Digital Commons Network^™

Feasibility Of Canal Trails In North Logan, Corbett Belcher

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The intent of this report is to analyze the feasibility of canal trails in North Logan City. The canals of Cache Valley are very historic, and cultural elements in the landscape. The original intent of the canals was to provide a supplementary water source to irrigate crops, for those who did not live near a water body. As populations have grown, and development has taken over much of these crop lands, the debate about what to do with these canals has heated up. One of the most common and previously debated ideas, is to leave the canals open, and provide …

Food And Drug Law Summer Internship Program: Issues In Food And Drug Law, Melinda Michelle Moss

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In recent years, the main food regulatory agency, the Food and Drug Administration, has faced a number of diverse and complicated issues. The impact of these issues has resonated throughout the entire food community. The coarse of action that regulators decide to take in coming years will change how the nation relates to food. Regulators and industry leaders must deal with the increased amount of responsibility they hold, the changing face of food products, contention between industry and consumers, and administrative shortcomings. Both the Food and Drug Administration and industry leaders are working to maintain the high level of food …

The Function Of Music In African-American Society Before And After Emancipation, Lara Noel Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The first collection of African-American music, Slave Songs of the United States, was published in 1867. Since then, there have been many collections of African-American songs, and the division of these songs into categories. There have been books that trace African-American music from the plantation to minstrelsy, to choral arrangements, to blues, jazz, gospel music, and rap.¹ There have been books that report when certain songs were written or sung, and by whom. Despite all of these collections and volumes, one question is not satisfactorily answered: what purpose did African-American songs and music serve in daily life in …

Mapping And Quilting: Metaphors Of Montana, Sunni Brown

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Although the study of place-writing may be a relatively new voice in the conversation of literary analysis, it is not without significance. Eudora Welty believes that place-writing is not new in and of itself: "From the dawn of man's imagination, place has enshrined the spirit; as soon as man stopped wandering and stood still and looked about him, he found a god in that place; and from then on, that was where the god abided and spoke from if he ever spoke" (123). Welty suggests that the process of connecting oneself to a particular place is innate in all humankind. …

Phytochemicals And Health, Heather Rebecca Stone

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Objectives: Define phytochemicals as currently recognized in the United States and discuss food sources. Identify aims and challenges of current research. Review touted health effects of phytochemicals in cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), immune function, and other benefits. Present dietary recommendations. Methods: A literature search was conducted through Medline to find peer-reviewed journal articles from the past five years. Articles were found that identified the compounds and highlighted recent research relating phytochemicals to disease. The review of literature focused on an introductory understanding of phytochemicals. Results: Studies show that phytochemicals are undefined under current U.S. food regulations. They are biologically …

Solving The Problem Of Medical Needs Of The Rural Mountainous Regions Of Guatemala And Honduras, Angela J. Harmeson

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Review Of Wetland Mitigation Practices: Monitoring, Maintaining, And Funding Mitigated Wetlands, Giselle Marie Groshart

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The objective of this project was to examine alternatives for monitoring, maintaining and funding of mitigated wetlands, as part of a larger project on wetland mitigation strategies. Research methods included a literature review, questionnaire, and telephone survey to determine current wetland mitigation practices. A variety of methods and techniques are presented, each with varying application for incorporation into a specific wetland mitigation strategy. Key components that came out of this study are the importance of maintaining flexibility, referring to project objectives, and planning throughout the process.

Creating Community Greenbelts Through Tdr Zoning, Tim B. Watkins

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Many cities and towns in the lntennountain West were founded on the ideals of clustered community development with surrounding greenbelts by Morn1on settlers in the mid nineteenth century. Since the twentieth-century development of the automobile, increased mobility has enabled residential and commercial development to disrupt surrounding rural lands with scattered growth. Correctly applied, TOR (Transfer of Development Right) strategies could reverse negative sprawling development trends by channeling growth towards existing communities to simulate the abandoned pioneer town and country model. A community development transfer strategy can respect private property rights, and allow fanners to keep their land in agriculture while …

A Guide To Utah Native Plants And Their Use In The Landscape, Jared F. Barnes

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

As a landscape architecture student, I am interested in the use of plant materials; they are a fundamental part of my design palette. However, I am concerned with the quantity of water used for irrigation of mostly non-native plant materials in built landscapes of the arid west. An estimated 60-65% of water consumed in Utah from May September is used to irrigate landscapes. Landscape architects must do their part in dealing with the impending water crisis by modifying current practices. An important first step is to use and encourage others to use more drought tolerant native plants. The purpose of …

