Digital Commons Network^™

Moving Beyond Willpower: A New Direction For Media Literacy Instruction, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Academic librarians and others often engage with media literacy instruction by promoting fact-checking strategies, such as lateral reading or Mike Caulfield’s SIFT. Evidence shows that these strategies are valuable and can be effective, but they all ultimately rely on individual students to use willpower to overcome cognitive habits, biases, strong parasocial relationships with content creators, the power of algorithms, and other challenges to fact-checking content in the moment. This paper offers an alternative approach that instead encourages librarians to support students in intentionally redesigning their information environments to improve the quality of information that they encounter in the first place.

Annual Report 2025 Oah, Office Of Allied Health

Office of Allied Health (OAH) Archives

• Dean’s Message
• Associate Dean’s Message
• Flagship Initiative
• Departmental Highlights Across Allied Health
• Educational Offerings and Capacity Building
• Programme Standardisation and Structured Learning
• Research Capacity and Scholarly Development
• Leadership, Policy and Institutional Development

Un-Packing The Pantry: Evaluating And Addressing Nutritional Gaps In Full Circle Food Pantry Service, Gweneth J. Keith-Powell

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Arkansas has the highest food insecurity rate in the U.S., and college students are disproportionately food insecure. Food insecure populations tend to have worse nutrition and face poorer health outcomes, exacerbating the economic disparities they already face. The purpose of this study was to analyze specific food pantry usage trends, healthy diet access barriers, and processed food consumption drivers of Full Circle Food Pantry clients at the University of Arkansas as they related to food insecurity and nutrition disparities, as well as design a targeted project to improve nutation in an underserved client demographic. Findings supported existing literature regarding lower …

The Influence Of Additional Zinc Supplementation During Gestation On The Trace Mineral Concentrations Of Tissues, Milk, And Calf Serum At Birth, Hunter Miller

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Minerals are known to play a key role in the immune system, growth, and development of animals. An important part of a calf's life is receiving colostrum immediately after birth, which provides the calf with immunoglobulins and necessary nutrients that are required. Furthermore, the gestation period is another very important aspect of the calf's life where they can take in the necessary nutrition. This study compared how two different supplements fed during the gestation period ultimately affected the mineral concentrations of the colostrum, placenta, calf plasma, and cow liver. The supplements that were provided were a 1) control that provided …

The Effect Of Blue-Green Light On Behavioral Repertoire And Fear Responses In Broiler Chickens, Addie Walker

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The broiler chicken industry has increased the number of birds produced each year,

making the mitigation of stressors that affect broiler health and meat quality increasingly

important. New management strategies, like lighting protocols, could help combat stressors and

promote behavioral indicators of positive welfare. This study compared the effects of blue-green

and white light on broiler fear response using a tonic immobility test and behavioral repertoire in

the home pen using continuous focal sampling. Day-of-hatch male broiler chicks (N=600) were

randomly divided into 12 pens (n=50 chicks/pen). The pens had either a white LED light

(control, n=6) or a blue-green …

Plan To Develop A Theory-Based Diabetes Social Media Campaign For Spanish-Speaking Adults In Finney County, Ks: Integration Of A Promotora, Focused Discussion Groups, And Community Feedback To Ensure Cultural Appropriateness, Julevi P. Bernido

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) shows that over 11% of adults in Finney County, Kansas, have diabetes, which surpasses both state and national averages. Census data from 2016-2020 indicate that 42.6% of residents ages five and older speak a language other than English at home, and 36.1% speak Spanish (United States Census Bureau, n.d.). The CHNA further highlights concerns about language and cultural barriers to care, especially among the Spanish-speaking population. Notably, 21.74% of residents have limited English proficiency—much higher than the state’s 12.1% (CHNA, 2025).

This capstone will develop a theory-based social media campaign plan to support …

Gestational Diabetes And Social Determinants Of Health In Black Women, Darianne Greenwood

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) poses significant health risks, specifically increasing the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes post-delivery, as well as increasing the risk of adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes. Black women, in particular, experience disproportionately higher rates of GDM incidence, severity, and complications in comparison to White women. Biological factors alone do not account for these disparities, necessitating a deeper examination into how systemic factors, particularly the social environment, influence these inequitable health outcomes. The purpose of this comprehensive literature review is to answer the question: “How do the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), such as residential segregation, food …

Seasonal Body Composition And Neuromuscular Changes In High School Wrestlers: Medicine Balls For Fatigue Testing, Courtney Mccall Condie Carroll

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines the effects a single wrestling season has on high school athletes’ body composition, muscle quality, membrane capacitance, and neuromuscular performance, and whether instrumented medicine balls are sensitive enough to serve as a field test for chronic fatigue. Twenty-five high school wrestlers (males=18, females=7) were recruited and assessed pre-season (Pre), mid-season (Mid), and end-of-season (Post). Outcome measures included body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass (via bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy), echo intensity (EI, via B-mode ultrasound) of the vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps brachii (BB), and countermovement rotational and backward-overhead throws with medicine balls instrumented with accelerometers.  Repeated measures ANOVA …

Identifying And Addressing Burnout Among Nurses In Cache Valley And The Surrounding Salt Lake Metropolitan Area, Teegan Alma Martinez

