Digital Commons Network^™

Strategic Sustainability Assessment Of Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion Of Food And Bioplastic Waste For Municipalities, Shakira R. Hobbs

All Dissertations

Organic waste streams often include bioplastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and food waste. PLA is a plant-derived bioplastic intended to replace petroleum based plastics; it is often used to make utensils and food packaging. Recently, managing food waste and PLA are becoming more and more complex as the amounts disposed continue to increase. PLA and food waste are often comingled during disposal since PLA is touted as being compostable. However, PLA does not degrade at the same rate as food waste in compost facilities. As such, PLA builds up within compost facilities and has to be screened out and …

The Effects Of Interrelated Goals, Anxiety, And Mindfulness On Somatic Symptoms, Liesel Christoe-Frazier

Dissertations

The present study investigated the interrelationships between interrelated goals, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and mindfulness among a sample of undergraduate college students (n = 454). Structural equation modeling was used to develop a well-fitting model based on collected data. Results showed that goal conflict was positively associated with higher levels of anxiety and somatic symptoms. Anxiety was found to mediate the relationship between goal conflict and somatic symptoms. Goal facilitation was found to be unrelated to anxiety and somatic symptoms. Mindfulness was not found to moderate the relationship between anxiety and somatic symptoms, but was found to be negatively related to …

"Love Is Gender Blind": The Lived Experiences Of Transgender Couples Who Navigate One Partner's Gender Transition, Barry Lynn Motter

Dissertations

This study investigated the experiences of romantic couples who maintained their relationship when one partner transitioned gender. For this phenomenology, 13 couples were interviewed as a dyad and individually from within systemic, feminist, and queer research theories. Couples were interviewed together to best encapsulate their couple narrative and honor their experiences. Themes that emerged from the interviews appeared overall consistent with research regarding transgender couple experiences. Couples discussed how much they loved each other and cared about their relationship above and beyond a partner’s gender identity, sharing they felt committed to their partners as people. Several common relationship changes were …

The Effects Of Self-Compassion And Shame On The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Depression, Julie Ann Barritt

Dissertations

The following study examined how self-compassion and shame effect the relationship between adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism and depression. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the predictive role of adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism, shame, and self-compassion on depression. This study included a sample size of 226 undergraduate and graduate students from a university in the Rocky Mountain region. Results from the multiple regression analysis found maladaptive perfectionism was a significant predictor of depression (β = .540, p < .01), which supported findings from previous research. When shame and self-compassion were included, results indicated self-compassion (β = -.257, p < .01) and shame (β = .382, p < .01) were full mediators in the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism (β = .035, p = .707) and depression. The change in significance for maladaptive perfectionism from β = .540 to β = .035 was statistically significant (p < .01) showing important mediating effects of self-compassion and shame. Interestingly, adaptive perfectionism was found to act as a suppressor variable in this study; which provided important theoretical and methodological implications for future research. Overall, results emphasized the importance of targeting decreasing shame and increasing self-compassion for those with depression and maladaptive perfectionistic behaviors and beliefs.

Potential Environmental Impacts Of Oil And Natural Gas Production On A Shortgrass Steppe, Randi Corrine Lupardus

Dissertations

Federal lands of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland (PNG) lie on the Niobrara play and bring high profits to the State of Colorado. Natural gas development, production, and associated processing activities; however, can be a substantial source of air pollution. Common fugitive emissions on typical PNG Oil and Natural Gas (O&NG) production sites include volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and the xylenes (BTEX). These VOCs can then deposit (wet or dry) onto or transfer (via soil or water) into surrounding vegetation. Minerals, including heavy metals, are also released during the production …

Functional Expression Of Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (B7-H1) By Immune Cells And Tumor Cells, Rachel M. Gibbons Johnson

Biology Publications

The programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 (B7-H1) signaling pathway has been the focus of much enthusiasm in the fields of tumor immunology and oncology with recent FDA approval of the anti-PD-1 antibodies pembrolizumab and nivolumab and the anti-PD-L1 antibodies durvalumab, atezolimuab, and avelumab. These therapies, referred to here as PD-L1/ PD-1 checkpoint blockade therapies, are designed to block the interaction between PD-L1, expressed by tumor cells, and PD-1, expressed by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, leading to enhanced antitumor CD8+ T cell responses and tumor regression. The influence of PD-L1 expressed by tumor cells on antitumor CD8+ T cell …

Knowing Nature In The City: Comparative Analysis Of Knowledge Systems Challenges Along The 'Eco-Techno' Spectrum Of Green Infrastructure In Portland & Baltimore, Annie Marissa Matsler

