Digital Commons Network^™

Interview With Patrick Belmont, Utah State University Special Collections & Archives

Utah State University COVID-19 Oral History Collection

No abstract provided.

Interview With Ken White, Utah State University Special Collections & Archives

Utah State University COVID-19 Oral History Collection

No abstract provided.

An Ultrasensitive Bacterial Detection Platform For Culture-Free Diagnosis Of Infections, Xuyang Shi

ETD Archive

The current methods of the diagnosis of bloodstream infections are based on bacterial culture growth, a process that requires considerable time, e.g., 12-16 hours, to obtain a result. This long wait time for the result creates many problems, including the generation of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs). At the same time, infected bloodstream usually contains a very low concentration of bacteria, i.e., lower than 5 CFU/mL. The long diagnosis time and the extremely low concentration of bacteria in the infected bloodstream make such infections difficult to diagnose. Here, we demonstrate a culture-free approach for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections using a …

Text And Image Frames Affect Message's Sharing And Acceptance Of Social Media Users, Xin Sa

ETD Archive

No abstract provided.

Lipids Affect The Diffusion Of Estradiol In Osteonal Bone, Nicholas Anthony Cimino

ETD Archive

In healthy osteonal bone, embedded osteocytes form an intercellular communication network through overlapping cell membrane extensions, possibly defining an overlooked and clinically relevant lipid-mediated transport pathway for nonpolar molecules. Previous techniques evaluating solute transport in cortical bone limit tissue analysis to microscale areas (less than 1 mm2) using tracers and assumptions that diminish clinical relevance, presenting the need for an improved method to evaluate solute diffusion in macroscale areas (greater than 1 mm2) of osteonal bone. A new diffusion system - constructed of glass and polytetrafluoroethylene - was designed and validated for this purpose, exhibiting minimal adsorption of solutes and …

Understanding Students' Views Of Science Identity Development, Daphne E. Pedersen, Alena Kubatova, Rebecca Simmons

Biology Faculty Publications

Science identity is composed of three key components, including competence (possessing scientific knowledge), performance (the capacity to use scientific tools and language in appropriate settings), and recognition (earning validation from others in the field) (Carlone & Johnson, 2007). The significance of a strong science identity is in shaping a student’s future behavior, such as intent to graduate and pursue a STEM career (Chang et al., 2011; Chemers et al., 2011), which is particularly important for those with notable retention challenges within STEM like women, underrepresented minorities, first generation, and rural students (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012). …

The Teacher’S Role In Writing: A Study Of Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions, Joy Myers, Kelly Tracy, Amanda Wall, Linda D. Smetana, Chinwe H. Ikpeze, Sonia M. Kline, Jenn Raskauskas, Roya Q. Scales, Vicki Mcquitty, Pamela Hickey

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacher’s role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing students’ confidence in writing. Some mentioned …

Musmorph, A Database Of Standardized Mouse Morphology Data For Morphometric Meta-Analyses, Jay Devine, Marta Vidal-García, Wei Liu, Amanda Neves, Lucas D. Lo Vercio, Rebecca M. Green, Heather A. Richbourg, Marta Marchini, Colton M. Unger, Audrey C. Nickle, Bethany Radford, Nathan M. Young, Paula N. Gonzalez, Robert E. Schuler, Alejandro Bugacov, Campbell Rolian, Christopher J. Percival, Trevor Williams, Lee Niswander, Anne L. Calof, Arthur D. Lander, Axel Visel, Frank R. Jirik

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Complex morphological traits are the product of many genes with transient or lasting developmental effects that interact in anatomical context. Mouse models are a key resource for disentangling such effects, because they offer myriad tools for manipulating the genome in a controlled environment. Unfortunately, phenotypic data are often obtained using laboratory-specific protocols, resulting in self-contained datasets that are difficult to relate to one another for larger scale analyses. To enable meta-analyses of morphological variation, particularly in the craniofacial complex and brain, we created MusMorph, a database of standardized mouse morphology data spanning numerous genotypes and developmental stages, including E10.5, E11.5, …

System And Methods For Wireless Power Transfer Scheduling In A Wireless Power Transfer Network, Muhammad Omer Farooq

