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Geometry- And Accuracy-Preserving Random Forest Proximities With Applications, Jake S. Rhodes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many machine learning algorithms use calculated distances or similarities between data observations to make predictions, cluster similar data, visualize patterns, or generally explore the data. Most distances or similarity measures do not incorporate known data labels and are thus considered unsupervised. Supervised methods for measuring distance exist which incorporate data labels and thereby exaggerate separation between data points of different classes. This approach tends to distort the natural structure of the data. Instead of following similar approaches, we leverage a popular algorithm used for making data-driven predictions, known as random forests, to naturally incorporate data labels into similarity measures known …

Interrogation Of Social Justice Contexts In Mathematical Modeling: The Use Of Simulations Of Practice In The Mathematical Preparation Of Teachers, Cynthia Oropesa Anhalt, Ricardo Cortez, Brynja Kohler, Will Tidwell

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Research in prospective teachers’ development of mathematical modeling knowledge for teaching is gaining momentum. The Mathematics of Doing, Understanding, Learning, and Educating for Secondary Students [MODULE(S2)]* project developed a curriculum in modeling for teacher education that includes simulations of practice, in which prospective teachers reflect on and plan a discussion around student thinking, their models, and the contextualization of their results. We present an analysis of prospective teachers’ modeling work on the decreasing area of Indigenous reservation land in the U.S., and a simulation of practice which explores different methods for finding the area of land in connection to …

"Design For Co-Design" In A Computer Science Curriculum Research-Practice Partnership, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway, Mimi Recker

Publications

This paper reports on a study of the dynamics of a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) oriented around design, specifically the co-design model. The RPP is focused on supporting elementary school computer science (CS) instruction by involving paraprofessional educators and teachers in curricular co-design. A problem of practice addressed is that few elementary educators have backgrounds in teaching CS and have limited available instructional time and budget for CS. The co-design strategy entailed highlighting CS concepts in the mathematics curriculum during classroom instruction and designing computer lab lessons that explored related ideas through programming. Analyses focused on tensions within RPP interaction dynamics …

Dahlia Mosaic Virus On Dahlia, Savannah Gleeson, Melanie Stock, Claudia Nischwitz

All Current Publications

Dahlias are economically important crops in the cut flower industry, which is growing rapidly in US Mountain West. Dahlia stems can be sold at $4 to $5 each on wholesale markets, as locally produced dahlias are particularly sought after by florists due to their higher quality and longer vase life than imports. There are many different varieties of dahlias, and they can all be impacted by Dahlia Mosaic Virus (DMV), a widespread viral disease. DMV is causing significant losses in quality and yield of dahlias. This fact sheet details the symptoms, disease cycle, and management.

Landscape Tree Irrigation Calculator, Shital Poudyal

All Current Publications

Trees, undoubtedly, are the most valuable plant in a landscape and must be prioritized for irrigation in drought conditions. Grass easily recovers from a period of long drought; hence, it must be placed last on the priority list for irrigation. Many resources are available online that explain ways to irrigate landscape trees. However, growers and homeowners in Utah are still confused about quantifying and applying the appropriate amount of water a landscape tree needs. This Excel spreadsheet is an irrigation calculator designed to determine the amount of water a landscape tree needs in Utah’s hot and dry summer months. Find …

Limited Effects Of Precipitation Manipulation On Soil Respiration And Inorganic N Concentrations Across Soil Drainage Classes In Northern Minnesota Aspen Forests, Anna B. Stockstad, Robert A. Slesak, Alan J. Toczydlowski, Charles R. Blinn, Randall K. Kolka, Stephen D. Sebestyen

Aspen Bibliography

It is critical to gain insight into the responses of forest soils to the changing climate. We simulated future climate conditions with growing season throughfall reduction (by 50%) and winter snow removal using a paired-plot design across a soil drainage class gradient at three upland, Populus-dominated forests in northern Minnesota, USA. In situ bulk soil respiration and concentrations of extractable soil N were measured during the summers of 2020–2021. Soil respiration and N concentrations were not affected by throughfall reduction and snow removal, which was largely attributed to the limited treatment effects on soil moisture content and soil temperature. …

How Much Water Do Landscape Trees Require In Utah? An Irrigation Calculator, Shital Poudyal

All Current Publications

Trees, undoubtedly, are the most valuable plant in a landscape and must be prioritized for irrigation in drought conditions. Grass easily recovers from a period of long drought; hence, it must be placed last on the priority list for irrigation. Many resources are available online that explain ways to irrigate landscape trees. However, growers and homeowners in Utah are still confused about quantifying and applying the appropriate amount of water a landscape tree needs. This fact sheet includes a simple calculator designed to determine the amount of water a landscape tree needs in Utah’s hot and dry summer months.