Dissertations and Theses

Green infrastructure development is desired in many municipalities because of its potential to address pressing environmental and social issues. However, despite technical optimism, institutional challenges create significant barriers to effective green infrastructure design, implementation, and maintenance. Institutional challenges stem from the disparate scales and facility types that make up the concept of green infrastructure, which span from large-scale natural areas to small engineered bioswales. Across these disparate facilities 1) different performance metrics are used, 2) different institutions have jurisdiction, and, 3) facility types are differentially classified as assets, producing epistemological and ontological variegation across the spectrum of green infrastructure that …

The Effects Of Sprayer Speed And Droplet Size On Herbicide Burndown Efficacy, Justin Carroll

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An Apache AS1220 self-propelled boom sprayer with a 27.4 m (90 ft) boom was equipped with different sizes (02, 04 and 06) and types (TeeJet AI, XR, AIXR and TTI) of nozzles to achieve medium, very coarse and ultra coarse droplet sizes traveling 11 km/h (7 mph), 19 km/h (12 mph), and 29 km/h (18 mph). These combinations of speed and droplet size were evaluated for percent coverage of the spray and percent control of targeted weeds 3, 7, and 15 days after treatment (DAT). Four replications were conducted for each speed and droplet size combination except for at 19 …

Do Eye Movements During Shape Discrimination Reveal An Underlying Geometric Structure?, Bradley R. Sturz, Ty W. Boyer, John F. Magnotti, Kent D. Bodily

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Using a psychophysical approach coupled with eye-tracking measures, we varied length and width of shape stimuli to determine the objective parameters that corresponded to subjective determination of square/rectangle judgments. Participants viewed a two-dimensional shape stimulus and made a two-alternative forced-choice whether it was a square or rectangle. Participants’ gaze was tracked throughout the task to explore directed visual attention to the vertical and horizontal axes of space. Behavioral results provide threshold values for two-dimensional square/rectangle perception, and eye-tracking data indicated that participants directed attention to the major and minor principal axes. Results are consistent with the use of the major …

Conformation Of Transmembrane Segments Of A Protein By A Coarse Grain Model, Sunita Subedi Paudel

Master's Theses

The human voltage-gated proton channels (hH_V1) are critical in many physiological functions and control proton conduction in the cell. This process is governed by the cooperative response of different transmembrane segments of the protein. It is believed that the two subunits of the C-terminal dimer provide independent proton channel pathways through the membrane where the conformations of both monomers and dimer are key for selective proton transport. Conformational response of these transmembrane segments of the protein hH_V1 is studied by a coarse-grained model as a function of temperature where structural detail of a residue is ignored …

Effects Of Wave Action On The Structure Of Fish Assemblages Across An Exposure Gradient, Lauren Liddon

Master's Theses

Disturbance affects the function and diversity of ecosystems. Increased wave exposure to salt marsh can disturb sediments and cause a loss of habitat. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of increased wave exposure on diversity, abundance, and functional ecology of estuarine fishes. If increased wave exposure is acting as a disturbance to these habitats, ecological theory (Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis) predicts that diversity will peak at intermediate frequencies and intensities of disturbance. Fish were sampled from 10 sites monthly for 6 years. The sites were assigned to different exposure categories (Open, Intermediate, and Sheltered) using an exposure …

Evidence Of Multidecadal Recruitment In The Ocean Quahog, Arctica Islandica In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Sara M. Pace

Master's Theses

Ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica) are the longest-lived, non-colonial animals known today, with a maximum life span exceeding 500 years. Limited information is available regarding recruitment, making the sustainable management of this valuable fishery a challenge. The objective of this research was to describe the age structure and growth rates for four populations of ocean quahogs from the mid-Atlantic stock to evaluate long-term recruitment trends. Clams were sectioned for age estimation to develop population age frequencies. Initial colonization began approximately 175-250 years ago depending upon site. All sites experienced an increase in recruitment beginning in the late 1800’s to …

Grow Zone At The Botanic Garden: Building A Plantastic Place For Everybody To Learn How To Grow Just About Everything, Carolyn Altman

Sustainability Showcase (2014-2022)

Carolyn Altman, Director of the Botanic Garden ($13,000)

This project created an engaging, fully interpreted “how to grow anything” zone through which students and visitors can wander and learn how to grow vegetables, shrubs, trees, annuals and perennials.

