Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Parameterized Least-Squares Attitude History Estimation And Magnetic Field Observations Of The Auroral Spatial Structures Probe, Ryan J. Martineau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As charged particles from the Sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere and create the aurora borealis (Northern lights) and aurora australis (Southern lights), energy is transferred to the atmosphere. In order to better understand the energy transfer processes, the Auroral Spatial Structures Probe rocket was launched to make measurements in the active aurora. Several payloads were deployed by the rocket, each with sensors to measure the magnetic field and the electric field so that the way they change over time and in different positions could be observed. The measurements require accurate knowledge of the spacecraft orientation, and to that end this …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations Of Oscillating Wings And Comparison To Lifting-Line Theory, Megan Keddington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed in order to compare the solutions of oscillating wings with Prandtl’s lifting-line theory. Quasi-steady and steady-periodic simulations were completed using the CFD software Star-CCM+. Quasi-steady simulations were completed for both twodimensional and three-dimensional setups. The steady-periodic simulations were only performed using a three-dimensional setup. The simulations were performed for nine separate frequencies in a pure plunging setup. An additional four simulations were then completed using a setup of combined pitching and plunging at four separate frequencies. Results from the CFD simulations were compared to the quasi-steady lifting-line solution in the form of the …

The Onion Name System: Tor-Powered Distributed Dns For Tor Hidden Services, Jesse Victors

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Tor network is a third-generation onion router that aims to provide private and anonymous Internet access to its users. In recent years its userbase, network, and community have grown significantly in response to revelations of national and global electronic surveillance, and it remains one of the most popular anonymity networks in use today. Tor also provides access to anonymous servers known as hidden services – servers of unknown location and ownership that may provide websites, chat services, or an electronic dead drop. These hidden services can be accessed through any Tor-powered web browser but they suffer from usability challenges …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Spatial Patterns Of Rural And Exurban Residential Settlement And Agricultural Trends In The Intermountain West, Saleh Ahmed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Population growth is often linked to negative impacts on agriculture. However, the effects of residential development likely depends on the spatial pattern of development, such as whether housing is clustered or dispersed, and whether it is located near or away from important farmland. For several decades, rural and urban planners have advocated policies to encourage consolidated forms of development as one strategy to protect agriculture and preserve open space. To date, relatively little empirical research has been conducted on the actual effects of different spatial patterns of residential settlement on agricultural. This study aims to fill that gap with a …

The Effect Of A Class-Wide Training On Prosocial Bystander Behaviors, Charity Deanne Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to decrease school bullying by teaching defending steps and increasing incentives for bystanders, students who witness bullying but who are not necessarily involved in the violence. An established bullying prevention program was modified to increase the likelihood that bystanders would defend victims of bullying behaviors. The findings of the study suggested that bullying behavior decreased and defending increased. Further, acceptability of the intervention and the skills taught to children were rated as moderately high across all classrooms.

Novel Techniques To Determine Soil Evaporation Rates: Heat Pulse Probe And Automated Microlysimeter, Kashifa Rumana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increase in world population rate has augmented the global water use in municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors, with renewable water resources changing
very little with time. Climate change and variability, degradation of water quality as a result of industrial waste streams, animal manure and waste, application of chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, etc. have largely influenced the quantity and quality of soil water. Root zone water helps sustain the agricultural industry by providing much of the water needed for irrigation. It is critical to monitor the soil water availability, especially within the plant root zones. The subsurface water tends to …

The Role Of Thermospheric Neutral Winds In The Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Evening Anomalies, Levan Lomidze

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Earth's ionosphere, which is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere, plays a very important role in ground- and satellite-based radio communication and navigation. During the last half century, a considerable experimental, theoretical, and modeling effort has been directed towards understanding the physical processes that affect the variation of the ionization in the ionosphere at various spatial and temporal scales. Even though tremendous progress has been made in many directions of ionospheric research, many questions remain to be answered.