A River Runs Through Us: The Bear River Watershed Education Project, Robert M. Parrish

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Teachers have the difficult job of creating an educational climate in which subjects are linked and system are mutually dependent. Watershed education affords teachers thi s opportunity by using water quality monitoring as a basis for the study of any academic subject. A Ri ver Run Through Us: The Bear River Watershed Education Project (BRWEP) is a student-based program in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. The program aims to increase understanding and concern for the Bear River watershed by engaging students in water quality monitoring. Based on our experi ence in creating, managing, and evaluating this program, a process model for …

Bear-Viewing Ecotourism In British Columbia: Ecological, Economic, And Social Perspectives Using A Case-Study Analysis Of Knight Inlet Lodge, Bc, Julian S. Smith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Following a worldwide pattern of rapid ecotourism growth, British Columbia's wildlife-viewing industry is poised to expand in the near future. Using a case study example of Knight Inlet Lodge, the province's first and to date only destination for viewing grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the wild, I examine three criteria for sustainability that may help determine the short- and long-term direction and success of this industry: economic viability, ecological sensitivity, and cultural appropriateness.

A high demand for ecotourism and wildlife viewing, both worldwide and in British Columbia in particular, is tempered by the potential economic pitfalls of ecotourism …

Benthic Invertebrate Assemblage Structure In Mountain Streams: The Influence Of Spatial Scale Of Observation And Organism Size On Relationships With Environmental Factors, James N. Hogue

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The description of pattern in nature depends on the size and scale of both the observer and the phenomena being observed. The relative influence that different environmental factors have on organism distributions depends not only on scales of variation inherent to each factor, but also on the size and scale of the organisms. 

I used data from 649 sites within 45 mountain streams in California to quantify relationships between environmental factors and organism distribution. I compared these relationships across analyses conducted at different spatial and biotic scales of resolution. I also examined relationships between environmental variation and assemblage size structure …

Energy, Fractal Movement Patterns, And Scale-Dependent Habitat Relationships Of Urban And Rural Mule Deer, Mark F. Mcclure

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied the behaviors, movement dynamics, habitat relationships, and population characteristics of Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) using urban and rural winter ranges in Cache Valley, Utah, from January 1994 to February 1998. There were 2 goals to my research endeavors. The first was to assess how and why the behaviors and demographic characteristics of urban deer differed from those of rural deer. The second was to assess the scale-dependent responses to habitat and the scale-dependent patterns of habitat use by deer living in each area. To accomplish the first goal, I compared the prevalence of migration, the spatial …

Reproductive Allocation And Survival In Grasshoppers: Effects Of Resource Availability, Grasshopper Density, And Parasitism, David Heath Branson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major challenge in ecology is to understand intraspecific variation in life histories. Variation in resource availability can lead to differences in reproductive allocation and life histories. Grasshoppers are a good organism for the study of variation in life histories, since they exhibit life history plasticity in response to biotic and environmental factors. An optimality model for grasshoppers was developed that predicts optimal total allocation to reproduction and optimal effort-per-offspring as functions of resource availability and mortality. Relative allocation to reproduction is predicted to increase with resource availability, while relative allocation to survival declines. A resource-based trade-off between egg size …

Rangeland Resources Monitoring: Concepts And Practical Applications, Benny R. Bobwski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

How does one person manage and monitor a half million acres of rangelands towards a sustainable future? Through a journey that begins with the understanding of sustainability, I explore the monitoring concept, two of its applications, and summarize with an emphasis on the art and science of management. Sustainability is a concept that confuses many managers because it is so complex. However, if one considers adaptability as the complement to sustainability, and realizes that an adaptable organism is a sustainable organism, then a manager can relate because the emphasis shifts from that of stability for the future to that of …

The Efficacy Of Plant Residue Degradation Products On Phosphorus, Iron, Iodine, And Fluorine Bioavailability To Plants, Cheryl L. Mackowiak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant and animal wastes degrade in soils to form relatively stable humified compounds, which form ion complexes that affect the bioavailability of elements in the soil solution. Hydroponic studies with wheat and rice were conducted to characterize the effect of humic acid (HA) on phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), fluorine (F), and iodine (I) bioavailability. Ferrihydrite [Fe(OH)₃] precipitation was greater on root surfaces without HA or synthetic chelates. Oxides such as ferrihydrite strongly adsorb P and provide exchange sites for metals. HA reduced this precipitate and increased P and Fe uptake.