Ground Station Eat, Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Ground Components

Two primary subsystems

•Ground Station(s)

•  May be your own or commercial
• Includes radio(s), antenna(s), rotor, etc.
• Heavily intertwined with satellite communications system
• Influences link budget

•Ground data system

• Your command, control, and telemetry interface
• Operator facing tools
• Front end processor
• Includes computer(s), networking equipment, displays, software tools, etc.
• Directly links to your ground station via network

•Additional ground subsystems could include:

• Payload ground (i.e. optical ground terminal)
• Space comm networks (i.e. Iridium)

Adapting To Low Colorado River Flows And Storage: Lessons From 3 Computer Exercises, David E. Rosenberg

Publications

As Colorado River flows and reservoir levels decline, discussion is ramping up about adapting operations to low flow and storage because existing operations adapt only to storage. This post reviews three recent computer exercises that adapted Colorado River operations to low flow and low storage. Three final paragraphs synthesize lessons to build towards more equitable and sustainable operations.

Precipitation Intensification Increases Shrub Dominance In Arid, Not Mesic, Ecosystems, Martin C. Holdrege, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Kyle A. Palmquist

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Precipitation events have been predicted and observed to become fewer, but larger, as the atmosphere warms. Water-limited ecosystems are especially sensitive to changes in water cycling, yet evidence suggests that productivity may either increase or decrease in response to precipitation intensification. Interactions among climate, soil properties, and vegetation type may explain different responses, but this is difficult to experimentally test over large spatial scales. Simulation modeling may reveal the mechanisms through which climate, soils, and vegetation interact to affect plant growth. We use an individual-based plant ecohydrological model to simulate the effects of 25%, 50%, and 100% increases in precipitation …

"To Keep The Church Record And History": The Evolution Of The Church Historian's Office, Cory L. Nimer

Journal of Western Archives

Authors looking at the development of the field of Mormon history have often evaluated it in terms of historiography—as its progression from the domain of amateurs to the output of academics. However, studies of the composition and development of the larger history profession have focused on the discipline's fragmentation and the formation of an "archival divide" between those that write history and those collecting and preserving its sources. This latter approach provides a useful framework for understanding the evolution of the Church Historian's Office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from its origins in 1831 to its …

The Status Of Women Leaders In Utah Public Education (K–12): A 2022 Update, Hannah Payne, Kim Buesser, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2014, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) released a research and policy brief titled “The Status of Women Leaders in Utah Education,”¹ and an updated version was published in 2017.² The reports focused on the status of women’s leadership in all Utah education sectors. In 2021, UWLP updated the postsecondary education portion of the brief,³ and this report provides an update of the K–12 portion. The purpose of this brief is to determine what, if any, progress has been made in women’s leadership within Utah’s K–12 education sector, including public and charter schools. This brief …

Media Moguls: Finding And Using Creative Commons Media In The Classroom, Erica Finch

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Pictures, videos, music, and other types of media can help engage your class, but how do we find and use media in a way that sets a good example for students? As students navigate the confusing landscapes of copyright, citation, and media use in their course work, can we help them chart a path to success by engaging in practices they can emulate?

Creative Commons licenses make it easy to use media with confidence and avoid copyright pitfalls. This session will explore what Creative Commons licenses are, how they work, and how to find Creative Commons media. Come ready to …

Open Educational Resources: Wherever, Whenever, Forever, Stephanie Western

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

"OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge." (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation)

Coping With Environmental Constraints: Geographically Divergent Adaptive Evolution And Germination Plasticity In The Transcontinental Populus Tremuloides, Roos Goessen, Nathalie Isabel, Christian Wehenkel, Nathalie Pavy, Lisa Tischenko, Lyne Touchette, Isabelle Giguère, Marie-Claude Gros-Louis, Jérôme Laroche, Brian Boyle, Raju Soolanayakanahally, Karen E. Mock, Javier Hernández-Velasco, Sergio Leonel Simental-Rodriguez, Jean Bousquet, Ilga M. Porth

