Digital Commons Network^™

Northern Utah Grass-Fed Beef Production Costs And Returns, 2016, Kynda Curtis, Trevor Knudsen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions, determine potential returns, and prepare business and marketing plans.

Peaches In The Garden, Tiffany Maughan, Brent Black, Andrea Simondi

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes peaches and includes recommended cultivars for Utah, how to grow them; pests and disease;, and harvest, storage and use information.

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe Parvifolia) Use In Utah, Michael Caron, Taun Beddes

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes Red yucca and its use in the landscape, including planting, care, and maintenance, varieties, and diseases and pests.

A Word From The Writing Center (December 2016), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Writing tip
• Books on writing
• Writing Café

Synchronization And Random Triggering Of Lymphatic Vessel Contractions, James W. Baish, Christian Kunert, Timothy P. Padera, Lance L. Munn

Faculty Journal Articles

The lymphatic system is responsible for transporting interstitial fluid back to the bloodstream, but unlike the cardiovascular system, lacks a centralized pump-the heart–to drive flow. Instead, each collecting lymphatic vessel can individually contract and dilate producing unidirectional flow enforced by intraluminal check valves. Due to the large number and spatial distribution of such pumps, high-level coordination would be unwieldy. This leads to the question of how each segment of lymphatic vessel responds to local signals that can contribute to the coordination of pumping on a network basis. Beginning with elementary fluid mechanics and known cellular behaviors, we show that two …

Model Building And Security Analysis Of Puf-Based Authentication, Wenjie Che

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In the context of hardware systems, authentication refers to the process of confirming the identity and authenticity of chip, board and system components such as RFID tags, smart cards and remote sensors. The ability of physical unclonable functions (PUF) to provide bitstrings unique to each component can be leveraged as an authentication mechanism to detect tamper, impersonation and substitution of such components. However, authentication requires a strong PUF, i.e., one capable of producing a large, unique set of bits per device, and, unlike secret key generation for encryption, has additional challenges that relate to machine learning attacks, protocol attacks and …

Draft Genome Of The Leopard Gecko, Eublepharis Macularius, Zijun Xiong, Fang Li, Qiye Li, Long Zhou, Jiao Zheng, Tony Gamble, Ling Kui, Cai Li, Shengbin Li, Huanming Yang, Guojie Zhang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Geckos are among the most species-rich reptile groups and the sister clade to all other lizards and snakes. Geckos possess a suite of distinctive characteristics, including adhesive digits, nocturnal activity, hard, calcareous eggshells, and a lack of eyelids. However, one gecko clade, the Eublepharidae, appears to be the exception to most of these ‘rules’ and lacks adhesive toe pads, has eyelids, and lays eggs with soft, leathery eggshells. These differences make eublepharids an important component of any investigation into the underlying genomic innovations contributing to the distinctive phenotypes in ‘typical’ geckos.

Findings

We report high-depth genome sequencing, assembly, and …

Sleeve Gastrectomy Leads To Weight Loss In The Magel2 Knockout Mouse, Deanna M. Arble, Joshua W. Pressler, Joyce Sorrell, Rachel Wevrick, Darleen A. Sandoval

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Prader-Willi syndrom (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterized by hyperphagia, obesity, cardiopulmonary diseases, and increased mortality. Although successful weight loss improves health in PWS, few treatments cause sustained weight loss in obese patients let alone obese individuals with PWS.

Objectives

The present study uses the Magel2 knockout (KO) mouse, an animal model of PWS, to conduct a preclinical study on the efficacy of sleeve gastrectomy(SG) in PWS.

Setting

Academic research laboratory, United States.

