Digital Commons Network^™

Tropical Arithmetics And Dot Product Representations Of Graphs, Nicole Turner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In tropical algebras we substitute min or max for the typical addition and then substitute addition for multiplication. A dot product representation of a graph assigns each vertex of the graph a vector such that two edges are adjacent if and only if the dot product of their vectors is greater than some chosen threshold. The resultS of creating dot product representations of graphs using tropical algebras are examined. In particular we examine the tropical dot product dimensions of graphs and establish connections to threshold graphs and the threshold dimension of a graph.

Relationship Of Nutritional Factors To Cognitive Decline In The Progression Of Dementia: The Cache County Dementia Progression Study, Chelsea Sanders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Cache County Memory Study at Utah State University studied longitudinal changes in memory and aging in a population-based sample of 5,092 older adults in semirural Cache County, UT. Three hundred twenty-eight participants with dementia were identified through a multi-staged screening and assessment protocol and visited semiannually for up to 8 years in the Dementia Progression Study (DPS). The current project reviews data from the first 6 years due to attrition in later years. Researchers collected information regarding the participants’ demographics, health, lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity), cognitive abilities and neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as their caregivers’ demographics, health, and …

Fake And Spam Messages: Detecting Misinformation During Natural Disasters On Social Media, Meet Rajdev

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During natural disasters or crises, users on social media tend to easily believe contents of postings related to the events, and retweet the postings, hoping that the postings will be reached by many other users. Unfortunately, there are malicious users who understand the tendency and post misinformation such as spam and fake messages with expecting wider propagation. To resolve the problem, in this paper we conduct a case study of the 2013 Moore Tornado and Hurricane Sandy. Concretely, we (i) understand behaviors of these malicious users; (ii) analyze properties of spam, fake and legitimate messages; (iii) propose flat and hierarchical …

Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis Of Whole Field Pennycress Biomass, Yonas Afewerki Kidane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To satisfy the energy demand of the ever-increasing world population as well as to prevent environmental pollution arising from the use of fossil fuels, an alternate source of energy has to be developed. Biomass has the potential to provide a renewable energy source that is inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.), previously considered as a weed, has now been found to be an ideal source of bio-fuel production. The focus of this research was to produce upgraded bio-oil by a process known as catalytic fast pyrolysis. A characterization and a temperature degradation profile study helped to …

Catalytic Pyrolysis Of Olive Mill Wastewater Sludge, Hamza Abdellaoui

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

From 2008 to 2013, an average of 2,821.4 kilotons/year of olive oil were produced around the world. The waste product of the olive mill industry consists of solid residue (pomace) and wastewater (OMW). Annually, around 30 million m³ of OMW are produced in the Mediterranean area, 700,000 m³ year⁻¹ in Tunisia alone. OMW is an aqueous effluent characterized by an offensive smell and high organic matter content, including high molecular weight phenolic compounds and long-chain fatty acids. These compounds are highly toxic to micro-organisms and plants, which makes the OMW a serious threat to the environment if …

The Underground Gang: Cyclist Group Identity As Expressed Through Folk Art, Folk Events, Narratives, And Community Spaces, Anna P. Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is a study of the “underground” cycling community in Ogden, Utah. This thesis establishes a groundwork understanding of the nature of underground cycling culture, particularly in relation to identity. Using folkloric definitions of identity and subculture as my foundation, I conducted fieldwork with the Ogden cycling community to examine four different facets of cyclist activities: folk art, folk events, narratives, and the community’s use of space. Each of the four facets also illustrated the different levels of identity, shifting from individual levels, outward to the performance of identity as an individual and group within a larger local and …

Using Network Models To Predict Steelhead Abundance, Middle Fork John Day, Or, Monica R. Blanchard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is important in the management of threatened and endangered species to have informed population estimates. Population estimates are used to gage whether or not recovery goals are being met. When assessing Pacific salmonids this assessment involves sampling a small subset of the population and then scaling up to estimate larger populations units. This is complicated by the fact that fish populations are not evenly distributed along river systems but respond to fluctuating physical and biological stream properties. We used rapid assessment survey methods and the River Styles classification to explore fish-habitat relationships. River Styles is a classification system that …

Cultural, Demographic, And Environmental Influences On Risk Perception And Mitigation In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Voravee Saengawut Chakreeyarat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protecting human communities and natural environments from wildfire is growing more complex as more people move to fire-prone areas across the United States. This study integrates cultural, psychological, and environmental information to reach a better understanding of the linkages between perceptions of risk from wildfire and people’s behaviors to reduce that risk. Through studies in fire-prone communities in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, I investigated factors that influence peoples’ decisions whether to undertake wildfire hazard mitigation activities such as clearing dead vegetation around the house. The social and ecological characteristics of individual properties were investigated to understand how they are …