Humic acid had no effect on F toxicity …

Establishing Reinforcing Properties In Neutral Stimuli Through Observational Learning With Children, Andrew Waine Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to observe and analyze the factors that lead to a child's increase in responding to a previously neutral stimulus after observing another child's behavior and consequences in the same setting. The effects of five video presentations on rate of button-pressing responses were observed across four students. Rates of button-pressing behavior on an FR3 schedule of reinforcement were collected for each student using a computer and a metal apparatus with two flat push buttons. Each student completed two baseline phases to establish neutrality of stimuli, and viewed a total of five video presentations. Each video …

Psychosocial Factors And Their Relationship To Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Outcome Among The Strong Heart Study Cohort, Brian O'Leary

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a serious problem that affects 15.7 million individuals in the United States. The complications of this disease are catastrophic and can lead to blindness, kidney disease, lower limb amputations, nerve damage, increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and death. Among Native Americans, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. A variety of psychosocial variables has demonstrated relationships to diabetic outcome. Past research has shown a relationship between psychological variables and glucose control. The current study of Native Americans shows a similar pattern using the psychosocial instruments to measure the constructs of depression, anger, hostility, social support, and perceived stress. …

A Longitudinal Study Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms In Preschool-Age Children, Jessica Nicole Greenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common reasons for referral to children's mental health clinics, with an estimated prevalence of 3% to 5% in the general population of school-age children. Children who exhibit the requisite behaviors may obtain a diagnosis of ADHD at any age; however, symptom onset must occur before age 7 and persist for at least 6 months. Despite these temporal requirements for diagnosis, little empirical information about the manifestation and stability of ADHD symptoms in preschool children exists. This study provides information about the initial presence and stability over one academic year of ADHD behaviors …

Effectiveness Of Earthen Escape Ramps In Reducing Big Game Mortality In Utah, Mary L. Hammer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One-way escape gates and earthen escape ramps are structures used to enable deer to exit the highway right-of-way along fenced roads. I compared the use of one-way escape gates and earthen escape ramps by mule deer on two highways in Utah to determine if deer exhibited a preference for either structure. Results showed that earthen escape ramps were used by mule deer 8-11 times more frequently than one-way gates. Highway mortality data suggest that the installation of the escape ramps likely reduced mortality of mule deer in both study locations, because we could not attribute reductions in mortality to decreased …

Intensification In A Risky Environment: The Case Of Improving Private Grazing Land For Beef Production In Utah, Louise D. Sainsbury

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah ranchers commonly face risks to their livelihoods. The objective of this work was to determine if ranchers could make profitable improvements to private land forage given the combined threat of low beef prices, drought, and possible loss of public grazing.

We used linear programming (LINDO) to identify the most profitable solutions for private land investment with an 11-year simulation. Operations were divided into small, medium, and large size classes. Various forage improvements and public permits were options. Two phases of a beef price cycle (peak and trough) and 2 precipitation patterns (wet and drought) were combined as joint favorable …

The Relationship Of Milk Urea Nitrogen And Dhia Production Variables In Western Commercial Dairy Herds, Rachael G. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Monthly individual cow DHIA test records (approximately 90,000) from 96 Holstein and Jersey herds from Utah, Idaho, and Montana were analyzed used the Mixed procedure in SAS to determine the relationships of milk production parameters to milk urea N (MUN). Records spanned two consecutive years ending December 2000. Means for Holsteins were 34.1 kg/d milk yield, 15.2 mg/dl MUN, 3.18% milk protein, 3.5% milk fat, and 280,000 somatic cell count. Mean MUN for Holsteins was lowest in fall (Oct.-Dec) and highest in winter and spring. Cows with highest milk protein percent (≥ 3.2%) had lowest MUN over all levels of …

Feminist Science Studies At German Universities - A First Account, Smilla Ebeling, Helene Götschel

Journal of International Women's Studies

From the Introduction:

Feminist science studies, which do not have a unified term so far in the German debate, regard mathematics, science and technology within their historical and social context (Heike Kahlert 1996, Heike Wiesner 1994). This critical contextualization of math-natural scientific thinking and acting is not regarded as a task of the corresponding disciplines but is linked to other disciplines like the history and philosophy of science, didactics or science and technology studies. Therefore, feminist science studies cannot be worked out within mathematics, science and engineering at all because they do not make sense within the scientific self-understanding (Margarete …

Information Outlook, May 2001, Special Libraries Association

Information Outlook, 2001

Volume 5, Issue 5

Development Of A Bird-Avoidance Model For Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, Edward J. Zakrajsek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bird strikes (collisions between birds and aircraft) pose a significant threat to aviation safety. For example, Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, lost an F-18 jet to a bird strike in October 1995. To help combat the bird-strike threat at Naval Air Facility El Centro, I developed a bird-avoidance model as a risk-management tool for the installation. It can be used to schedule flights at NAF El Centro and its two associated practice-bombing ranges during times of low-bird activity. I calculated bird-strike risks and published them in web-page format on both the installation's server and the USGS/Utah State University, College …

Sensor Technology For The Breast Examination Training Instrument, Bratislav Matic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Latest medical research has shown high percentage of American women, diagnosed with breast cancer. If detected in its early stage, cancer can be treated successfully. Breast examination might be obtained through three procedures: breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography. Project BETI was developed with idea of educating and training women and health care professionals in BSE. This instrument consists of a silicone breast model, tactile sensors and serial communication capability. Software was developed for a generic PC that supports an integrated system including: (1) an interactive video demonstrating BSE techniques, (2) a practical examination using the instrumented …

Objective And Subjective Personality Characteristics Of Medical Students, Heather Anderson Meit

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study viewed personality characteristics of medical students using both objective (i.e., a valid and reliable psychological instrument) and subjective methods (i.e., medical students' self-ratings of how they viewed themselves and how they believed others viewed them). The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF, 5th Edition) and a researcher developed instrument, the Subjective Rating Form (SRF), were utilized in this study. Significant differences were found in 16PF scores from entry to medical school (Time 1) to exit from medical school (Time 2). Significant differences were also observed when SRF scores were compared between Self at Time 1 (retrospectively), Self at …

Induction Of Fertile Estrus During Seasonal Anestrus In Ewes And Fall Born Ewe Lambs, Marlon Knights

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The quantity of progesterone (P4) delivered by a new P 4 releasing intravaginal insert (polycapralactone [PCL] insert), was inadequate to increase serum concentrations of P4 to that observed in cycling ewes during the luteal phase. Percentage of ewes in estrus was greater in P4 treated than in control ewes. Estrous response was greater after treatment with P4 for 5 than for 12 d. Progesterone increased the percentage of ewes lambing to both service periods by 20 percentage points. Prolificacy to the first service period in ewes treated with FSH was greater than the prolificacy in control and all ewes lambing …

Amiodarone-Induced Pulmonary Toxicity In F344 Rats, Michael Douglas Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Amiodarone (AD) is gaining support as a first-line antiarrhythmic drug despite its potentially fatal pulmonary toxicity involving inflammation and fibrosis. The goals of this study were to develop and characterize a rat model of amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT). A protocol was developed in which male F344 rats were instilled intratracheally (i.t.) with AD (6.25 mg/kg with a 3.125 mg/ml solution) in sterile water or the sterile water vehicle on days 0 and 2, a protocol that led to the development of pulmonary fibrosis on day 28 in the AD-treated animals. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) resulted in the increased recovery of alveolar …

Sorption Of Lead And Arsenic On Soil Components And Effectiveness Of Phosphates For Remediating Lead And Arsenic Contaminated Soils, Harjinder Sandhu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

High concentration of trace elements such as arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) represents one of the potentially costly threats to water and soil resources as well as serious threats to humans. Clay minerals are potential binding agents for pollutants due to their high cation exchange capacity and large surface area. Laboratory investigations were undertaken to evaluate the effect of Fe and Al hydrous oxide coatings on the sorption of Pb and As. Four clay minerals attapulgite, illite, kaolinite and montmorillonite with a range of surface characteristics were selected to investigate the Pb and As sorption. The minerals were coated with …