Digital Commons Network^™

Neutro-Connectedness Theory, Algorithms And Applications, Min Xian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Connectedness plays an important role in human cognitive and learning activities. Human vision system is very sensitive to the connectedness property of objects and effective in "calculating" the property. The study of connectedness will help us explore the way of human brain extracting the global properties of objects, and enable different avenues to design new artificial intelligent (AI) systems with better performances.

However, connectedness is rarely considered in current AI systems because of the lack of complete theoretic system and efficient computation algorithm. In this work, I focus on building the connectedness theory and algorithms in digital space, and apply …

29-Day Analysis Of Scale Heights And The Inference Of The Topside Ionosphere Over Millstone Hill During The 2002 Incoherent Scatter Radar Campaign, Jennifer L. Meehan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aims to characterize the topside ionospheric density and temperature profiles using readily available Global Positioning System (GPS) total electron content (TEC) and ionosonde bottomside profile of electron density. The aim of this study is to find a technique that can be applied globally rather than specific locations where a wealth of data exists. Knowledge of the distribution of electron density and its altitude dependence, known as scale height, is important for ionospheric empirical modeling and ionospheric studies, and for practical applications, such as time delay correction of radiowave propagation through the ionosphere.

Over the years, researchers have gathered …

Burning Budgets: Does An Institutional Blank-Check Raise The Severity And Cost Of Fighting Wildland Fires?, Devin T. Stein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In conducting this research, I wanted to explore whether political incentives have a significant effect on wildfire management in the United States. I attempt to answer this question by proving a theoretical justification for why wildfires may become more expensive to fight and severe to manage because of political institutions. I then attempt to provide some hard evidence to support this theory by using regression analysis. My analysis suggests that political factors do matter for wildfire suppression funding, although I was unable to find strong enough evidence to suggest that these political factors are actually driving more severe wildfires.

This …

A Comparison Of Five Statistical Methods For Predicting Stream Temperature Across Stream Networks, Maike F. Holthuijzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The health of freshwater aquatic systems, particularly stream networks, is mainly influenced by water temperature, which controls biological processes and influences species distributions and aquatic biodiversity. Thermal regimes of rivers are likely to change in the future, due to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, and our ability to predict stream temperatures will be critical in understanding distribution shifts of aquatic biota. Spatial statistical network models take into account spatial relationships but have drawbacks, including high computation times and data pre-processing requirements. Machine learning techniques and generalized additive models (GAM) are promising alternatives to the SSN model. Two machine learning …

Analysis Of The Hite Fault Group, Southeast Utah: Insights Into Fluid Flow Properties In A Reservoir Analog, Daniel J. Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the subsurface faults can act as both barriers and conduits for fluids or gases such as CO₂, hydrocarbons, or water. It is often thought that faults in porous rocks such as sandstone are barriers to fluid flow. In this study we show that this is not always the case. In sandstones like the Cedar Mesa Sandstone it is very important to understand the relationships between this history of fault slip and fluid flow. Better understanding of how fluids migrate through faults and the damaged areas surrounding these faults has strong significance to the oil and gas industry. …

Spatiotemporal Evolution Of Pleistocene And Late Oligocene-Early Miocene Deformation In The Mecca Hills, Southernmost San Andreas Fault Zone, Amy C. Moser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seismogenically active faults (those that produce earthquakes) are very complex systems that constantly change through time. When an earthquake occurs, the rocks surrounding a fault (the “fault rocks”) become altered or damaged. Studying these fault rocks directly can inform what processes operated in the fault and how the fault evolved in space and time. Examining these key aspects of faults helps us understand the earthquake hazards of active fault systems.

The Mecca Hills, southern California, consist of a set of hills adjacent to the southernmost San Andreas Fault. The topography is related to motion on the San Andreas fault, which …

To What Extent Might Beaver Dam Building Buffer Water Storage Losses Associated With A Declining Snowpack?, Konrad Hafen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dams built by North American Beaver create natural water storage and slow water as it moves through streams. In portions of streams with beaver dams, these effects have been observed to decrease the peak magnitude of floods and increase base flow during annual summer droughts. In the western United States changes to streamflow patterns have been observed in recent decades with large spring floods coming earlier in the year, causing annual summer droughts to start earlier and last longer. These changes are linked to decreasing snowpack which acts as the most significant natural water storage reservoir by holding onto precipitation …

Design And Characterization Of A Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer For Composition Measurements In The Upper Atmosphere, E. Addison Everett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) is perhaps the least understood region of Earth's atmosphere. Too high for balloons and winged aircraft, yet too low for satellites, direct access to the MLT to make in-situ measurements is via high-speed sounding rockets for brief periods of at most a few minutes. Mass spectrometers have previously been used to make composition measurements in this region. But, mass spectrometry in the MLT is difficult, mainly due to the ambient pressures here and also the high speeds and short flight durations of sounding rocket missions. Time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOF-MS) are capable of making fast, accurate measurements …