One of the intriguing features in the ionosphere is an anomalous evening enhancement that occurs over certain mid-latitude locations, where …

Sequence Stratigraphy, Depositional Environments And Geochemistry Of The Middle Cambrian Bloomington Formation In Northern Utah, Christopher Ryan Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bloomington Formation (~425 m thick) is a latest Middle Cambrian (~506.5-505 Ma.), mixed warm water, carbonate and shale unit on the Cordilleran passive margin in northern Utah and southern Idaho. The Hodges Shale and Calls Fort Shale Members are shale dominated and the Middle Limestone Member is a thick carbonate. Fossil diversity and abundance is surprisingly low for a Middle Cambrian carbonate/shale formation. Present, however, are 10-50 cm thrombolite mud mounds, associated with Girvanella oncoliths. These mud mounds represent shallow water carbonates that experienced a small flooding event that gives the mud mounds time and proper conditions to build …

Bio-Inspired Materials And Micro/Nanostructures Enabled By Peptides And Proteins, Swathi Swaminathan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bio-nanotechnology refers to the field of science that intersects nanotechnology with biology. The study involves in the creation of bio-mimetic devices that emulate elements and systems of nature finding use in various applications. Nanotechnology involves the characterization of nanomaterials along with the study of molecular self-assembly and nanoelectronics. Controlled binding and assembly of proteins onto nanomaterials is at the core of biological materials science and engineering with wide-ranging applications. This hybrid technology opens up several avenues in the field of sensors, pharmaceuticals, artificial implants and so on.

In this work, different biomaterials and polymers were characterized for phage displayed peptide …

An Evaluation Of Demand Functions For Attention And Food In Children With Autism, Bistra K. Bogoev

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dominant approach to treating social dysfunction in individuals with autism views that dysfunction as a skill deficit. However, another plausible interpretation is that social dysfunction in some individuals arises from motivational deficits. The proposed study presents a method to assess motivational deficits for social attention in individuals with autism. By borrowing methods from behavioral economics, we assessed the essential value for social attention and compared it to the essential value for food.

Five individuals diagnosed with autism were included in the project. First, we assessed preference for food by using paired-preference assessment. To identify preference hierarchy for attention, we …

The Assessment Of Articulation And Phonological Skills In Preschool Cleft Palate Children, Michelle G. Rasmussen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been a lack of comprehensive analyses of the articulation and phonological skills of preschool cleft palate children. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis, following a model suggested by Ingram (1981), was completed on three preschool children with cleft palates. The analysis was completed on a videotaped conversational play sample.

Each sample was transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), compensatory substitution symbols, and diacritics. The samples were analyzed for a phonetic inventory of the sounds in the initial, medial, and final positions of words; for homonyms; for substitutions, distortions, and omissions; and for phonological processes. Each of the four analyses …

Economic Assessment Of Organic, Eco-Friendly, And Conventional Peach Production Methods In Northern Utah, Trevor D. Knudsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fruit producers in Northern Utah face several challenges to their production, urbanization, decreased availability of agricultural land, and competition from domestic producers and imports. As consumers are willing to pay premiums for foods differentiated by production method, such as eco-friendly and organic, conversion to these methods may increase the profitability of fruit growing operations.

This study found that consumers in Northern Utah are willing to pay a premium for peaches grown using organic and eco-friendly production practices over conventionally grown peaches. The study also found that of the three methods of peach production examined (conventional, eco-friendly, and organic), organic had …

The Fate Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Conventional And Engineered On-Site Wastewater Drain Fields, James Beardall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University Division of Environmental Engineering student, under the direction of Ms. Judith L. Sims, has investigated the fate of six pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in conventional and engineered on-site wastewater drain fields. The presence of PPCPs in the environment, especially in aquatic environments, has raised awareness to the effects of PPCPs on aquatic life and the fate of these PPCPs, and has caused regulators to become more involved in setting requirements for the removal of PPCPs from wastewater.

