Digital Commons Network^™

Growth And Water Relations Of Native Wheatgrass Populations, Brian P. Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Screening populations for development into released plant materials can be done inexpensively and in a timely manner. A common approach has been to quantify the amount of shoot dry mass produced as a surrogate for competitiveness. Besides dry mass production , other morphological characteristics have been employed , but physiological parameters have received less emphasis. Dry mass production may be an important characteristic, but identifying the traits responsible can be just as imperative . Populations with greater drought tolerance may be less impacted by competition for water from weeds, which could lead to greater establishment of desirable grasses on disturbed …

Sex Differences In The Use And Evaluated Helpfulness Of Premarital Advice, Neal J. Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore sex differences in the use and evaluated helpfulness of advice received before marriage. In addition, this study explored who typically gave premarital advice. Advice is considered by some to be a form of social support which can be helpful or hurtful to the marriage relationship. The sex of the advice-giver and advice-receiver as well as the relationship quality between them was explored in order to highlight how these variables affect advice use and helpfulness. Utilizing a questionnaire and interviews with individual newlywed husbands (n = 56) and wives (n = …

Development Of A Microelectrode Array Sensing System For Water Quality Monitoring, Robert D. Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis reports the design and fabrication of a low-cost reliable microelectrode array sensing platform and its application toward water quality monitoring, including heavy metal ion detection. Individually addressable microelectrodes were designed in a planar array on a nonconductive glass substrate by a photolithography method. The size, shape, composition, and functionality of the microelectrodes were theoretically explored in order to maximize performance.

The microelectrode array sensing platform was proven and characterized in the K3Fe(CN)₆ electrochemical standard using cyclic voltammetry. The sensor platform exhibited well defined voltammograms and had increased sensitivity relative to a commercially available microelectrode of similar size. …

Nutrient Mobility From Biosolids Land Application Sites, Mai Anh Vu Tran

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three types of biosolids (lime-stabilized, aerobically digested, and anaerobically digested biosolids) were applied on 0.13-ha test plots on disturbed rangelands in Western Utah at rates of up to twenty times (20X) the estimated N-based agronomic rate. Soil samples at depths up to 1.5 m were collected and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, regulated metals, pH, and electrical conductivity for up to two years after biosolids application.

NH₄-N at the soil surface (0.2 m) was primarily lost through ammonia volatilization and nitrification. This observation was consistent with reported increases in nitrate (NO₃-N) concentrations found within the soil surface …

Perceptions Of Emotional Intelligence Preparation And Industry Expectations For Utah State University Mba Graduates, Arthur D. Waller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study sought to determine whether an MBA degree from Utah State University (USU) was meeting the emotional intelligence (EI) needs of the workplace from the perception of its graduates. This research assessed perception of EI skills with a researcher-designed instrument that consisted of a 22-question survey that was e-mailed to USU students who completed an MBA between 2000 and 2006. The survey questionnaire given to MBA graduates was titled Assessment of Emotional Intelligence and was divided into three distinct parts. The first category (questions 1-10) had to do with industry expectations as perceived by MBA graduates. The second category …

Impact Of Land-Applied Biosolids On Forage Quality And Water Movement During Rangeland Restoration Activities, Issaak R. Vasquez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The land application of biosolids to provide nutrients and organic matter is widely practiced in agricultural applications. However, the potential benefit of applying biosolids to disturbed rangelands has not been adequately evaluated. Thus the main goal of the current study was to evaluate the potential economic and environmental benefits of applying biosolids to disturbed rangeland with the main focus on evaluating the impact on forage quality and quantity as a function of biosolids type and application rate. Three types of biosolids (aerobically, anaerobically, and lime stabilized biosolids) were surface applied with no subsequent tilling at various loading rates (1, 5, …