Department of Computer Science Publications

A transmitter in a wireless power transfer network (WPTN) needs to deliver wireless power to a number of wireless power receiver. There can be diverse set of wireless power receivers, for example, Internet of Things devices, smart phones, laptops, etc. The wireless power requirements for receivers vary depending upon their type and state. Commercially deployed WPTNs may also have different subscription plans for users, hence each user’s device should receive wireless power transfer (WPT) service based on the subscribed plan. Usually, a transmitter has to provide service to a number of receivers. Hence, the transmitter needs to have a WPT …

One Health In Action: Flea Control And Interpretative Education At Badlands National Park, David Eads, Lindsey Buehler, Anne Esbenshade, Jason Fly, Evan Miller, Holly Redmond, Emily Ritter, National Park Service, Sasha Wittmann, Paul Roghair, Eddie Childers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Flood Hazard And Risk Analyses In The Republic Of Panama: A Case Study From The Juan Diaz River Watershed In Panama City, Virgilio De Jesus Quintero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flooding is the natural hazard with most occurrences in Panama. Its frequency and magnitude have increased over the years. This dissertation analyzes Panama’s flood activity in order to better understand flood hazards, the current evolution of Panamanian perceptions of flood risk, and the incorporation of indigenous knowledge used to mitigate flood hazards. The first chapter developed a baseline of past and current flood inventory in Panama, which required the use of flood historical data, thematic cartography, and Geographic Information Science (GIS). This chapter shows Panama has experienced floods in varying degrees. Through the spatial and temporal distribution of floods from …

Improving Building Cfd Peak Pressure Computation Using Les With A Focus On Inflow Turbulence Methods And Grid Spacing Size., Zahra Mansouri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structural failures by extreme winds often leads to economic losses and even deaths. Proper design of buildings requires accurate estimation of wind loads to prevent structural damage. Using routine guidelines generally leads to the underestimation of buildings’ peak pressures, in which most failures occur. To estimate wind loads more accurately three different methods (i.e., field measurement, wind tunnel (WT), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)) are in use. A well-validated CFD provides more flow field details at lower costs compared to field measurements and WT. As strong winds are extremely turbulent, the effects of turbulence in wind should be incorporated into …

Effects Of Participation In Athletics And Music Ensembles By Socioeconomic Status On Arkansas Academic Achievement, Aaron Leverette

College of Education Dissertations

Schools are held accountable by mandated standardized testing measuring academic achievement. Due to limited budgets, administrators have to decide how to balance funding for athletic teams and school music ensembles versus additional programs and positions that directly support academic achievement in tested subjects. The purposes of this study were to determine, after controlling for previous achievement, the effects by socioeconomic status between students who participate in athletics only versus school music ensembles only versus both versus neither on mathematics, English, reading, and science achievement measured by ACT Aspire Summative Assessments in mathematics, English, reading, and science for eighth-grade students in …

Identification Of Clinical And Behavioral Outcomes Predictive Of Ftld-Tdp Pathology, Nevin Crow, Virginia A. Berry, Eric Febles

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia (FTLD) is a neurogenerative disease often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), resulting in poor treatment outcomes (Rascovsky et al., 2011). Multi-factorial approaches are increasingly being applied to yield more accurate and earlier diagnoses. These standard clinical outcomes include MRI imaging, biomarkers, and assessments of cognitive ability. While each of these outcomes are partially predictive of FTLD diagnosis, none alone carry enough power to differentiate FTLD patients from other dementias, including AD. One notable variable is TDP-43, a DNA-binding protein involved in regulating the FTLD risk gene UNC13A, suggested as one of the more effective biomarkers for early …

How Disgust In Germ Averse Individuals Biases Avoidance Decision-Making, Wesley Stuart, Timothy Schoenfeld Phd

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The present study investigates the relationship between germ aversion and avoidant decision making. Individuals in the general population who rate highly in germ-aversion and disgust sensitivity may act maladaptively in order to avoid potentially anxiety inducing scenarios. If encountered, these scenarios will cause an increase in physiological arousal and a suppression of salivatory cortisol in the individual. We hypothesize that this stress response biases decision making in an avoidant manner. Participants for this study, consisting of 60 undergraduate students at Belmont University, started by taking a perceived vulnerability to disease scale. Then, those in the experimental group performed a task …