Aspen Bibliography

Societal Impact Statement

Syntheses clearly show that global warming is affecting ecosystems and biodiversity around the world. New methods and measures are needed to predict the climate resilience of plant species critical to ecosystem stability, to improve ecological management and to support habitat restoration and human well-being. Widespread keystone species such as aspen are important targets in the study of resilience to future climate conditions because they play a crucial role in maintaining various ecosystem functions and may contain genetic material with untapped adaptive potential. Here, we present a new framework in support of climate-resilient revegetation based on comprehensively understood …

Blood Chemistry And Biliverdin Differ According To Reproduction And Tourism In A Free-Living Lizard, Susannah French

Browse all Datasets

Changes in the physiological health of species are an essential indicator of changing conditions and environmental challenges. Reponses to environmental challenges can often induce stress, influence physiology, and change metabolism in organisms. Here we tested blood chemistry parameters indicative of stress and metabolic activity using an i-STAT point-of-care blood analyzer in seven populations of free-ranging rock iguanas exposed to varying levels of tourism and supplemental feeding. We found significant differences in blood chemistry (glucose, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hematocrit, hemoglobin, calcium, potassium, and biliverdin levels) among populations exposed to varying levels of tourism, and also some variation between sexes and reproductive …

Data From: Complex Tourism And Season Interactions Contribute To Disparate Physiologies In An Endangered Rock Iguana, Susannah French

Browse all Datasets

To promote survival and fitness, organisms use a suite of physiological systems to respond to both predictable and unpredictable changes in the environment. These physiological responses are also influenced by changes in life history state. The continued activation of physiological systems stemming from persistent environmental perturbations enable animals to cope with these challenges but may over time lead to significant effects on the health of wildlife. In the present study, we tested how varying environmental perturbations driven by tourism and associated supplemental feeding affects the energetics, corticosterone and immunity of six discrete populations of the northern Bahamian rock iguana (Cyclura …

Managing Stress For Agricultural Producers: Learning To "Unhook", Jacob Gossner, Beth Fauth, Tasha Howard

All Current Publications

All of us experience stress, and with it, unpleasant, uncomfortable, or distressing thoughts. Agriculture can be an especially stressful profession. Much of the time, people are able to manage the stress—we refocus on our lives and move on. At other times, however, stressful thoughts impact moods negatively. These thoughts seem to consume all attention, pulling people away from others and things they care about in a process called “getting hooked” (Harris, 2019). Unhelpful thoughts may make people act in ways they don’t feel good about. The good news is that people can learn skills to “unhook” from unhelpful thoughts and …

Utah Brand Inspections For Horses, Karl Hoopes, Jacob Hadfield, Jessie Hadfield

All Current Publications

Brand inspection laws and proof of ownership laws are often misunderstood by horse owners in Utah. Outlined in this paper are the current laws regarding requirements for proof of ownership while traveling and brand inspection requirements during the transfer of ownership.

Does Internalized Stigma Change The Way That Religiousness Relates To Depression For People With Minoritized Sexualities?, G. Tyler Lefevor, Chana Etengoff, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Drawing on minority stress and intersectionality theories, we examine whether the relationship between religiousness and depression among people with marginalized sexualities changes as a function of their experience of internalized stigma. Analyses of a sample of 260 people with marginalized sexualities suggested that the relationship between religiousness and depression was moderated by internalized homonegativity. Simple slopes analyses revealed that when people with marginalized sexualities reported higher degrees of internalized homonegativity, the relationship between religiousness and depression was positive. Conversely, when people with marginalized sexualities reported lower degrees of internalized homonegativity, religiousness was negatively related to depression. Dismantling analyses using subscales …

Oaks In The Landscape, Sheriden M. Hansen, Jaydee Gunnell, Andra Emmertson

All Current Publications

Oak trees (Quercus sp.) are generally a tough, drought tolerant, and beautiful addition to Utah landscapes. There are roughly 450 known species of oak, with about 60 cultivars that are native to North America. Oaks are known for slow growth, sturdiness, and easy care and can be used to create a focal point and ornamental interest in the landscape. This fact sheet reviews recommended cultivars for the Intermountain West and how to grow them, including site selection and preparation, planting and spacing, irrigation, and addressing challenges such as weeds, fertilization, pruning, and diseases and pests.

Leveraging Personal Values In An Endocrine Therapy Adherence-Promoting Trial For Breast Cancer Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Joanna J. Arch, Elizabeth Slivjak, Emma E. Bright, Catherine M. Crespi, Michael E. Levin, Sarah R. Genung, Madeline Nealis, Karen Albright, Jill L. Mitchell, Ami D. Sheth, Jessica F. Magidson, Annette L. Stanton

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Improving medication adherence represents one of the greatest behavioral challenges in medicine. Personal values are an under-examined source of motivation for adhering to medication. This secondary analysis leverages a mixed-method approach to understanding a novel, online, values-based intervention (‘REACH’) for promoting endocrine therapy (ET) adherence among breast cancer survivors, using data from a randomized trial.