A Laboratory Study Of Streambed Stability In Bottomless Culverts, Brian Mark Crookston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional culvert designs, in many cases, have become habitat barriers to aquatic animal species. In response, environmentally sensitive culvert designs have been developed to function as ecological bridges. Bottomless and buried invert culverts are examples of such designs and are commonly used for fish passage. Additional design guidance specific to streambed stability in buried-invert or bottomless culverts under high flow events is needed. This study investigated incipient motion conditions for four substrate materials in a 2-ft (0.61-m) diameter circular bottomless arch culvert and in a 1-ft (0.30-m) wide rectangular flume in a laboratory setting. General scour of the streambed within …

Self-Rated Health And Community/Social Relations, Rachel Kingsford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was done to examine the relationship between self-rated health and social/community relations. Due to advances in modern medicine, multifactorial diseases are more prevalent than acute infectious diseases and a greater understanding of the impact sociological variables has on health is of great importance. In prior research, self-rated health has been demonstrated to be a robust predictor of mortality, even when controlling for other variables known to impact health. Presence of a strong social network and attachments to community have been shown to be protective of self-perceptions of health.

The Health and Living study was conducted in the Bear …

A Field Programmable Gate Array Based Finite-Domain Constraint Solver, Prasad Subramanian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Constraint satisfaction and optimization techniques are commonly employed in scheduling, industrial manufacturing, and automation processes where concepts from Operations Research (OR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are applied. In embedded systems, Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) finds use in design, synthesis, and optimization. However, most application areas of CSP employ offline solving techniques where design requirements and constraints are captured before the system is deployed online. There is a significant amount of pre-planning and human intervention required.

In embedded systems, online constraint solving techniques are primarily used as onboard control software in order to enable a system that can dynamically adapt to …

Expression Analysis Of Plant Defense Responses During The Establishment Of Biotrophy And Role Of Abiotic Stress In The Infection Of Dyer’S Woad (Isatis Tinctoria) By Puccinia Thlaspeos, Elizabeth Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The kinetics and amplitude of the salicylic acid-responsive pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and the cytochrome P450 gene ItCYP79B2 in the compatible interaction between Puccinia thlaspeos and dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria) during the first 72 hours of inoculation were examined. Immediately following penetration of the host by the rust pathogen, there was a modest up-regulation of PR genes but a significant down-regulation of ItCYP79B2 expression. During haustoria formation, a significant pathogen-mediated suppression of PR genes was observed with a corresponding up-regulation of ItCYP79B2. This potentially facilitates haustoria formation by P. thlaspeos. After haustoria formation, a more …

An Investigation Of The Early Life-History Of Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) And Potential Influences On Invasion Success In The Logan River, Utah, Jeremiah Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to the significant threats posed by nonnative fish species worldwide, it is important to understand how life-history strategies of individual species interact with environmental conditions to explain the success or failure of nonnative fish invasions. Brown trout are prolific invaders, but often exhibit upstream distributional limits in Intermountain West streams, potentially due to a maladaptive reproductive life-history strategy influenced by hydrologic conditions in high-elevation areas. We used redd counts, egg survival experiments, and temperature modeling to investigate the reproductive life-history strategy of brown trout and its potential for success along an elevational stream gradient. We documented brown trout spawning …

Ponderosa Pine Mortality And Bark Beetle-Host Dynamics Following Prescribed And Wildland Fires In The Northern Rocky Mountains, Usa, Ryan Stephen Davis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ponderosa pine delayed mortality, and bark beetle attacks and emergence were monitored on 459 trees for 3 years following one prescribed fire in Idaho and one wildland fire in Montana. Resin flow volume (ml) was measured on 145 fire-injured ponderosa pine 2 and 3 years post-fire. Logistic regression was used to construct two predictive ponderosa pine mortality models, and two predictive bark beetle-attack models. Post-fire delayed tree mortality was greater with the presence of primary bark beetles independent of diameter at breast height (DBH) (cm), and was greater in smaller diameter trees most likely due to direct effects of fire-caused …