This research investigated the fate of caffeine, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, progesterone, and fluoxetine in laboratory scaled columns that …

Self-Learning, Dvd-Based Education Versus Traditional Education Approaches To Improve The Safety Of Warfarin Use Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation, Jessica Oliver Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that requires extensive medical and pharmaceutical management. The coagulation antagonist warfarin is commonly prescribed to reduce AF-associated stroke. Although warfarin effectively mediates thromboembolitic risk, its management is complex as many factors influence its therapeutic range including: genetics, diet, medication, and herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) interactions. Lack of patient knowledge regarding these factors contributes to poor patient outcomes. With the emerging epidemic of AF, readily available educational tools are necessary to improve patient outcomes while reducing clinician burden.

The purpose of this study was to develop both a self-learning, DVD-based and one-on-one …

Fascism And Culture In Sicily: The Centennial Of Vincenzo Bellini's Death, Olga A. Casaretti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Benito Mussolini constantly portrayed his regime as a protector of nationalism and the ultimate promoter in the re-discovery of Italian culture. The 1930s represent the highest involvement of the regime in cultural activities. Such events had the specific propagandistic goal of ingraining the idea of fascism as a solution to poverty and cultural disunity between north and south. An ongoing theme of propaganda was connecting fascism’s mission to the glory of the Italian past and of its most illustrious protagonists. The Duce and his followers built the idea of a new political establishment that legitimized its rule through a reassertion …

Expert Rural Elementary School Teachers' Planning For Effective Instruction, Lance T. Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Learning how to plan for effective instruction is a critical part of the work performed daily by the elementary school teacher. While some new and struggling teachers in urban school districts have access to professional development on a variety of topics including instructional planning, teachers in rural school districts often struggle to find training opportunities. This study sought to gather information and insight from rural teachers who demonstrate expert instructional planning. The specific planning decisions they made and activities they engaged in while planning were studied. Not only were the planning practices identified, but the reasons said practices were employed …

Redox-Controlled Biogeochemical Processes Affecting Arsenic Solubility In Sediments From A Basin-Fill Aquifer In Northern Utah, Xianyu Meng

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The basin-fill aquifers of the American Southwest host elevated concentrations of arsenic in groundwater due to the local geology. Limited information is available on arsenic dynamics in semi-arid and arid regions of the world. This study describes arsenic biogeochemistry and mechanisms of arsenic solubilization for a soil profile collected from the surface to the depth of groundwater in the Cache Valley Basin, Northern Utah.

The first objective was to delineate mechanisms of arsenic solubilization from sediments collected at the study site. Microcosms containing site groundwater and siteoxidized and site-reduced sediments, were monitored over time to observe changes in the solubilization …

Design Of Reliable And Secure Network-On-Chip Architectures, Dean Michael B Ancajas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The trend towards massive parallel computing has necessitated the need for an On-Chip communication framework that can scale well with the increasing number of cores. At the same time, technology scaling has made transistors susceptible to a multitude of reliability issues. This dissertation demonstrates design techniques that address both reliability and security issues facing modern NoC architectures. The reliability and security problem is tackled at different abstraction levels using a series of schemes that combine information from the architecture-level as well as hardware-level in order to combat aging effects and meet secure design stipulations while maintaining modest power-performance overheads.

Direct Electrical Arc Ignition Of Hybrid Rocket Motors, Michael I. Judson Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid rockets motors provide distinct safety advantages when compared to traditional liquid or solid propellant systems, due to the inherent stability and relative inertness of the propellants prior to established combustion. As a result of this inherent propellant stability, hybrid motors have historically proven difficult to ignite. State of the art hybrid igniter designs continue to require solid or liquid reactants distinct from the main propellants. These ignition methods however, reintroduce to the hybrid propulsion system the safety and complexity disadvantages associated with traditional liquid or solid propellants. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of a novel direct …

The Effect Of Polydimethylsiloxane Substrate Modification On A549 Human Epithelial Lung Cancer Cell Morphology And Biomechanics, Sherissa A. Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The function of cells is dependent on factors including chemical, physical, and mechanical stimuli. A compilation of these factors make up the cellular niche. Though the impact of chemical stimuli has been a known factor for many years, the impact of mechanical and physical stimuli are areas of recent interest now being studied. Previous studies on mechanical and physical stimuli have shown a large impact on various aspects of cellular function.