Natural And Anthropogenic Effects On Life History Characteristics In The Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta Stansburiana), Geoffrey David Stuart Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Survival is a prerequisite for successful reproduction, and is thus intertwined with fitness. Some physiological systems can improve survival, like the immune system, but compete with other processes for resources. Because animals evolved with resource limitation, it is important to understand how these resource-allocation decisions are made. To meet this end, I performed four investigations addressing how life-history characteristics shift in side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) using laboratory studies and multi-year field sampling. First, I measured metabolic rates in response to different immune challenges and different energy states in male lizards. I found that, surprisingly, cutaneous biopsies were associated …

Integrating Black Bear Behavior, Spatial Ecology, And Population Dynamics In A Human-Dominated Landscape: Implications For Management, Jarod D. Raithel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) has made a robust recovery within the human-dominated, social-ecological systems characterizing the Mid-Atlantic United
States. For example, in northwestern New Jersey (NJ), USA, black bear abundance increased from an estimated 450-500 in 1996 to 3200-3400 in 2010. Bear recovery
coincided with increasing human populations, coupled with shifting settlement patterns toward sprawling suburban communities. Consequently, conflicts have rapidly proliferated over the past three decades and resulted in >1400 incidents of verified property damage, >400 livestock kills, >250 pet attacks and/or kills, seven human attacks and one human fatality since 2001. The New Jersey …

Facilitation Of Nanoscale Thermal Transport By Hydrogen Bonds, Lin Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thermal transport performance at the nanoscale and/or of biomaterials is essential to the success of many new technologies including nanoelectronics, biomedical devices, and various nanocomposites. Due to complicated microstructures and chemical bonding, thermal transport process in these materials has not been well understood yet. In terms of chemical bonding, it is well known that the strength of atomic bonding can significantly affect thermal transport across materials or across interfaces between materials. Given the intrinsic high strength of hydrogen bonds, this dissertation explores the role of hydrogen bonds in nanoscale thermal transport in various materials, and investigates novel material designs incorporating …

Quantifying Riverbed Sediment Using Recreational-Grade Side Scan Sonar, Daniel Hamill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons is subject to a complex regulatory framework, including the Colorado River Compact, the Endangered Species Act, and the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992. Physical, biological, and cultural resources are extensively monitored by the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to assess the effect of Glen Canyon Dam (GCD) operations on the downstream environment. The GCDAMP consists of a diverse group of stakeholders who identify priority resources and agree upon water releases at GCD. Large expenditures of money have been devoted to monitoring physical and biological resources in Grand Canyon. …

The Role Of Utah Farmers In Farm To School Programming, John L. Hawley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This purpose of this study was to describe Utah farmers’ role in farm to school (FTS) programming and their interest in institutional marketing of local foods. The researcher sent a survey to farmers belonging to the Utah Farm Bureau to discover the role they play in FTS in Utah.

Respondents held positive attitudes toward FTS programming and agreed that building relationships with community members and increasing awareness of local food were benefits. They cited a lack of information about schools seeking to purchase local products and restriction of growing seasons as barriers to their participation in FTS. They displayed their …

Estimating Accuracy Of Personal Identifiable Information In Integrated Data Systems, Amani "Mohammad Jum'h" Amin Shatnawi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Both government agencies and private companies rely on the collection of personal data on an ever-increasing scale. Out of necessity, person data include Personal Identifiable Information (PII), which is information that could potentially identify a specific individual. Many of these data would be integrated, so data analyst, policy makers or corporate officers can use it to make decisions or get a conclusion. Integrating data in a heterogeneous database environment create a need to estimate the accuracy of that data; without a valid assessment of accuracy there is a risk of coming with incorrect conclusions or making bad decision based on …

Comparison Of Chikungunya Virus Strains In Disease Severity And Susceptibility To T-705 (Favipiravir), In Vitro And In Vivo, Makda Gebre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chikungunya is a mosquito-transmitted disease caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Symptoms of Chikungunya include debilitating joint pain and swelling, fever and rash. CHIKV was first discovered in 1953 in Tanzania, and has since caused periodic outbreaks of disease. The virus reemerged recently in 2004 and has since spread around the world affecting more than 3 million people. The different strains of CHIKV have been grouped into three phylogenetic clades: West African, Asian and East/Central/South African (ECSA). There are no FDA approved medicines or vaccines used to treat or prevent CHIKV infection. The antiviral drug, T-705 (commercially known as Favipiravir), has …

Writing Attitudes And Practices Of Content Area Teachers After Participating In The Central Utah Writing Project Summer Institute, Joseph P. Anson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study of four case studies looks at how secondary math, music, science, and social studies teachers' attitudes and classroom practices were affected by their participation in the Central Utah Writing Project (CUWP) summer institute. Participant interviews, observations, and artifacts were analyzed by looking at themes for effective professional development: a participant's personal interpretation of the experience (phenomenon), construction of one's own learning, active learning/participation in the professional development, the inclusion of authentic tasks, collaborative support community, inclusion of prior knowledge and/or experience, self-efficacy regarding one's own writing and the teaching of writing, motivation as a teacher, motivation as a …

Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition In Middle School: An Examination Of Three Instructional Conditions, David B. Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The importance of vocabulary knowledge gained through incidental learning is well documented. The growth of incidental vocabulary knowledge is especially crucial for middle school students due to the complex words encountered in their studies. However, research on incidental vocabulary acquisition for middle school students is lacking. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of three instructional conditions (reading, writing, and reading and writing) on incidental vocabulary acquisition and retention with middle school students in an English as a first language (L1) environment.