Calculated Surface Velocity Coefficients For Prismatic Open Channels By Three-Dimensional Hydraulic Modeling, Nat Marjang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A turbulence model was developed for computing surface velocity coefficients and discharge under steady, uniform flow conditions for rectangular and compound open-channel cross sections. Reynolds-Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, Reynolds stress equations, and kinetic energy and dissipation equations were applied in the model using the finite-volume method with the SIMPLER algorithm. The models show graphical results of the velocity distributions in the longitudinal bed slope direction, secondary velocities, pressure, turbulence kinetic energy, and kinetic energy dissipation rate across the cross section. Also, the surface velocity coefficients were computed at increments of one-eighth of the base width from the vertical walls to …

Yoga As An Intervention For Stress Reduction And Enhanced Wellbeing In African American Athletes, Jennifer Fallon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored the preventive impact of a brief Hat ha yoga program on stress-reduction and enhanced wellbeing in a sample of healthy African American college athletes. African Americans suffer higher rates of hypertension and sudden cardiac death syndrome, both linked to stress. Study design was single case, with six replications, utilizing comparison of pre- and post-intervention scores on physiological and psychological indicators of distress and wellbeing. Findings were inconsistent across participants and measures, though generally included beneficial increases in positive affect (i.e ., C = 0.567 , Z = 2 071, p < 0.05) and perceived physical health (i.e., C = 0489, Z = 1. 721, …

Seepage Evaluations In Cache Valley Irrigation Canals, Katerine N. Molina

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estimation of seepage was done in 39 selected reaches of 11 irrigation canals in the Logan and Blacksmith Fork Irrigation Systems of Cache Valley, Utah. The measurements were performed from June to October, 2008, which includes part of the irrigation season for these canals. The inflow-outflow method was used to measure seepage, in which area and velocities were measured under steady flow conditions. Velocity measurements were done with an acoustic flow meter and the mean velocity was determined using the reduced-point method (velocity measurements at 0.2, 0.6 and or 0.8 of the depth from the water surface).

As a result, …

Discriminating Between Biological And Hydrological Controls Of Hyporheic Denitrification Across A Land Use Gradient In Nine Western Wyoming Streams, Andrew Kenneth Myers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied nine streams near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, covering a land use gradient (urban, agricultural, and forested) to assess influences of land use on denitrification rates and hyporheic exchange. I hypothesized denitrification in the hyporheic zone is governed by availability of chemical substrates and hydrologic transport. I tested this hypothesis by coupling measurements of denitrification potentials in hyporheic sediments with a 2-storage zone solute transport model. Denitrification potentials were lowest on average in hyporheic sediments from forested streams and highest from agricultural streams. Modeling results suggest, on average, agricultural sites are transport-limited by having the slowest exchange rate …

Conservation Implications Of Winter-Feeding Policies For Mule Deer In Utah, Chris C. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Policies regulating wildlife winter-feeding programs may have long-term impacts on conservation and future management of both target and non-target species. In 2000, the Utah Wildlife Board, upon reviewing input from a series of public regional meetings, adopted a Utah Big Game Winter-Feeding Policy. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources used this policy to regulate winter-feeding programs for mule deer in northern Utah, 2001-2005. I monitored the program effects on mule deer biology, activity and migration, and winter browse utilization and productivity.

While feed rations generally compensated for protein and energy deficiencies, they may overlook mineral deficiencies. To determine if mule …

A Post-Project Assessment Of The Provo River Restoration Project: Channel Design, Reconfiguration, And The Re-Establishment Of Critical Physical Processes, Randy Ray Goetz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A physical assessment of the Provo River Restoration Project was undertaken in order to determine how alterations to the channel were designed, the nature of as-built channel morphology, and the performance of the reconfigured channel in terms of achieving frequent (2-year recurrence) bankfull discharge and increasing transient storage. Measures of channelized and reconfigured channel morphology were obtained using total station survey, digital aerial photography, and pebble counts. Results of geomorphic analysis were compared with similar measurements made by a regional consulting company, and stream channel design data, in order to determine that intended mitigation included reducing channel capacity, increasing sinuosity, …