The effects of cancer are wide spread throughout the entire population. The majority of cancer research and treatment is regarding intracellular chemical pathways. Yet, many forms of cancer are …

Groundwater And Surface Water Contributions To Metals Loading In Bayhorse Creek At The Abandoned Ramshorn Mine Site Near Bayhorse, Idaho, Hannah L. Mcdonough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) purchased property encompassing the abandoned Ramshorn mine to develop a state park. Because the abandoned copper-lead-silver mine was a potential hazard to the local creek and sediment, the IDEQ conducted several assessments to identify environmental risks. Between 2003 and 2006, the IDEQ completed a number of basic soil and water investigations in the location of mine waste. The IDEQ received investigation and cleanup funds through the EPA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) program.

The USFS allocated $10,000 toward a two-year master’s level project to …

Microhabitat Selection By Greater Sage-Grouse Hens In Southern Wyoming, Scott T. Mabray

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have been declining throughout the western United States over the past 3 decades. Habitat loss within the range sagebrush steppe ecosystem is a major factor leading to sage-grouse population decline. Understanding the use of microhabitats by hen sage-grouse may provide data that will allow managers to reduce the decline in the sage-grouse population.

My objective was to determine the factors lead to site selection by hen sage-grouse hens. This was accomplished by addressing several questions regarding the interactions of habitat selection and predator avoidance among sage-grouse hens. I examined if (1) sites occupied …

Growth Performance, Ruminal Fermentation Characteristics, And Economic Returns Of Growing Beef Steers Fed Brown Midrib, Corn, Silage-Based Diet, Christopher Scott Saunders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sustainable beef production is extremely important to the beef cattle industry. Sustainability influences the environment, overall profits, and public concerns. One
factor that influences sustainability is the composition of cattle feed. This study compared conventional corn silage (CCS), which is most commonly used in beef steer feed, to brown midrib corn silage (BMR). Steers fed the two different diets were compared to determine differences in the areas of growth/animal performance, ruminal fermentation (digestion), and economic returns. The study included 24 beef steers randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Treatment groups were a total mixed feed ration that included …

A Neural Network Approach To Fault Detection In Spacecraft Attitude Determination And Control Systems, John N. Schreiner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

CubeSats are employed in a variety of missions as scientific platforms, low-cost technology demonstrators, and in the future, they will conduct service missions as part of larger satellite constellations. CubeSat ADCS designers today are being tasked with designing to ever increasing accuracy requirements. The ability to hold those requirements rests with the attitude control system being robust enough and able to sufficiently respond to changes in the control environment. The need for greater control autonomy is then evident in the need for these systems to be able to react independently to changes in the system dynamics and to identify and …

Couple Leisure Time: Building Bonds Early In Marriage Through Leisure, Joy Lynne Chavez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I interviewed couples who had medium to high marital satisfaction and role balance about the leisure they experience together as a couple. The main goal of this
project was to learn more about the positive aspects of couple leisure experiences. I examined couples’ perceptions of leisure benefits and meaning derived from couple participation in leisure, how couples perceive marital satisfaction is affected by couple leisure, the ways couples balance other roles with leisure, how role balance plays a part in couple leisure, as well as the factors that might constrain or facilitate a positive leisure experience.

Couples find a lot …

Binding Interactions Of (R)- And (S)-Hydroxypropyl-Com Dehydrogenases And The Zinc Knuckle Proteins Air1 And Air2, Jeremy W. Bakelar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A thorough understanding of protein function requires knowledge of how proteins interact with their substrates and with other proteins. The work entailed in this dissertation describes the binding interactions of proteins from two different model systems: (1) the dehydrogenase enzymes R- and S-HPCDH and (2) the zinc knuckle proteins Air1 and Air2.

R- and S-HPCDH are highly similar enzymes (42% identical) that function in a unique metabolic pathway found in the soil bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus. The bacterium produces R- and S-HPCDH simultaneously to facilitate the transformation of two different forms of the organic …