Digital Commons Network^™

A Pre-Paving Baseline Inventory Of Vehicle-Related Mortality On Mule Deer Along, Seep Ridge Road, Book Cliffs, Utah, D. Alex Hansen

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

Part I:

The Seep Ridge road is the major route used to access the Book Cliffs from Uintah County. For many years the County has expressed interest in paving the road in order to improve access to this remote portion of the County. In 2011 Uintah County received Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval for the project and began construction on the road. There have been many concerns expressed concerning the Seep Ridge Road paving project, including impacts to mule deer. The Utah Division of Wildlife, sportsmen and conservation groups are concerned that upgrading the road may lead to a …

Ethnic Disparities In Prenatal Care Utilization In Vietnam, Ha Ngoc Trinh

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

Prenatal care is credited with reducing neonatal, perinatal, and maternal mortality and morbidity. The main purpose of the thesis is to examine the ethnic disparities between majority and ethnic minority women in prenatal care usage. The thesis also analyzes the effects of age, education attainment, female employment, and region on prenatal care utilization in Vietnam. I employ the Demographic and Health Survey 2002 in Vietnam. Descriptive statistic and logistic regression are the two statistical tests employed in this research. Results exhibit evidence of ethnic disparities in type of prenatal care utilization. Although ethnic minority women are likely to enter prenatal …

Functional Rehabilitation Of Low Back Pain With Core Stabilization Exercises: Suggestions For Exercises And Progressions In Athletes, Joshua Johnson

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

Introduction: Low back pain is very common in the adult population and accounts for more time lost from work than other diagnoses. It also affects athlete's at all different levels of competition and results in missed practice and game time. Diagnosing and treating a specific pathology is often difficult because clinical evaluation and radiologic studies are often unable to find a root cause. A popular treatment approach with a high volume of anecdotal evidence is the use of core stabilization exercise in the treatment of low back pain.

Purpose: To evaluate exercise as a treatment for a low back pain …

Streambed Thermal Property Instrument (Spi), James Alwel Dayie

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

The purpose of this research, the Streambed thermal Property Instrument (SPI) is to determine the applicability of this instrument for in situ thermal (conductivity and diffusivity) and porous flow (magnitude and direction) measurements. Currently, no such thermal instrument exists for such in situ measurements and the reason for developing this unique instrument, the SPI to fill the technology gap in sediment thermal property measurement devices. Prior to testing the instrument under controlled laboratory conditions to determine its functionality through a series of static and flow tests, the instrument was designed and built. A lab-sized version of an actual river called …

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster: A Graphical Assessment Of Its Impact On Wildlife, Anvar Suyundikov

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

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. Considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, oil flowed for three months and approximately five million barrels of oil spilled through by mid-July 2010. In this report, we analyze fish and bird data to assess the impact of the oil spill on the Gulf wildlife. Our findings based on the available fish data for 2005, 2006, and 2010 are not very helpful to make a judgement on the negative impact of the oil spill on fish species. On the other hand, the bird …

Internet Reviews: Understanding Evolution, John Creech

Library Scholarship

Review of the Understanding Evolution website by the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education.

Novel Napi-Iic Mutations Causing Hhrh And Idiopathic Hypercalciuria In Several Unrelated Families: Long-Term Follow-Up In One Kindred., Y Yu, S R. Sanderson, M Reyes, A Sharma, N Dunbar, Tarak Srivastava, H Jüppner, C Bergwitz

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in SLC34A3, the gene encoding the sodium-dependent co-transporter NaPi-IIc, cause hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH), a disorder characterized by renal phosphate-wasting resulting in hypophosphatemia, elevated 1,25(OH)(2) vitamin D levels, hypercalciuria, rickets/osteomalacia, and frequently kidney stones or nephrocalcinosis. Similar albeit less severe biochemical changes are also observed in heterozygous carriers, which are furthermore indistinguishable from those encountered in idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH). We now searched for SLC34A3 mutations (exons and introns) in two previously not reported HHRH kindreds, which resulted in the identification of three novel mutations. The affected members of kindred A were compound heterozygous …

The Critical Middle Years And The Relationship Of Early Access To Algebra On High School Math Course Completion And College Readiness, Kim Victoria Smith Green

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many students who enroll in higher education are unprepared to meet the challenges of postsecondary education. The probability that students will make a successful transition from high school to college is linked to the degree to which their secondary educational experiences have prepared them for the expectations and demands they will encounter in college. National findings provide continuing evidence that focusing on improving student achievement in mathematics will positively impact college readiness. The main problem addressed in this quantitative study was how educators can best prepare students for college readiness. Since college readiness is highly dependent upon math achievement in …