Reproductive Biology Of The Coyote (Canis Latrans): Integration Of Behavior And Physiology, Debra Anne Carlson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wild Canis species possess a unique suite of reproductive traits including social monogamy, copulatory lock/tie, and biparental care. Females are seasonally monestrous and experience an obligatory pseudopregnancy after spontaneous ovulation. While these characteristics have been ascribed to coyotes, an integrated profile of behavior and physiology has not yet been described. In this study, temporal correlations between steroid hormone levels and socio-sexual mating behaviors were documented, as were changes in vaginal epithelium. Pseudopregnancy was compared to pregnancy by contrasting hormone (progesterone, estradiol, prolactin and relaxin) profiles of unmated females to patterns obtained in alternate years when they bred. Meanwhile, social interactions …

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Knowledge And Practices: A Survey Of Pediatricians And Family Practice Physicians, Kara L. Spielmans

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder often treated by pediatricians or family practice physicians. ADHD knowledge held by treating physicians may be an important predictor in patient outcomes. This study examined ADHD knowledge and common assessment and treatment practices of pediatricians and family practice physicians via a national survey sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Mailings included the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale--Revised (KADDS-R) and a demographic/practice questionnaire. Although both physician types reported utilizing assessment and treatment methods consistent with current ADHD practice guidelines, findings suggested that …

Granivores And Restoration: Implications Of Invasion And Considerations Of Context-Dependent Seed Removal, Steven M. Ostoja

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Granivores are important components of sagebrush communities in western North America. These same regions are being altered by the invasion of the exotic annual Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) that alters physical and biological dynamics in ways that appear to promote its persistence. This research directly relates to the restoration of B. tectorum-dominated systems in two inter-related ways. First, because these landscapes have large quantities of seeds applied during restoration, it is important to determine the major granivore communities in intact sagebrush communities and in nearby cheatgrass-dominated communities. Second, it is important to develop an understanding of patterns of seed harvest …

Vulnerability Of Shallow Aquifers Of The Conterminous United States To Nitrate: Assessment Of Methodologies, Karthik Kumarasamy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Groundwater is an important natural resource for numerous human activities, accounting for more than 50% of the total water used in the United States. Groundwater is vulnerable to contamination by several organic and inorganic pollutants such as nitrate, heavy metals, and pesticides. Assessment of groundwater vulnerability aids in the management and protection of limited groundwater resources.

The focus of this thesis is to (1) statistically compare two groundwater vulnerability assessment models; modified DRASTIC (Acronym for Depth to water, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone, and hydraulic Conductivity of aquifer) and ordinal logistic regression for NO …

Hydroacoustic Substrate Classification Accuracy And Faunal Assemblage Variation Between Artificial And Natural Rock Regions: Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho, Mike Moon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research designed to elucidate artificial reef efficacy in attraction and production is lacking. Delineation of the rock reef habitat, coupled with faunal patterns of substrate use within artificial and natural reef regions, will allow elucidation of the potential of artificial reefs to attract sport fishes, and function as surrogate natural habitat for the conservation of endemic fish species. We compared faunal assemblages and habitat complexity between artificial and natural reefs to access the efficacy of artificial reefs in conservation of the native community, and attraction of sport fishes.