How High School Records And Act Scores Predict College Graduation, Lianqun Sun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the degree to which ACT scores and high school records predict success in college. I used large public university admission and graduation panel data in order to address the following questions: (1) Are high school records (class rank, high school grade point average (GPA), and Advanced Placement (AP) test credits) better predictors of college success than ACT scores, and which is the best predictor among high school records and ACT scores? (2) Is there any heterogeneity in these effects across race, sex and residency (state or non-state students)?

By answering these …

A Tournament Approach To Price Discovery In The Us Cattle Market, Jeffrey Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cattle price discovery is a process of determining the price in the market through the interactions of cattle buyers (packers) and sellers (ranchers). Locating the price discovery center or market, and estimating price interactions among the regional fed cattle markets and also among feeder cattle markets can help define a relevant fed cattle procurement market. This research identifies that the U.S. cattle markets is discovered in the futures markets, feeder cattle futures and fed futures.

Conservative Tryptophan Mutations In Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Ptp1b And Its Effect On Catalytic Rate And Chemical Reaction, Teisha Richan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphorylated tyrosines by a 2-step mechanism involving nucleophilic attack by cysteine and general acid catalysis by aspartic acid. In most PTPs the aspartic acid resides on a flexible protein loop, consisting of about a dozen residues, called the WPD loop. PTP catalysis rates span several orders of magnitude, and differences in WPD loop dynamics have recently been show to correlate with the rate of enzymatic catalysis. The rate of WPD loop motion could possibly be related to a widely conserved tryptophan residue on the WPD loop. Therefore, point mutants were made in PTP1B …

Effects Of A Classroom Intervention On Academic Engagement Of Elementary School Students With Anxiety, Lychelle Leatham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the impact of anxiety reduction on academic engagement for elementary students experiencing high levels of anxiety. For participating students, the anxiety appeared to be impacting academic performance in the school setting. Student participants received modified cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) including exposure tasks with adult support in the school setting. Both anxiety and academic engagement was monitored by participating students and their teachers. Results show that this intervention has promising outcomes and provides initial support that anxiety reduction increases academic engagement for anxious elementary students

An Exploratory Study Of Fifth-Grade Students’ Reasoning About The Relationship Between Fractions And Decimals When Using Number Line-Based Virtual Manipulatives, Scott Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the relationship between fractions and decimals is an important step in developing an overall understanding of rational numbers. Research has demonstrated the feasibility of technology in the form of virtual manipulatives for facilitating students’ meaningful understanding of rational number concepts. This exploratory dissertation study was conducted for the two closely related purposes: first, to investigate a sample of fifth-grade students’ reasoning regarding the relationship between fractions and decimals for fractions with terminating decimal representations while using virtual manipulative incorporating parallel number lines; second, to investigate the affordances of the virtual manipulatives for supporting the students’ reasoning about the decimal-fraction …

Real-Time Vision-Based Lane Detection With 1d Haar Wavelet Transform On Raspberry Pi, Vikas Reddy Sudini

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid progress is being made towards the realization of autonomous cars. Since the technology is in its early stages, human intervention is still necessary in order to ensure hazard-free operation of autonomous driving systems. Substantial research efforts are underway to enhance driver and passenger safety in autonomous cars. Toward that end GreedyHaarSpiker, a real-time vision-based lane detection algorithm is proposed for road lane detection in different weather conditions. The algorithm has been implemented in Python 2.7 with OpenCV 3.0 and tested on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B ARMv8 1GB RAM coupled to a Raspberry Pi camera board v2. To …

Enhancing Students’ Higher Order Thinking Skills Through Computer-Based Scaffolding In Problem-Based Learning, Nam Ju Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this multiple-paper dissertation is to identify students' several difficulties in Problem-based learning and to address these issues by suggesting the design of computer-based scaffolding. In addition, the effectiveness of suggested design was confirmed through meta-analysis and the empirical research. Learner-centered Scaffolding Systems (LSS) is presented to improve students' perception of optimal challenge by addressing students' learning issues in PBL. LSS enhances students' experience in autonomy and competence by providing multiple types, modalities, and customization of scaffolding in accordance with student' different needs and difficulties in PBL. Bayesian meta-analysis for identifying the effects of suggested LSS indicated that …