Methods: Breast cancer survivors with challenges taking ET (n=88) were randomized 1:1 to ET Education + Values (REACH) or Education-only online interventions. This report focuses on the three values strategies used in REACH to promote ET adherence: affirming health-related values, using values-based …

Survival Of The Fattest: How Body Fat And Migration Influence Survival In Highly Seasonal Environments, Kristin Denryter, Mary M. Conner, Thomas R. Stephenson, David W. German, Kevin L. Monteith

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Energy stores and migration are important adaptations for animals in seasonal environments, but their roles may vary relative to an animal's endogenous and exogenous environment. In partially migratory populations, migrants and residents experience different seasonal environments; thus, the influence of energy stores on survival may differ relative to migratory tactic, with potential consequences to survival and fitness.

2. Using data from Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae; hereafter, Sierra bighorn), we tested the hypothesis that body fat (energy stores) buffers animals against their environment, but that buffering capacity differs across environments experienced by high-elevation residents (using …

A Modern Two-Layer Hypothesis Helps Resolve The ‘Savanna Problem’, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

For over a century, deep roots have been assumed to allow trees to avoid competition with grasses (i.e., the two-layer hypothesis). Yet, in part because it remains difficult to measure water uptake in the field, there has been a shift in savanna ecology away from the two-layer hypothesis and towards alternative explanations of tree-grass coexistence. Here, we combine hydrologic tracer experiments and soil water flow models to demonstrate how the distribution of active roots affects water uptake across a range of savanna conditions. Grass roots were shallower and provided pre-emptive access to enough soil water to allow nearly continuous grass …

Review Of Archival Virtue: Relationship, Obligation, And The Just Archives, J. Gordon Daines Iii

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Archival Virtue: Relationship, Obligation, and the Just Archives by Scott Cline.

Robust Trajectory Optimization And Gnc Performance Analysis For Nrho Rendezvous, David Woffinden, Simon Shuster, David Geller, Stefan Bieniawski

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

This paper evaluates several candidate Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbits (NRHO) rendezvous trajectory designs using linear covariance (LinCov) analysis and determines the optimal locations for NRHO rendezvous translational maneuver locations. The performance of several candidate relative trajectory designs are determined as a function of relative navigation accuracy (optical angles only), inertial optical navigation (OpNav), range observability maneuvers, maneuver execution errors, relative maneuver targeting, and environment uncertainties. Further, the optimal locations of rendezvous maneuvers are determined for each of the candidate reference trajectories. The long-term goal of this research is to utilize LinCov and a genetic optimization algorithm (GA) to determine a complete …

Documenting A Move Using Archival Description: Tools For Bridging The Gaps Between Physical And Intellectual Control, Bolton Doub

Journal of Western Archives

Following the move of approximately 40,000 linear feet of archival material between offsite storage facilities, the University of Southern California (USC) Libraries began a project to document these holdings’ new locations using ArchivesSpace. This case study explores a combination of tools--including the ArchivesSpace API, Python scripts, OpenRefine, and spreadsheet applications--that the USC Libraries used to batch-edit and create container data in ArchivesSpace following the move. The paper discusses the challenges and shortcomings of these tools for editing particular forms of legacy data entered into USC’s instance of ArchivesSpace long before the move. When the creators of this past description prioritized …

Review Of “All Shook Up”: The Archival Legacy Of Terry Cook, Grant G. Mandarino

Journal of Western Archives

Review of “All Shook Up”: The Archival Legacy of Terry Cook.

Usu 1730 Online Library Workshop (Outdated), Usu Libraries

All E-Learning Resources

Attention: As of 2026 updated versions of this item will no longer be available on Digital Commons. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Introduces students to information literacy, evaluating sources, and Donovan's Dilemma.

The Status Of Utah American Indian Women, Tasha Toy, Marin Christensen, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2021, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reported that “Utah ranks as the 34th most racially and ethnically diverse state in the nation, with 22% of the state identifying as other than non-Hispanic White.”¹ As the state continues to become more diverse, it is critical that the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) conducts and reports research focused on women of color. As the UWLP focuses on strengthening the impact of all Utah girls and women, research that increases our understanding of the status and experiences of girls and women within all social and identity groups—including race and …