A Feminist Examination Of How Girls And Women Engage With A Female Protagonist In Dystopian Young Adult Literature, Robin A. Parent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examines how girls and women related to a strong female protagonist in Scott Westerfeld's book Uglies, a dystopian young adult novel. I chose the text, Uglies, as a common experience shared between both participant groups. Two main research questions framed this study: How do girls and women relate to the female protagonist in dystopian YAL? and, How are the responses to dystopian YAL similar and different for the targeted teen audience and the adult audience? This study utilized third-wave feminism and reader response theory for its critical framework. Third-wave feminism calls for researchers to foreground personal …

A Study Of The Dayside High-Latitude Ionospheric Electrodynamics During Extended Solar Minimum, Janelle V. Jenniges

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research investigated how electric fields, currents, and charged particles in Earth's high-latitude ionosphere respond to changing input from the sun. The ionosphere surrounds the entire Earth, makes radio communication possible, and can significantly degrade satellite communications and geo-positioning (navigation) capabilities. Many satellites fly within the ionosphere where a solar storm can cause increased satellite drag or destroy onboard electronics. Therefore, understanding and correctly predicting the behavior of this environment is important, and the results from this research will be used to improve current ionospheric models.

A relationship between the level of magnetic activity on Earth due to changes in …

Grass-Shrub Spatial Associations Over Precipitation And Grazing Gradients In The Great Basin, Usa, Maike F. Holthuijzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As environmental stress increases, positive plant interactions dominate, resulting in clumped, plant-plant spatial patterns. Positive plant-plant interactions have received more attention in recent years due to their importance to the structure and function of arid ecosystems. Certain plants (nurses), provide benefits that help neighboring plants grow or survive.

I investigated spatial associations between Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and three native grasses (Poa secunda, Elymus elymoides, and Pseudoroegnaria spicata) across a rainfall gradient in the Great Basin, USA. We also explored the effect of grazing on grass-shrub spatial patterns. I hypothesized that positive …

Interactive Computer Simulation And Animation Learning Modules: A Mixed-Method Study Of Their Effects On Students' Problem Solving In Particle Dynamics, Yongquing Guo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Engineering dynamics is a fundamental core course in many undergraduate engineering curricula. This course is widely regarded as one of the most difficult engineering courses for students to succeed in. A variety of instructional strategies, such as hands-on experimentation, multimedia games, and computer simulation and animation (CSA), have been developed to improve student learning. Among these instructional strategies, CSA has been receiving increasing attention and applications in the international engineering education community. CSA provides students with a visualization tool and a constructivist environment to better understand various engineering problems.

The goal of this dissertation research was to improve student learning …

The Role Of Diet, Erythrocyte Membrane Fatty Acid Composition, And Alzheimer's-Related Genes In Systemic Inflammation In The Cache County Memory Study, Rola Adnan Jalloun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly, accounting for 60 to 80% of all dementia cases. It affects 5.2 million Americans and 44 million worldwide. This project examines the association between dietary patterns, erythrocyte membrane fatty acids concentration, and AD-related genes in systemic inflammation as indicated by serum C-reactive protein (CRP). All studies performed in this project used the data collected in the Cache County Memory Study (CCMS).

Higher levels of accordance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean dietary (MED) patterns were associated with consistently lower levels of CRP in …

A Chronostratigraphic Record Of Arroyo Entrenchment And Aggradation In Kanab Creek, Southern Utah, Kirk F. Townsend

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the processes that lead to the formation of arroyos. Arroyos are entrenched stream channels with steep sides that form by incision into valley-fill sediment, and are common features throughout the southwest United States. Many of these systems formed during the late AD 1800s and early 1900s in one of the most significant historic geomorphic events in the region. At this time, former river floodplains were abandoned, creating terraces. This caused a decline in local water tables and associated changes in stream discharge, vegetative communities, and the ability to irrigate once fertile floodplains. …

The Effect Of Deposition From Static Rocket Tests On Immature Corn, Alfalfa, And Winter Wheat, Eric Curry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

ATK tests the performance of large solid rocket motors (SRMs) at their facility located in Promontory Point, Utah, USA. During these tests, an estimated 1.5 million kg (~3.3 million lbs.) of entrained soil and rocket exhaust are sent skyward in a cloud that can travel as far as 10-12 miles from the test site. As the cloud cools deposition known as Test Fire Soil (TFS) can settle on local crops. Farmers in the area have voiced concerns about the effects of TFS on their crops.