Methods

We performed sham or SG surgeries in 24- to 28-week-old male Magel2 KO and wild-type littermate control mice (WT) who had been maintained on …

December 1, 2016, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Using Digital Performance Feedback To Increase Teacher Treatment Integrity, Heather Marie Whipple

Master's Theses

In intervention research, assessing treatment integrity is important to establish functional control of the independent variable and make accurate decisions regarding treatment effectiveness. This study examined the effects of digital performance feedback (DPF) as a follow-up strategy for teachers to increase integrity. A multiple baseline design was utilized to determine the effectiveness of this strategy. Results from this study expanded previous literature on ways to promote treatment integrity and help move toward a science of intervention implementation. The primary dependent variable measured was treatment integrity. Student behavior was also assessed to determine if there is a relationship between treatment integrity …

Crafting Iron And Other Stories, Bryana Michelle Fern

Master's Theses

The stories that follow in this collection attempt to reveal studies in characters facing loneliness, and to do so by following Alice Munro’s conception of plot—the notion that characters shape the plot according to their position in the various “rooms” of the story. Feelings of loneliness look different for everyone, and necessitate many different methods of filling that hole. In these stories, many variations of loneliness are explored. A Vietnam veteran struggles to find healing through the adoption of his young godson, whose father was his best friend in the war; a lady in Surrey, England, takes a trip in …

Correspondence Between Haptic And Visual Perception Of Stand-On-Ability: Do Hills Look As Steep As They Feel?, Jonathan Kenealy Doyon

Master's Theses

Vision and haptics play a central role in perceiving environmental layout to guide action. Hajnal, Wagman, Doyon, and Clark (2016) demonstrated that visual perception of stand-on-ability is accurate compared to action capabilities, whereas haptic perception of stand-on-ability reliably underestimates action capabilities. This finding contradicts Gibson’s (1979) theory of equivalence in perceptual systems, which suggests that perception should be equivalent regardless of modality. Previous comparisons of visual and haptic perception tested the modalities in isolation. The current experiment directly compares visual to haptic perception of stand-on-ability by using one perceptual system to estimate the other. Observers viewed a surface set to …

Three-Dimensional Analysis Of The Development Of Upper Arm Musculoskeletal Stress Markers In Late Adolescents And Young Adults Of Archaic And Mississippian Populations Of Tennessee, Heather Marie Guzik

Master's Theses

This study compares three methods for the evaluation of morphology of musculoskeletal attachment sites. Two methods were macroscopic and the third was microscopic, utilizing three-dimensional laser scanning and fractal analysis The morphology of 19 upper limb attachment sites was observed in 33 males aged 15 and 30+ years, dating to the Archaic and Mississippian periods from the southeastern U.S. It was hypothesized that 1) the microscopic method would identify subtler differences than the macroscopic methods; 2) enthesis development would be greater in the Mississippian population due to the increased subsistence workload, even among younger individuals; and 3) late adolescents would …

Police Education And Training: A Comparative Analysis Of Law Enforcement Preparation In The United States And Canada, Citlali Alexandra Déverge

Master's Theses

Police academy training for newly hired officers varies across locations and regions in regard to both training process and training content. The needs and demands of modern-day societies have evolved, and it is very important for police training academies to keep up with the practice of the police profession. Higher education adds value to police training as it reinforces the development of critical thinking skills and the necessary values needed to face the needs and demands of society, particularly in terms of accountability, professionalism, and legitimacy. This research presents a case study of two police training academies located in a …

Structure-Property Relationships Of Polyisobutylene-Block-Polyamide Thermoplastic Elastomers, Morgan Dunn Heskett

Master's Theses

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are a class of polymer fit for a wide variety of applications due to their customizability. In the synthesis of these types of materials, an elastically-performing polymer, deemed the “soft block,” is combined with a stiffer “hard block” polymer, each of which can be selected based on their own specific properties in order to achieve desired material behavior in the final copolymer. Recently, the use of polyisobutylene as a soft block in combination with a polyamide hard block has been investigated for use in TPE synthesis. While the material showed some promising behavior, many properties were still …

Effect Of Fragmentation And Habitat Type On Coastal Nekton In Mississippi, Thomas Bennett Sevick

Master's Theses

Coastal wetlands are extremely productive ecosystems that support an abundance of organisms at higher tropic levels. Coastal wetlands also act as important buffers from storms and help protect major cornerstones of coastal economies, such as tourism and fisheries. Despite the clear need for the protection of these habitats, anthropogenic use of coastal wetlands has increased in frequency and intensity, resulting in the fragmentation of once continuous habitats. A central challenge to assessing the impact of marsh fragmentation is the lack of quantitative distribution and abundance data from specific habitat types. This is especially true for species that are not commercially …

Evaluating The Independent Group Contingency: “Mystery Student” On Improving Behaviors In Head Start Classrooms, Jamie Pasqua

