #AcademicTwitter, and #SciComm. Researchers applied an established framework to describe a subset of users who interacted with these hashtags (n = 1000) and analyzed the structure of the network during a one-month period. Social network analysis showed a highly dispersed network, but equal numbers of scientists, members of …

Climate Change In South Asia: A Review Of Perceptions, Coping, And Adaptation Strategies, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed

Student Research Symposium

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the entire planet. It has been found that South Asia is highly susceptible to the negative consequences of climate change, making it one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. In addition, agriculture makes up the majority of this region's economy, which accounts for the vast majority of GDP. A handful of individuals also occupy an area of arable land that is smaller than 0.1 hectares in size. As a result, local people in the South Asian region, particularly farmers, have utilized a variety of coping and adaptation tactics …

Do Immigrants' Ever Oppose Immigration?, Aflatun Kaeser

Student Research Symposium

This paper analyses immigrants’ views on immigration, contributing to the behavioral literature on immigration. In particular, it explores the role of statistical discrimination as a cause of possible opposition to immigration in the absence of stringent immigration policies and large volumes of undocumented immigration. We test this hypothesis using US data from the 7th wave of the World Value Survey, finding that successful immigrants in the US (i.e. those who are in the top quintile of the socio-economic classification), who may benefit the most from being perceived as unrelated to unskilled undocumented immigrants, have negative views about immigration, especially with …

Understanding Pottery Adoption In The Kodiak Archipelago, Elizabeth Groat

Student Research Symposium

The ceramic tradition of the Kodiak Archipelago raises interesting questions about decision-making among socially and economically complex hunter-gatherers. Why was pottery adopted, why so late, and why only in the southern archipelago? My thesis research addresses these questions through technological investment thinking and experimental reconstruction. Strategies employed involve discussions with Alutiiq Elders, examination of sherds held in museum collections, lab analysis, and hands-on trial-and-error experimentation. The results will be relevant to questions about Kodiak's history, complex hunter-gatherer groups, pottery adoption, and technological investment in general.