Biometric Variation Among Two Mangrove Warbler Setophaga Petechia Populations Of Northwestern Mexico, Cheryl L. Schweizer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mangrove forests are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Despite this, over half of the world's mangroves have been lost, primarily due to anthropogenic activities. Northwestern Mexico is the northernmost range of mangroves in the eastern Pacific and western hemisphere. Mangrove Warblers (Setophaga petechia castaneiceps and S. p. rhizophorae ), are small, tropical songbirds, endemic to these mangroves and are presumed to have sedentary lifestyles. Little is known about Mangrove Warblers across their range including basic life history data. Declining habitat across Mexico may be putting these populations at great risk. My primary objectives were to 1) …

Feeding Female Growing Rats Different Sources Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Affects Lung Fatty Acid Composition And Gene Expression, Maria L. Dalzot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Justification: The lungs are constantly exposed to oxidative stress and inflammation which increase the risk of lung damage. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), found in different dietary sources, regulate the expression of various genes involved in eicosanoid production and oxidative stability.;Objective: to determine whether providing different sources of n-3 PUFAs will affect the fatty acid composition, inflammation and oxidation in the lungs of growing rats.;Methods: Growing (age 28 d) Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned (n=10/group) to diets consisting of either corn oil (CO) or n-3 PUFA rich flaxseed (FO), krill (KO), salmon (SO) or tuna (TO) oil for 8 …

Quest Hierarchy For Hyperspectral Face Recognition, David M. Ryer, Trevor J. Bihl, Kenneth W. Bauer Jr., Steven K. Rogers

Faculty Publications

A qualia exploitation of sensor technology (QUEST) motivated architecture using algorithm fusion and adaptive feedback loops for face recognition for hyperspectral imagery (HSI) is presented. QUEST seeks to develop a general purpose computational intelligence system that captures the beneficial engineering aspects of qualia-based solutions. Qualia-based approaches are constructed from subjective representations and have the ability to detect, distinguish, and characterize entities in the environment Adaptive feedback loops are implemented that enhance performance by reducing candidate subjects in the gallery and by injecting additional probe images during the matching process. The architecture presented provides a framework for exploring more advanced integration …

Evolving Science In Adolescence, Kenneth Dodge, Dustin Albert

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Ellis et al. (2012) bring an evolutionary perspective to bear on adolescent risky behavioral development, clinical practice, and public policy. The authors offer important insights that (a) some risky behaviors may be adaptive for the individual and the species by being hard-wired due to fitness benefits and (b) interventions might be more successful if they move with, rather than against, the natural tendencies of an adolescent. Ellis and colleagues criticize the field of developmental psychopathology, but we see the 2 fields as complementary. Their position would be enhanced by integrating it with contemporary perspectives on dynamic cascades through which normative …

Even Moderate Visual Impairments Degrade Drivers' Ability To See Pedestrians At Night, Joanne M. Wood, Richard A. Tyrell, Alex Chaparro, Ralph P. Marszalek, Trent P. Carberry, Byoung Sun Chu

Publications

PURPOSE. To determine the effect of moderate levels of refractive blur and simulated cataracts on nighttime pedestrian conspicuity in the presence and absence of headlamp glare.

METHODS. The ability to recognize pedestrians at night was measured in 28 young adults (M ¼ 27.6 years) under three visual conditions: normal vision, refractive blur, and simulated cataracts; mean acuity was 20/40 or better in all conditions. Pedestrian recognition distances were recorded while participants drove an instrumented vehicle along a closed road course at night. Pedestrians wore one of three clothing conditions and oncoming headlamps were present for 16 participants and absent for …

K-Nearest Keyword Search In Rdf Graphs, Eugenio De Hoyos

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

We formulate and tackle a flexible and useful query, namely k-nearest keyword (k-NK) query, which can identify the relationship between vertices (or keywords) in an RDF graph, where users are only required to specify two query keywords q and w (without knowing the domain knowledge). In particular, a k-NK query returns k closest pairs of vertices (ui; vi) in the RDF graph such that vertices ui and vi contain keywords q and w, respectively, and vi has the smallest (shortest path) distance to ui (i.e., vi is the nearest neighbor of ui). In order to efficiently answer k-NK queries, in …