Master's Theses

An increasing number of preschool children exhibit challenging behavior in the classroom. Head Start children are particularly at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders due to numerous risk factors. Unfortunately, some preschool teachers are ill equipped to manage the challenging behaviors that preschool children exhibit. The current study investigated the effects of the group contingency, “Mystery Student,” on improving preschool classroom behaviors. The Mystery Student intervention is a novel, independent group contingency, with an added randomized component. An ABAB reversal design was employed to determine how effective the Mystery Student intervention was at decreasing the disruptive behaviors and increasing the …

Effects Of An 18- Week Strength, Conditioning, And Circuit Training Program On Weight Loss In A Middle Aged Adult Male, Aryeh D. Spingarn

Publications and Research

Aryeh Spingarn Queens College, City University of New York Department of Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, Effects of an 18-week strength, conditioning, and circuit training program on weight loss in a middle-aged male. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a strength, conditioning, and circuit training program on weight loss in a middle age adult. Methods: The subject participated in an 18-week strength and conditioning program 2 days per week for one hour per session, totaling 2 hours of training time per week. The first 12 weeks of the program included only strength training for …

Investigation Of Polymer–Plasticizer Blends As Sh-Saw Sensor Coatings For Detection Of Benzene In Water With High Sensitivity And Long-Term Stability, Pintu Adhikari, Laura Jeanne Alderson, Florian Bender, Antonio J. Ricco, Fabien Josse

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We report the first-ever direct detection of benzene in water at concentrations below 100 ppb (parts per billion) using acoustic wave (specifically, shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave, SH-SAW) sensors with plasticized polymer coatings. Two polymers and two plasticizers were studied as materials for sensor coatings. For each polymer–plasticizer combination, the influence of the mixing ratio of the blend on the sensitivity to benzene was measured and compared to commercially available polymers that were used for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) detection in previous work. After optimizing the coating parameters, the highest sensitivity and lowest detection limit for benzene were found …

The Role Of Spirituality And Religiosity In Persons Living With Sickle Cell Disease, Dora L. Clayton-Jones, Kristin Haglund

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious debilitating chronic illness, affecting approximately 90,000 Americans and millions globally. Spirituality and religiosity (S/R) may ease the burden faced by persons living with SCD. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of S/R in adolescents and adults living with SCD in the research literature.

Method: The electronic databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Health Source Nursing/Academic, ProQuest Health Module, PsycINFO, Medline, PubMed, and the American Theological Library Association were searched from January 1995 to December 2014.

Findings: Of the 89 studies retrieved, 11 articles between 2001 …

Recent Advancements In Regenerative Dentistry: A Review, Pouya Amrollahi, Brinda Shah, Amir Seifi, Lobat Tayebi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Although human mouth benefits from remarkable mechanical properties, it is very susceptible to traumatic damages, exposure to microbial attacks, and congenital maladies. Since the human dentition plays a crucial role in mastication, phonation and esthetics, finding promising and more efficient strategies to reestablish its functionality in the event of disruption has been important. Dating back to antiquity, conventional dentistry has been offering evacuation, restoration, and replacement of the diseased dental tissue. However, due to the limited ability and short lifespan of traditional restorative solutions, scientists have taken advantage of current advancements in medicine to create better solutions for the oral …

Formulation Of An Interactive Ruled-Based Design Envelope For Ensuring Aftermarket Vehicle Dynamics Compliance, Xianjie Zhou

All Dissertations

The objective of this research is to develop an integrated system engineering methodology for the customization design to maximize vehicle performance upgrade freedom while ensuring vehicle dynamics compliance. A post-delivery modification framework, which is led by an aftermarket umbrella organization and involve various stakeholders has been established. The umbrella organization will be in charge of developing the design envelope and distribute to various aftermarket kit suppliers to generate specific products according to their brand essence. A generic mathematical representation of a (proprietary) ESC system has been developed for virtual certification purposes. This approach is a cost-effective alternative to physical on-road …

Traffic Surveillance And Automated Data Extraction From Aerial Video Using Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, And Probabilistic Approaches, Xi Zhao