Clemson Commencement Program, December 2022, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

How Viscosity Of An Asphalt Binder Depends On Temperature: Theoretical Explanation Of An Empirical Dependence, Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Pavement must be adequate for all the temperatures, ranging from the winter cold to the summer heat. In particular, this means that for all possible temperatures, the viscosity of the asphalt binder must stay within the desired bounds. To predict how the designed pavement will behave under different temperatures, it is desirable to have a general idea of how viscosity changes with temperature. Pavement engineers have come up with an empirical approximate formula describing this change. However, since this formula is purely empirical, with no theoretical justification, practitioners are often somewhat reluctant to depend on this formula. In this paper, …

Why In Mond -- Alternative Gravitation Theory -- A Specific Formula Works The Best: Complexity-Based Explanation, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Based on the rotation of the stars around a galaxy center, one can estimate the corresponding gravitational acceleration -- which turns out to be much larger than what Newton's theory predicts based on the masses of all visible objects. The majority of physicists believe that this discrepancy indicates the presence of "dark" matter, but this idea has some unsolved problems. An alternative idea -- known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND, for short) is that for galaxy-size distances, Newton's gravitation theory needs to be modified. One of the most effective versions of this idea uses so-called simple interpolating function. In this …

Epistemic Vs. Aleatory: Case Of Interval Uncertainty, Marina Tuyako Mizukoshi, Weldon Lodwick, Martine Ceberio, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Interval computations usually deal with the case of epistemic uncertainty, when the only information that we have about a value of a quantity is that this value is contained in a given interval. However, intervals can also represent aleatory uncertainty -- when we know that each value from this interval is actually attained for some object at some moment of time. In this paper, we analyze how to take such aleatory uncertainty into account when processing data. We show that in case when different quantities are independent, we can use the same formulas for dealing with aleatory uncertainty as we …

(R2022) Mathematical Modelling Of Tuberculosis And Covid-19 Co-Infection In India: A Real Data Analysis On Concomitant Diseases, Vijai Shanker Verma, Harshita Kaushik, Archana Singh Bhadauria

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, we have proposed an epidemiological model to study the dynamics of two concomitant diseases Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19. Here, we have formulated a deterministic compartmental model as an extended form of the classical SIS model. First, the basic reproduction number R₀ is derived and then stability analysis of the model is done. It is observed that the disease-free equilibrium is stable when R₀ is less than one and the endemic equilibrium is stable only when R₀ is greater than one. Numerical simulation is carried out to illustrate the theoretical findings and to study the …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, December 1, 2022, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - November 3, 2022
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Mccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

Sustainability is a multi-faceted grand challenge. One of today’s largest challenges is related to sustainability: CO2 emissions from energy consumption. Calvin University purchases natural gas for the energy services it provides; however, it is a major contributor to the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. The ENGR 333 section B class was tasked with the question: What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions? After many hours of research and calculations, the ENGR 333 section B class answered this question with recommendations such as implementing ground source heat pumps, console heat pumps, air source heat …

Wics Conference 2022: Water And Integrated Cropping Systems: Driving Research, Teaching, And Extension Impact --Slide Presentation, Wics Conference

Water and Integrated Cropping Systems Conferences

What conference attendees had to say:

"The teaching overview and panel discussion provided many insights on how education pathways are evolving and the need to create diverse opportunities to meet dynamic needs."

"The extension component was valuable in seeing how those doing research can collaborate with and assist extension educators to make a greater impact in the state."

"It was good to learn what relevant research is being conducted and also the work being done in teaching in regards to water and cropping systems."

It was a great first WICS Conference. The discussions have only just begun.