In this within subjects repeated measure study, 263 eighth-grade participants received treatment in three …

A Comparison Of Five Statistical Methods For Predicting Stream Temperature Across Stream Networks, Maike F. Holthuijzen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The health of freshwater aquatic systems, particularly stream networks, is mainly influenced by water temperature, which controls biological processes and influences species distributions and aquatic biodiversity. Thermal regimes of rivers are likely to change in the future, due to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts, and our ability to predict stream temperatures will be critical in understanding distribution shifts of aquatic biota. Spatial statistical network models take into account spatial relationships but have drawbacks, including high computation times and data pre-processing requirements. Machine learning techniques and generalized additive models (GAM) are promising alternatives to the SSN model. Two machine learning …

Understanding The Biology Of Clover Root Curculio And Improving Their Management Using Biofumigation In Alfalfa, Steven J. Price

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clover root curculio (CRC) is a pest of alfalfa where larvae feed belowground damaging alfalfa roots. Regional knowledge of CRC activity and biology is limited making the development of pest management strategies difficult. One potential management technique for soil-dwelling pests is the use of biofumigant containing cover crops. Biofumigation can affect the survival and behavior of pest insects. However, biofumigant crops have not been evaluated against CRC or as a rotational crop compatible with alfalfa. The goals of this research were to determine 1) phenology, population sizes, and root damage severity of CRC occurring in the Intermountain region and 2) …

Maternal Diabetes, Related Biomarkers And Genes, And Risk Of Orofacial Clefts, Tiwaporn Maneerattanasuporn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Orofacial clefts (OFCs) are among the most common congenital birth defects and are characterized by incomplete development of the lip or the palate or both. The lip and palate develop separately at different times during the first trimester of pregnancy. The etiology of OFCs is multifactorial and includes a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This project aims to examine role of maternal diabetes mellitus in orofacial clefts through studies of medical histories, biomarkers, and genes.

In a study of Utah birth certificates, mothers with pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) had an increased risk of OFCs, and obese …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Single Electrodeposited Ferromagnetic Nanowires, Musaab Salman Sultan

Polytechnic Journal

In this paper, electrodeposition technique has been successfully utilized to fabricate arrays of ferromagnetic nanowires in different templates with various compositions and dimensions. These templates were dissolved by some chemical solutions and the nanowires were released in dilute suspensions using sonication bath. The dilute suspensions were then spilled onto silicon substrates using a pipette to create single ferromagnetic nanowires. The results of this study have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The concentration of the solutions and the period of time required to dissolve these templates were chosen according to successive experiments. To understand the effect of sonication time on …

Nutritional, Endocrine, And Social Influences On Reproductive Physiology At The Origins Of Social Behavior, Karen M. Kapheim

Biology Faculty Publications

Understanding the evolutionary origins of social behavior in insects requires understanding the physiological basis for reproductive plasticity. Solitary bees and wasps or those living in small, flexible societies will be key to understanding how conserved pathways have evolved to give rise to reproductive castes. Nutrient-sensing and endocrine pathways are decoupled from reproduction in some life stages of social insects. Heterochrony, particularly as it is related to diapause physiology, may be an important mechanism by which this decoupling occurs. Additional research is needed to understand how these pathways became sensitive to cues from the social environment. Future research targeting species with …

Failed Experiments: An Empirical Assessment Of Adaptive Management In Alberta's Energy Resources Sector

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Wayne Booth's Rhetoric Of Pluralism, William John Ordeman

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I will be examining the arguments Wayne C. Booth put forth for Pluralism in rhetorical studies. I will show how Booth believed that ethical criticism, not only in literary criticism but in all disputation, must take place in order for us to understand each other and objective values. Booth believed that our differing opinions and arguments may not be reconcilable, but by employing “listening rhetoric”, a method of paying close attention to the arguments of those who disagree with us, we can arrive at truths that are shared within a community. I juxtapose Booth with both Positivists …

The Effects Of Supplemental Rup In Corn Silage Growing Diets And Rup Digestibility Of Corn Silage, The Utilization Of Aggressive Implant Protocols, And The Effect Of Inoculate On Corn Silage And High Moisture Corn, Colton Ray Oney

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Three experiments evaluated the effect of implant strategies on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred steers and Holstein steers. Final BW, ADG, and G:F were not different between implant strategies in Exp. 1 and 2. The utilization of more aggressive implant strategies has minimal impact on both feedlot and carcass performance of cross breed steers.

Four experiments evaluated the effects of supplemental RUP in corn silage growing diets and RUP content and RUP digestibility of corn silage. Exp. 1, supplemented five concentrations of RUP to growing calves consuming a corn silage diet. As supplemental RUP increased ADG and ending …