The Value Of Literary Journalism: Searching For Truths Through An Objective/Subjective Dialectic, Omar Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Literary Journalism is a hybrid genre that combines literary devices with advanced journalistic techniques to create nonfiction narratives. The distinctive qualities of literary journalism, working in addition to so-called objective approaches of conventional journalism, provide the reader with an alternative observation of specific social phenomena. In the introduction, issues revolving around the genre will be discussed followed by the introduction of the objective/subjective dialectic thus formulating my thesis that insists combining the two approaches allows the reader to see truth beyond ideology. The three chapters that follow offer readings of three key and representative works of literary journalism. The Armies …

Early Embryology Of The Insect Oligotoma Saundersii (Embiidina) Using Targeted Genes As Developmental Landmarks, Omar Doria

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Embiidina, or "webspinners", is a small, sexually dimorphic, polyneopterous insect order and is the only order to spin silk throughout their life cycle. Unique morphological features and the phylogenetic position of Embiidina make it an attractive subject for study of the evolution and development of the insect body plan and the origin of novel morphological features. Oligotoma saundersii is easily cultured and a viable laboratory organism. It has a fairly standard short-germ embryogenesis process requiring 453 hours at 28°C with progressive development beginning in the anterior region. Preliminary work on targeted developmental genes has yielded small portions of seven genes. …

Qualitative Analysis Of The Burgers-Huxley Equation, Jing Tian

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

There are many well-known techniques for obtaining exact solutions of differential equations, but some of them only work for a very limited class of problems and are merely special cases of a few power symmetry methods. These approaches can be applied to nonlinear differential of unfamiliar type; they do not rely on special “tricks." Instead, a given differential equation can be made to reveal its symmetries, which are then used to construct exact solutions. In this thesis, we briefly present the theory of the Lie symmetry method for finding exact solutions of nonlinear differential equations, then apply it to the …

Assessment Of Oxidative Stress Gene Expression In Brassicaceae Plant Species Using A Real-Time Pcr Method, Florestella Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Many plant species in the Brassicaceae plant family possess the ability to accumulate heavy metals. One challenge in using these hyperaccumulator plants for phytoremediation is that they are slow growing and often have a low biomass. This is a limitation should they be utilized for phytoremediation. However, the mechanisms by which hyperaccumulators tolerate heavy metals are of interest as these characteristics can be engineered into a plant species that is more suited for use in phytoremediation. Therefore, modification of oxidative stress response (OSR) gene expression in Brassicaceae species has become of great interest. Oxidative stress gene induction in both non-accumulator …

2012 Library Graduate Student Survey Report, Penny Beile

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.

Utah State University Botanical Center Stream Master Plan, Daniel Willard Schults

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

The Utah State University Botanical Center Stream Master Plan is a design to assist Utah State University Botanical Center (USUBC) administration in fulfilling their goals of community outreach and education, implementing sustainable practices and creating aesthetically beautiful areas for public enjoyment. These goals are met through updating the USUBC master plan to account for the newly built man-made stream as well as other future buildings. Trails, overlooks and information nodes are part of the new master plan. The planting plan includes representations of six natural plant communities found in Northern Utah. Additionally, the stream design improves the water quality of …

A Multiple Streams Approach To Bioterrorism Policy, Craig Reeder

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

Bioterrorism is not a new phenomenon and the issues that surround bioterrorism are complex. This paper focuses on the history of bioterrorism, its current threat in public view, and then applying a theory in which explains how those problems became issues in government. The paper starts by examining a historical account of bioterrorism. The history serves a purpose to discuss the ongoing developments and struggles of drafting legislation for an ongoing problem.

After a discussion of bioterrorism from a historical perspective, the paper examines the current threat or state of bioterrorism. This will lead into a discussion about John Kingdon’s …

Assessing Changes In The Abundance Of The Continental Population Of Scaup Using A Hierarchical Spatio-Temporal Model, Beth E. Ross

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

In ecological studies, the goal is often to describe and gain further insight into ecological processes underlying the data collected during observational studies. Because of the nature of observational data, it can often be difficult to separate the variation in the data from the underlying process or 'state dynamics.' In order to better address this issue, it is becoming increasingly common for researchers to use hierarchical models. Hierarchical spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal models allow for the simultaneous modeling of both first and second order processes, thus accounting for underlying autocorrelation in the system while still providing insight into overall spatial …

Plants Search Engine, Purnachandra Kanagala

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

This project presents a Web search engine for North American plant species that provides easy and fast access to plant information from multiple data sources. This project’s overarching goal is to integrate plant information from different sources under a single interface to allow any user to search said information from a universal portal rather than searching in several places. The user interface was designed and customized to help the user search for anything related to North American plants and get the required information within few clicks with the help of the faceted browsing. The user experience is more enhanced by …