Assessing Cognitive Flexibility With The Id/Ed Set-Shifting Task In Rats Modeling Depression, Hannah Orndorff, Rachael Arnold, Caroline Gheen, Grace Gray, Christopher Toepfer, Ivy Heusmann

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Previous research has shown cognitive capabilities either increase or decrease risk factors of depression, there is a gap in research on the effects depression has on cognitive flexibility. Cognitive flexibility controls the appropriate way to respond to changing thoughts, behaviors, and environmental signals. Higher performing cognitive flexibility is associated with positive life outcomes (Dajani & Uddin, 2015). Therefore, there is a need to further understand the impacts depression can have on cognitive flexibility. The intra-dimensional extra-dimensional (ID/ED) set-shifting task is utilized in the present study to measure cognitive flexibility in rats modeling depression due to unlimited sucrose consumption in adolescence. …

Occurrence Of Bat Species At Water Sources In Two Urban Parks In Nashville, Tennessee, Maya Kiev, Austin Farris, Evan Mason

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Animal behavioral patterns can shift due to anthropogenic factors related to pollution, human impact on flora/fauna, and changes in local water sources. While sound pollution can impact the occurrence of bats in urban areas, other factors could also influence bat behavior. This study examines bat occurrence near a water source at two urban parks in Nashville, Tennessee: one is in a highly trafficked area while the other is secluded and bordered by a suburban neighborhood. Both parks have small ponds, numerous trees, and open green spaces. Echo Meter Touch 2 devices were used to capture bat echolocation data at each …

Investigating The Effect Of Online Tests On Physiological Arousal During Math Tests In College Students, Ginnie Berry

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Test anxiety is related to poor performance, low self-esteem, and evaluation anxiety in students (Hembree, 1988) as well as physiological arousal through increased skin conductance response and increased heart rate (Holroyd, Westbrook, Wolf & Badhorn, 1978). Students with testing anxiety found this anxiety lessened while taking online exams (Stowell & Bennett, 2010). However, the effect of online testing on math testing anxiety has not yet been examined. Exploring this relationship is important due to the recent online option of heavily weighted tests, such as AP exams and the SAT, where math score is a large factor in success. Participants (60) …

Falling In Love With Your Best Friend: Do We Select Friends In The Same Way We Select Romantic Partners?, Audrey Akins, Jada Rolston, Mykayla Spurlin, Farris Turner

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Friends and romantic partners are some of the most important relationships in a person’s life, but sometimes the line between the two becomes unclear. Prior to 1986, opposite-sex friendships were inherently viewed as romantic, so opposite-sex friendships that are truly platonic in nature have become a “historically recent phenomenon” (Reeder, 2000; Bleske-Rechek et al., 2012). Previous research has examined what variables play a role in how people choose romantic partners and “friends of the opposite sex”, or FOS (Bleske-Rechek et al., 2012; Szymkow & Frankowska, 2022). This study proposes a change in term to FAS: “friends of the attracted sex” …

News From Hope College, Volume 54.2: Winter, 2022, Hope College

News from Hope College

No abstract provided.

(R1522) Modelling The Influence Of Desertic Aerosols On The Transmission Dynamics Of Neisseria Meningitidis Serogroup A, Francis Signing, Berge Tsanou, Samuel Bowong

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper assesses the role of desert aerosols and vaccine on the transmission dynamics of Neisseria Meningitis serogroup A (NmA). It is biologically well-documented that the inhalation of aerosol dust and its presence in the nasal cavity weakens the nasopharyngeal mucosa by damaging the mucosal barrier and inhibiting the mucosal immune defenses of susceptible and vaccinated individuals. We address the latter by proposing and analyzing a mathematical model for the dynamics of NmA that specifically accounts for the fast progression of susceptible and vaccinated individuals to the invasive stage of the disease. We compute the basic reproduction number and use …

Intuitive Robot Integration Via Virtual Reality Workspaces, Minh Tram

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

As robots become increasingly prominent in diverse industrial settings, the desire for an accessible and reliable system has correspondingly increased. Yet, the task of meaningfully assessing the feasibility of introducing a new robotic component, or adding more robots into an existing infrastructure, remains a challenge. This is due to both the logistics of acquiring a robot and the need for expert knowledge in setting it up. In this paper, we address these concerns by developing a purely virtual simulation of a robotic system. Our proposed framework enables natural human-robot interaction through a visually immersive representation of the workspace. The main …