To address the concerns, I looked at the effect of a typical TFS deposition loading …

Comparison Of Neurological Activation Patterns Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorders When Verbally Responding To A Pragmatic Task, Daphne U. Hartzheim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the neurological activation of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) while performing a pragmatic judgment task. In this study, children between the ages of 9 and 15 years responded to questions regarding a social situation, taken from the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, while concurrently having their brain activity measured. We targeted four brain regions for analysis: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL).

Ten children with ASD and 20 typically developing (TD) children participated. Matching occurred in a bracketing manner with each child in the ASD …

Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth: 2014 Farm Bill Insect And Disease Restoration Provision -- True Gift Or False Hope?, Jamilee E. Holmstead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill were meant to increase the speed within which natural resource managers could treat insect and disease issues on National Forests. In order to use this new authority, each state was required to nominate acre portions of each National Forest with insect and disease risks.

The 35 nominations that were submitted differed substantially, from the amount of acreage nominated to the amount of effort that went into developing the nomination. The purpose of the research was to understand why there was such variation in the nominations. Several of the states that submitted nominations were contacted …

Population And Community Dynamics Of Freshwater Decapods In Response To Ecological And Anthropogenic Factors In Subtropical Streams In The Caribbean, Omar Perez-Reyes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Historically, cities were established in close proximity to the richest agricultural lands and freshwater resources. In tropical islands, urbanization occupies a large percentage of land use along streams and rivers and strongly affects the biota and habitat quality. I studied freshwater decapod population and community dynamics in tropical streams of Puerto Rico across human and elevational gradients. I found that: 1) streams with less urbanization had higher decapod species richness and population sizes than the highly urbanized streams; 2) changes in the food webs in the streams are the result of the influence of changes in land use and environmental …

Salt And The Rough-Skinned Newt (Taricha Granulosa): Evolutionary Investigations Of Local Adaptation To An Anthropogenic And Natural Stressor, Gareth Rowland Hopkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Amphibians are osmotically-challenged due to their highly permeable skin and egg membranes. As such, biologists have mostly ignored their occurrence in saline habitats. The goal of this dissertation was to investigate the ability of amphibians to adapt to inhabit these osmotically-stressful environments. As freshwater resources are increasingly salinized due to a combination of anthropogenic and natural stressors, including road-deicing salt application, coastal storm events, and sea-level rise, it is important to understand the abilities and constraints of sensitive organisms, like amphibians, to persist in these environments. I began by exploring what is known about amphibians inhabiting saline habitats around the …

The Role Of Medical Comorbidities On The Risk For Severe Dementia, Institutionalization, And Death In Alzheimer's Disease: A Population Study In Cache County, Utah, Mac J. Gilbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that impairs cognitive and functional abilities. Without a cure, it is estimated there will be 81 million cases of Alzheimer’s disease by 2040. Life for the individual with Alzheimer’s disease, and their family, changes drastically when the affected individual experiences significant problems with memory, thinking, and ability to complete daily tasks. Some become so debilitated that they need to be placed in a nursing home for supportive care. Until a cure is discovered, it will be important to identify what can be done to help those with Alzheimer’s disease minimize time spent experiencing severe …

Relationships Between Water Developments And Select Mammals On The U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, Bryan M. Kluever

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water is essential to life. Three general forms of water exist: pre-formed water that is available in food, metabolic water that is created as a byproduct of life processes (e.g., metabolism of fat or breakdown of carbohydrates), and free water (i.e., water available for drinking). As humans settle arid environments, the addition of man-made free water sources (e.g., sewage ponds, catchment ponds) often occurs. In addition, a tool commonly used to increase the abundance or distribution of wildlife species in desert environments is the addition of water sources, usually specifically designed to benefit game species like bighorn sheep (Ovis …

Effects Of Differential Rates Of Alternative Reinforcement On Resurgence Of Human Behavior: A Translational Model Of Relapse In The Anxiety Disorders, Brooke M. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Brooke M. Smith, graduate student in the Combined Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology program at Utah State University, proposed and completed this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Master of Science in Psychology.

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychological disorders in the world, and they place a substantial burden on society. Although successful psychological treatments for anxiety are available, many people still experience relapse once treatment ends. When consequences that follow a behavior increase its future probability, this is termed “reinforcement.” One common treatment approach for anxiety is to attempt to decrease problematic behavior, such as avoidance, …

The Mystical Union Of Infant Baptism: How Baptists Contributed To The Idea Of Race By Their Rejection Of Infant Baptism, Isaiah E. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the first three centuries CE, the sacrament of baptism proved to be a universal tool which united people beyond age, race, or ethnicity as we understand it today. To put it simply, the theological meaning of baptism was reinforced by the sacrament of infant baptism. That is to say that the Christian faith was for all, irrespective of one’s race, age, or social-status. This openness to Christianity changed in the early modern period. In the seventeenth century the Baptists rejected infant baptism, for a more rational faith based on Enlightenment and Romantic assumptions. What the Baptists did not realize …

Investigation Of Sugar/Polyols As Weakly Interacting Cosolvents And Their Influence On Hardening Of High-Protein Nutrition Bars, Sami Kadhim Hassan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Western Dairy Center (WDC) at Utah State University demonstrated opportunities to improve the quality of high-protein snack foods that becoming more prevalent in western diets. Previously, such high-protein nutrition bars became too hard during storage and they had a limited shelf life, resulting in disappointment by consumers or loss of product as older products needed to be discarded.