Asking Latino Students: Strategies To Improve Dual Credit High School – Community College Bridge Programs, Ana L. King

Dissertations

This study explores and identifies factors that contribute to Latino students’ enrollment and persistence in the first two years of a 2+2+2 program (high school – community college – university). As community college leaders attempt to reach the fastest growing, youngest minority group in the United States (Passel, Cohn, & Lopez, 2011), questions emerge on how to create and implement an effective high school to college bridge program. The research focused on discovering insights and gaining understanding from the perspectives of Latino students participating in the high school years of a 2+2+2 bridge program. This qualitative inquiry situated in the …

Dating Anxiety And Paternal Dating Rules, Chad S. Brice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dating anxiety is a specific type of social anxiety individuals experience in the presence of dating partners or potential dating partners that disrupts typical romantic development during adolescence. The etiological factors that contribute to dating anxiety have been less researched than other presentations of anxiety so the present research aimed to further explore potential contributors based on etiological factors related to other anxiety disorders. Many parent variables have been associated with anxiety disorders including parental anxiety, overcontrol, and fear-conditioning. In regard to dating, fathers have been shown to be more controlling and restrictive than mothers in their rule use. The …

A Phase Separation Study Of Biological Polymers In Solid State Films, Jaclyn Nicole Kokx

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A growing need for nanoparticle-polymeric composite materials in the electronics and coatings industries has driven research to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of self-assembled phase separation in polymer thin films and experiment with controlling the phase separation behavior of multicomponent polymer systems. This research proposed that biological polymers have the ability to phase separate into defined structures capable of organizing nanoparticles with unparallel control over the architecture of the molecule compared to synthetic polymers.;This study used recombinant DNA techniques and the expression host E. coli to accurately and repeatedly produce a peptide with a random coil secondary structure. …

The Failure Of The Surveillance State: Observation, Narrative And Identity In American Literature And Culture Since The Cold War, Jeremy C. Justus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines an aporia in Michel Foucault's analysis of ideological panopticism. Foucault would likely suggest that the contemporary widespread use and acceptance of second-generation surveillance technologies exemplifies the discursive circulation of panoptic ideology. To the contrary, there is a great deal of evidence that suggests that such technology can be used for, to borrow Steve Mann's phrase, sousveillance (or, literally, "to watch from below"). By drawing from Niklas Luhmann's and Gregory Bateson's examinations of the inherent "blind spots" of observation systems (both literal and metaphorical), this dissertation suggests that sousveillance posits a challenge to the theoretically "neat" (according to …

Bisphenol A Alters The Function And Expression Of Bk Channels In Vascular Smooth Muscle Through Membrane And Nuclear Signals, Shinichi Asano

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has recently become a public health concern, and the safety of the utilization of BPA has attracted the attention of the scientific community, politicians, and the general population. Although BPA is banned from baby products in a few countries because infants and young children are particularly susceptible to endocrine disruption, recent studies have consistently indicated the association between urinary BPA concentration and cardiovascular diseases in adults. Therefore, adult exposure to this xenoestrogen is becoming a healthcare issue that cannot be ignored. We selected large conductance Ca2+/voltage sensitive potassium (BK) channels as one of the target proteins …

Using Concept Mapping To Identify Action Steps For Physical Activity Promotion In Cancer Treatment, Sean J. Fitzpatrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The benefits of exercise during and after cancer treatment represent research areas that have received increased attention throughout the past two decades. Numerous benefits have been observed for cancer survivors who are physically active (Speck, Courneya, Masse, Duval & Schmitz, 2010). Yet oncologists have been slow to incorporate exercise counseling into practice (Daley et al., 2007). The objective of this study was to gather input from both researchers and oncologists as to what needs to happen for exercise to become part of standard care once treatment ends. The concept mapping process developed by Trochim and Kane (2007) was utilized to …

The Role Of Clustered Organization And Generation Of Mixed Properties In Macaque V2, Clinton Garret Cooper

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Throughout the mammalian cortex, neurons of similar response characteristics group together into topographic functional domains. The genesis and role of this organization remains in question, but it has been proposed to affect the mixed properties of neurons. These types of neurons possess multiple receptive field preferences, such as a cell responding to a color and an oriented stimulus. To examine the functionality of clustered organization and their effect in generation of neurons possessing mixed properties, this dissertation examined the secondary visual cortex (V2) of the Macaca fasicularis. This particular cortex is comprised of domains organized according to distinct visual stimulus …