Applications Of Relative Motion Models Using Curvilinear Coordinate Frames, Alex C. Perez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A new angles-only initial relative orbit determination (IROD) algorithm is derived using three line-of-sight observations. This algorithm accomplishes this by taking a Singular Value Decomposition of a 6x6 matrix to arrive at an approximate initial relative orbit determination solution. This involves the approximate solution of 6 polynomial equations in 6 unknowns. An iterative improvement algorithm is also derived that provides the exact solution, to numerical precision, of the 6 polynomial equations in 6 unknowns. The initial relative orbit algorithm is also expanded for more than three line-of-sight observations with an iterative improvement algorithm for more than three line-of-sight observations. The …

Participation In Dual Language Immersion Programs: Using Theory Of Planned Behavior To Predict Enrollment, Andrea Call

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many theories have been developed to help explain and predict human behavior. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) holds that behavior is based on behavioral intention, as well as attitudes, subjective (or social) norms, and perceived behavioral control. According to the TPB mode, perceived behavioral control moderates (or influences) the effect of behavioral intentions on behavior. Previous research has focused on the application of TPB to health behaviors, although some research has been done in educational situations. In addition, dual language immersion (DLI) programs are increasing in popularity, particularly in Utah. The Utah model begins in first grade, and follows …

Teacher Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Technology Integration In K-12 Schools, Clarence W. M. Ames

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Advancements in technology often make life easier, make processes easier, and increase efficiency. While this is true as much in the public school system as it is in other aspects of life, technology integration initiatives often struggle in K-12 schools. In its first year of implementation, one statewide technology initiative targeting personalized learning for mathematics resulted in significantly improved proficiency in mathematics for students with high technology usage, but over 90% of students had low usage. This year, which is year two of the initiative, I went into some of the classrooms in the Junior High with the highest technology …

Do Data Structures Matter? A Simulation Study For Testing The Validity Of Age-Period-Cohort Models, Sun Young Jeon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Age, period, and cohort are three temporal dimensions that can make unique contributions to social and epidemiological changes that occur in populations over time. However, while the theoretical underpinnings for each temporal dimension are well established, the statistical techniques to assess the distinctive contributions of age, period and cohort are controversial. Unless questionable assumptions are imposed on the data, traditional linear regression models are incapable of estimating the independent contribution of each temporal dimension due to the linear dependence between age, period and cohort (A=P-C). Two recently developed methods, Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort (HAPC) and Intrinsic Estimator (IE) models, enable researchers to …

An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study Of The School Leaders’ Role In Students’ Mathematics Achievement Through The Lens Of Complexity Theory, Emma P. Bullock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

School leaders are expected to make decisions that improve student mathematics achievement. However, one difficulty for school leaders has been the limited amount of research concerning content-specific (e.g., mathematics) school leadership and its effects on student achievement. School leaders do not make decisions in isolation; rather, they make decisions as part of a complex adaptive system (CAS), as proposed by complexity theory. The purpose of this study was to explore the role the school leader plays in students’ mathematics achievement through the lens of complexity theory.

The researcher collected survey data from K-12 school leaders and conducted focus group interviews …

Evaluation Of Flux Correction On Three-Dimensional Strand Grids With An Overset Cartesian Grid, Dalon G. Work

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Simulations of fluid flows over complex geometries are typically solved using a solution technique known as the overset meshing method. The geometry is meshed using grid types appropriate to the local geometry in a patchwork fashion, rather than meshing the entire geometry with one type of mesh. The strand-Cartesian approach is a simplification of this process. While high-order accurate solvers on Cartesian grids are simple to implement, strand grids are usually restricted to second-order accuracy, resulting in poor quality solutions. Flux correction is a high-order accurate solution method, specifically designed for use on strand grids. The flux correction method on …

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Resistance To Mountain Pine Beetle: An Evaluation Of Dendroctonus Ponderosae Host Selection Behavior And Reproductive Success In Pinus Longaeva, Erika L. Eidson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is a native bark beetle that attacks and kills most species of pines (Pinus) throughout its range in western North America. Due to the strong relationship between thermal conditions and mountain pine beetle population success, climate change-induced changes in mountain pine beetle outbreaks are a major concern for land managers. Over the past several decades, warmer than average temperatures allowed mountain pine beetle populations to reach epidemic levels across much of the western U.S. and Canada, including high elevations where outbreaks were previously limited by cool temperatures. Many high-elevation pine …

A Study On Human Evacuation Behavior Involving Individuals With Disabilities In A Building, Nirdosh Gaire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The individuals with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to hazards. However, there is very little research inquiry focused on evacuation environments and the behavior of individuals with disabilities. The most widely applied computational method used to study how effective the built environment facilities emergency evacuations in individuals-based modeling. Current pedestrian evacuation models rarely include individuals with disabilities in their simulated populations due to there being very few empirical studies of the evacuation behavior of individuals with disabilities. As a result, the models do not replicate accurate patterns of pedestrian or evacuation behavior of a heterogeneous population, which results in the evacuation …