With sponsorship as a doctoral student by the Iraq Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and in conjunction with WDC researchers, an investigation was conducted into the chemistry of high-protein nutrition bars and how the various components (protein, carbohydrate and …

Linking Form And Process In Braided Rivers Using Physical And Numerical Models, Alan Kasprak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Braided rivers are characterized by their dynamic nature, and are often significantly reshaped during each flood capable of transporting sediment. Over time, they adjust in response to the frequency and magnitude of floods, along with the amount of sediment available for bar building. Factors such as climate change, dam construction, or land use alteration that change the amount of sediment or water available to braided rivers may subsequently affect channel form. One avenue toward understanding braided channel evolution is to develop simple relationships between channel form and sediment transport, and extrapolate those relationships over extended timescales. With funding from the …

Relative Toxicity Of Select Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloids And Evaluation Of A Heterozygous P53 Knockout Mouse Model For Dehydropyrrolizidine Alkaloid Induced Carcinogenesis, Ammon W. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (DHPAs) are toxins produced by approximately 3% of the world’s flowering plants that can be present naturally or as contaminants in animal feed and the human food supply. Many of these compounds have been determined to cause cancer in animals and probably also cause cancer in humans. Due to the difficulty in obtaining sufficient amounts of pure DHPAs most toxicity research has been done via injection of a small amount into the abdomen of a rodent, although natural exposure is exclusively oral. For the same reason, cancer research is limited to a handful of the hundreds of known …

The Relationship Of Trait Mindfulness And Positive Mental And Physical Health Among College Students, Sarah A. Potts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mindfulness interventions have become an increasingly popular psychological intervention for mental health providers, especially in Westernized countries. Mindfulness interventions are promising in terms of possibly reducing physical and mental health symptoms among a wide variety of clients (including college students) presenting diverse diagnoses. While a number of studies suggest that mindfulness interventions increase mindfulness ability, as demonstrated by an increase in awareness, attention to the present moment, or other components of mindfulness, this assertion has not been validated because many researchers utilizing a mindfulness intervention fail to include measures assessing change in trait mindfulness ability. The present study examined mindfulness …

Analysis Of Quality Of Two Different Varieties Of Peaches With Respect To Organic And Conventional Cultivation Techniques, Shruti D. Sawant

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The worldwide demand for organic produce has been on the rise in recent years. This is a result of consumer concerns about the environment and chemicals used in food production. In addition, consumers have demonstrated that they are willing to pay premium prices for organic produce based on the general assumption that organic produce is more nutritious, environmentally friendly, and better-tasting. There have been several studies that have reported significant differences with organic and conventionally grown produce. Organic fruits and vegetables have been shown to have higher dry matter, antioxidants. In addition, it has also been shown to be smaller …

Digital Soil Mapping Using Landscape Stratification For Arid Rangelands In The Eastern Great Basin, Central Utah, Brook B. Fonnesbeck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In some parts of the western US there is limited publicly available soil information that can be used to make land management decisions on both public and private land. A goal of the USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Utah was to map an area in central Utah where such soil maps and value-added information was not available for management and restoration decisions following a wildfire. In 2007, the Milford Flat Fire had burned more than 363,000 acres, removing vegetation that was holding erosion-sensitive soils in place. Following inconsistent results from stabilization and restoration efforts, this study was funded …

Site-Based And Nonsite Archaeological Survey: A Comparison Of Two Survey Methods In The City Of Rocks, Idaho, Patrick Reed Mcdonald

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Archaeology in the western United States frequently employs pedestrian survey of the ground surface to locate and identify archaeological sites. Proponents of alternative survey techniques suggest that site-based survey may be inherently flawed and will not accurately detect, document, or account for artifacts located outside of site boundaries. Site-based survey identifies artifacts, and then searches the area more intensively in an attempt to identify a spatial break in artifact presence. Nonsite approaches utilize point plotting of all discovered artifacts in order to quantitatively identify relationships between artifacts. Quantitative analysis removes a level of researcher bias from the interpretation of past …