All Dissertations

In transportation engineering, sufficient, reliable, and diverse traffic data is necessary for effective planning, operations, research, and professional practice. Using aerial imagery to achieve traffic surveillance and collect traffic data is one of the feasible ways that is facilitated by the advances of technologies in many related areas. A great deal of aerial imagery datasets are currently available and more datasets are collected every day for various applications. It will be beneficial to make full and efficient use of the attribute rich imagery as a resource for valid and useful traffic data for many applications in transportation research and practice. …

Techniques To Improve The Retrieval Efficiency And Usability Of G-Bean, Yuanyuan Zhang

All Dissertations

Mary E. Kurz, Committee Chair

Optimal Design Of Process Parameters During Laser Direct Metal Deposition Of Multi-Material Parts, Jingyuan Yan

All Dissertations

During the past few years, the need for multi-material parts or heterogeneous objects (HOs) has surfaced with the rapid growth of laser technology, material science and additive manufacturing techniques. Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) process, a metal based additive manufacturing technique, can locally deposit dissimilar metal powders to produce HOs as needed. While some theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the DMD process, there are still some challenges such as the process parameters design, optimization, and adjustment during the fabrication of HOs that have not been well elucidated. This dissertation aims at developing the manufacturing science needed to …

Kernel Smoothing And Tolerance Intervals For Hierarchical Data, Christopher Wilson

All Dissertations

Multistage sampling is a common sampling technique in many studies. A challenge presented by multistage sampling schemes is that an additional random term should be introduced to the linear model. Observations are identically distributed but not independent, thus many traditional kernel smoothing techniques, which assume that the data is independent and identically distributed, may not produce reasonable estimates for the marginal density. Breunig (2001) proposed a method to account for the intra-class correlation leading to a complex bandwidth involving high order derivatives for bivariate kernel density estimate. We consider an alternative approach where the data are grouped into multiple random …

Instructional Coaches And The Development Of Relational Trust, Kristin Adams Schulze

All Dissertations

The position of instructional coach has become common in elementary schools, arising from calls for increased student achievement that originate from education policy and changing curriculum standards. Research in regards to the effectiveness of instructional coaches positively impacting classroom teaching is abundant. A key factor in the coach's ability to positively impact classroom instruction is the coach's interpersonal skills and ability to establish relational trust with classroom teachers. This trust is necessary to make changes in teachers' practice, yet little is known about how coaches establish this trust with teachers. Therefore, this study will extend the literature by filling in …

Characterization And Modeling Of Bond-Loss Behavior In Pretensioned Concrete I-Girders, Behnam Naji

All Dissertations

Bond-loss failures have been widely observed in load tests of precast-pretensioned concrete I-girders. This type of failure is associated with shear cracking near the support that interrupts anchorage of the strands, leading to loss of bond and slipping of the strands relative to the concrete. It has been experimentally demonstrated that this failure type can occur at load levels that are lower than the nominal shear and flexural capacities. Because bond loss can be the controlling factor for structural capacity, it is critical that strand anchorage be considered when detailing and calculating the capacity of I-girder end regions. This dissertation …

Efficient Analytics For Large Implicit Correlation Networks, Raghuveer Mohan

All Dissertations

Large “correlation”-type networks have applications in machine learning, data mining and analysis of large biological networks. These networks contain short length-k (on the order of thousands) feature vectors for every node in the network that describe the characteristic or behavior of that node. Edges between nodes are expressed as correlations, partial correlations or coherence between the corresponding feature vectors. If the number of nodes n is too large (on the order of millions), then the dense correlation network with size n×n is computationally infeasible even to explicitly store in memory, let alone to use for computation of standard network analytics …

Conjugated Polymers Under Confinement: Molecular Dynamics Simulations Study, Sabina Maskey

All Dissertations

The conformations and dynamics of luminescent polymers, polymeric nanoparticles or polydots and polymers grafted onto inorganic nanoparticles using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation have been studied. Rigidity of the backbones of polymers effects their properties. Model polymer, dialkyl poly para phenylene ethynylene (PPE), comprises rigid backbones substituted by flexible side chains. The degree of conjugation of these polymers depends on the conformation of their backbones, which in turn affects their electronic and luminescence characteristics. The results of single chain of PPEs followed by polydots and polymers grafted onto inorganic nanoparticles. PPEs as a function of molecular weight and the nature of …