Identifying The Underlying Components Of Delay Discounting Using Latent Factor Modeling, W. Brady Dehart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many problematic behaviors can be conceptualized as choosing a smaller, immediate outcome over a larger, delayed outcome. For example, drug abuse involves choosing between the immediate euphoric effects of the drug and the delayed health and legal consequences of drug abuse. Individuals that consistently choose the smaller outcome are said to behavior “impulsively.” The goal of this dissertation was to understand how to change impulsive choice. Chapters 2 and 3 successfully demonstrate that impulsive choice can be altered by reframing how the choice is presented. For example, framing a delayed outcome using a specific date instead of a duration of …

Spatial And Behavioral Patterns Of Captive Coyotes, Jeffrey T. Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental enrichment is a technique used at many captive animal facilities that can improve the well-being of their animals. It seeks to enhance habitat features and promote natural behavior by providing a variety of practical ways for captive animals to control their environmental settings, especially during stressful circumstances. Enclosure features, such as shelter structures, are one tool that promotes wild behavior by adding complexity to an enclosure’s physical environment. Enrichment efforts for captive wildlife are most effective when they are specialized to the biological needs of the animals. Human activity may alter captive animal behavior and utility of enclosure features, …

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Climate Change On Plant Populations And Communities In Sagebrush Steppe, Andrew R. Kleinhesselink

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid climate change presents humanity with a number of big problems. Foremost among these is the sad fact that the climate we will pass on to our children will likely be nothing like the climate that we inherited from our parents. Ecologists have collected solid evidence that climate change has already begun to affect the living things around us and the ecosystems humans depend on. Unfortunately, predicting the future effects of climate change on life on earth is not easy. We focused on three research goals as part of an effort to improve our ability to predict how plants and …

A Parallel Genetic Algorithm For Optimizing Multicellular Models Applied To Biofilm Wrinkling, Christopher Douglas Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Multiscale computational models integrating sub-cellular, cellular, and multicellular levels can be powerful tools that help researchers replicate, understand, and predict multicellular biological phenomena. To leverage their potential, these models need correct parameter values, which specify cellular physiology and affect multicellular outcomes. This work presents a robust parameter optimization method, utilizing a parallel and distributed genetic-algorithm software package. A genetic algorithm was chosen because of its superiority in fitting complex functions for which mathematical techniques are less suited. Searching for optimal parameters proceeds by comparing the multicellular behavior of a simulated system to that of a real biological system on the …

(Uranium-Thorium)/Helium Thermochronologic Constraints On Secondary Iron-Oxide Mineralization In Southwestern New Mexico, Michael Channer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Southwestern New Mexico experienced protracted volcanism from ~60 Ma to 500 ka and associated epithermal mineralization. We apply hematite (U-Th)/He (hematite He) thermochronology to fracture-hosted hematite in the Lordsburg Mining District to resolve the timing of mineralization related to hydrothermal fluid circulation. We interpret hematite He dates with integrated field and structural observations, scanning electron microscopy to characterize hematite texture and grain size distribution, and zircon U-Pb and zircon (U-Th)/He (zircon He) chronology to constrain the timing of host rock formation and the ambient low-temperature thermal history, respectively. Undeformed hematite fills fractures cut a brecciated rhyolite and preserve open voids. …

Expert Consensus On Barriers To College And University Online Education For Students With Blindness And Low Vision, Sachin D. Pavithran

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The availability of online college and university courses have continued to grow, offering opportunities for education to students that may find attending in a regular classroom difficult, if not impossible. The number of students with disabilities enrolling in online courses is also growing. However, because of the mode of delivery (via computer/internet), blind and low vision college and university students can find it difficult to participate fully in an online course if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. Education is directly related to blind and low vision individuals becoming fully employed and independent. Blind and low vision college …

Spatio-Temporal History Of Fluid-Rock Interaction In The Hurricane Fault Zone, Jace Michael Koger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Hurricane Fault is a 250-km long, west dipping, active Basin and Range-bounding normal fault in southwest Utah and northwest Arizona. There are multiple known hot springs along its 250-km length and multiple late Tertiary-Quaternary basaltic centers that broadly parallel the fault. Possible sources of hot spring fluids include deeply circulated meteoric water that experienced water-rock exchange at high temperatures (>100 °C) and deep-seated crustal fluids. Abundant damage zone veins, cements, and host rock alteration are present along strike, indicative of past fluid flow. Carbonate veins and cements are key features of the Hurricane Fault zone, and the primary …