We used hydroacoustics to map artificial and natural rock reefs within Bear …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Supplemental Labels In Museum Exhibits, Clint B. Eliason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study used an experimental design to investigate the efficacy of using short (12 words or less), prominently placed supplemental labels to increase the effectiveness of select extant labels in museum exhibits. The experimenter-developed supplemental labels were designed to leverage exogenous/bottom-up and endogenous/top-down sources of influence on selective attention. Measures of patron behavior, knowledge retention, and attitude found no significant differences between group means under control and treatment conditions. These outcomes were surprising and inconsistent with findings from similar research conducted by Hirschi and Screven. The supplemental labels in the present study might have failed to capture attention because …

A Formal Approach To Specifying And Verifying Spacecraft Behavior, Allan I.S. Mcinnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Process algebra can provide spacecraft designers with a mathematical formalism for specifying, understanding, analyzing, and verifying spacecraft system behavior. Although it is standard practice to mathematically model and analyze the subsystems of a spacecraft to ensure that they will function correctly when built, the system-level behavior of the spacecraft is generally understood in much less rigorous terms. This leaves the spacecraft system vulnerable to design errors which may not become apparent until the integration and test phase, when design changes are most expensive. In this dissertation, we develop a formal approach to engineering spacecraft behavior, based on mathematical models of …

Design Of A Low-Power Automatic Wireless Multi-Logger Networking Device, Kelly S. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Virtually every industry and discipline (e.g., mining, pharmaceutical, construction, agriculture, reclamation, etc.) is finding applications for wireless data acquisition for monitoring and managing processes and resources. Two sectors, namely agriculture and environmental research, are seeking ways to obtain distributed soil and plant measurements over larger areas like a watershed or large fields rather than a single site of intensive instrumentation (i.e., a weather station). Wireless sensor networks and remote sensing have been explored as a means to satisfy this need. Commercial products are readily available that have remote wireless options to support distributed senor networking. However, these systems have been …

The Temporal Relationship Between Environmental Factors And Psychological Symptoms In Native American Adolescents, Georgia Lee Matt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native American youth often experience high rates of environmental risk factors that may put them at increased risk for developing psychological problems, yet research within this high-risk population is severely limited.

The present study was designed to provide information on the rate of psychological symptoms in a sample of Native American youth, and evaluate the impact of environmental factors (risk, protective, and cultural) on psychological disorder symptoms over time. Data were collected with a sample of Native American youth using the Youth Self Report, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory–Adolescent 2, and a researcher-designed Biodemographic Questionnaire.

Findings indicate that clinically …

Preparation For Remarriage: Utilization Of Different Forms And Their Rated Helpfulness, Julie J. Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Remarriage has gained special attention in the past couple of decades from clinicians, researchers, and educators because of the unique issues faced by individuals entering such a relationship. Recognition of these issues increased marriage practitioners' hope that a shift in the social climate had led individuals to prepare for remarriage through various means. This study sought to, one, gain a current perspective on remarriage preparation; two, learn how individuals rate the helpfulness of preparation; and three, note any differences in remarital quality (remarital satisfaction and adjustment) and perceptions of preparedness between individuals who did or did not participate in preparation. …

Congruence Of Perceptions Of Motivation Between Adolescent Clients, Their Therapist, And Parent, Amberly R. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of adolescent's motivation to change in therapy, specifically while residing in a residential treatment center (RTC) and participating in family therapy. Motivation for change was examined in three contexts. The first context for examining the adolescent's motivation for change was in relation to their stage of therapy. The second and third contexts for examining the adolescent's motivation for change was in relation to perceptions the adolescent's therapist and parent had of their motivation to change. In addition, the study explored whether there was a relationship between the congruence of perceptions of …

Factors Influencing Epiphytic Lichen Communities In Aspen-Associated Forests Of The Bear River Range, Idaho And Utah, Paul C. Rogers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In western North America, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is the most common hardwood in montane landscapes. Fire suppression, grazing, wildlife management practices, and climate patterns of the past century are some of the threats to aspen coverage in this region. Researchers are concerned that aspen-dependent species may be losing habitat, thereby threatening their long-term local and regional viability. Though lichens have a rich history as air pollution indicators, I believe that they may also be useful as a metric of community diversity associated with habitat change. To date, few studies have specifically examined the status of aspen's epiphytic lichen …