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Background: Nursing burnout has emerged as a critical issue within modern healthcare systems, with widespread implications for nurse well-being, patient safety, and organizational performance. Characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, burnout affects an estimated 30% to 60% of nurses, particularly in high-acuity settings. The persistence of burnout highlights the need to better understand its contributing factors, consequences, and effective strategies for mitigation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and contributing factors of nursing burnout, evaluate its impact on nurses and patient care, and identify effective interventions. Additionally, this study aimed …

Community Justice Advocates: Increasing Access To Legal Resources In Utah, Natalie Maria Rust

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

A large access to justice gap exists among defendants in debt collection cases. The gap arises from steep legal fees, a lack of accessible resources, and the complexity of the legal system. The Community Justice Advocates of Utah was founded in 2024 through the Utah Regulatory Sandbox and authorized under the Supreme Court of Utah to bridge this gap. Community Justice Advocates (CJA) are trained human service professionals authorized to provide limited-scope legal advice in various areas. The Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) at Utah State University joined this network in 2025, launching a pilot program training human service professionals in …

How Community Garden Participation Shapes Food Security: Participant Perspectives, Kai Li Tullis

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study aims to answer two research questions: How do participants of the Flores Family Community Garden perceive their food security needs? And are there differences between participants' individually owned gardens and previous small-scale agricultural experiences and the Flores Family Community Garden? 

This study used a semi-structured interview format to collect qualitative data on the experience of 8 participants of the Flores Family Community Garden regarding their perceived food security status. The results of this study found that the top 7 reasons that individuals used the Flores Family Community Garden include Fresh Produce Access, Access to Community, Exercise, Learning Opportunities, …

Assessing The Use Of Exon-Skipping Morpholino Antisense Oligonucleotides Targeting The Different Sumo Paralogs As Enhancers Of The Antitumor Activity Of Chemotherapeutic Agents, Andrea Teresa Garcia-Morin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are critical regulators of protein function, stability, and localization, with SUMOylation emerging as a key modulator of cellular stress response and survival in cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by heightened dependence on SUMOylation to sustain pro-survival signaling, DNA repair, and resistance to chemotherapy. This dissertation investigates a novel chemosensitization strategy based on the splice-switching of SUMO transcripts in NSCLC cells using exon-skipping morpholinos (ESMs), which redirect splicing toward non-conjugatable SUMO alpha isoforms, thereby reducing global SUMOylation. We hypothesized that decreasing global SUMOylation through forced alternative splicing of SUMO transcripts would impair the stress-protective functions …

Caregiver Experiences During Mealtime In Families Of Children With Feeding Disorders In The Borderland, Chyanne Reveles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of caregivers of children with pediatric feeding disorders (PFDs) in the Paso del Norte Region using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Pediatric feeding disorders require sustained medical, social, and emotional demand, often placing caregivers in complex decision-making roles. Understanding how cultural beliefs and context shape caregiving practices is essential to improving services provided by speech-language pathologists and other service providers. The qualitative research approach used facilitated the discovery of themes surrounding the lived experience of the caregivers of children with feeding disorders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with caregivers residing in the U.S.-Mexico border …

Understanding Gambling Behavior Among Hispanic College Students: The Role Of Attitudes, Norms, Self-Efficacy, And Acculturation, Joshua Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gambling has become increasingly accessible and socially normalized among young adults, particularly through mobile platforms and the expansion of legalized sports betting. Hispanic college students may be at heightened risk for gambling-related harms, given evidence of elevated rates of problem gambling, comorbid mental health concerns, and underrepresentation in empirical research. Cultural factors, such as acculturation, may further influence engagement in gambling behaviors and susceptibility to negative outcomes. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, the present study investigated the relationships between gambling injunctive norms, gambling attitudes, and gambling self-efficacy across three outcomes: gambling frequency, problem gambling severity, and gambling intention. …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Pfas Induced Protein Dysfunction: Implications For Neurodegenerative Risk, Daisy Lee Wilson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with widespread human exposure and well-established links to adverse health outcomes. However, despite increasing epidemiological and experimental evidence, the molecular mechanisms underlying PFAS-induced neurotoxicity remain incompletely defined. This dissertation investigates PFAS toxicity across biological scales, integrating protein biophysics with neuronal cell models to elucidate pathways relevant to neurodegeneration. At the molecular level, we demonstrate that PFAS disrupts the structure and function of globular proteins, including the impairment of α-lactalbumin's calcium-binding capacity and of β-lactoglobulin's retinol binding, through concentration-dependent conformational destabilization. By applying these findings to a neuronal model, we show that …

Diffuse Marrow And Orbital Fat Signal Abnormality Mimicking Infiltrative Disease: A Case Of "Flip-Flop" On Mri, Mehdy Haidar, Alexander Pietroski, Kamil Abu-Shaban, Anant Krishnan

Conference Presentation Abstracts

Clinical History A 68-year-old male with a history of left tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma treated 5 months ago and reportedly negative recent PET and CT scans of the neck and body with eye pain with possible but uncertain remote history of trauma was sent in for imaging of the orbits. The patient has a feeding tube and was recently hospitalized and discharged for tube obstruction. Imaging Findings Orbital imaging revealed diffuse signal alterations involving the orbital and scalp fat, and marrow, characterized by low signal intensity on T1WI and high signal intensity on T2WI. In particular on the STIR sequence, …

Paucilactobacillus Wasatchensis Gas Production In Cheddar Cheese Through Symbiotic Amino Acid Metabolism With Lactococcus Lactis Starter Cultures, Niharika Mishra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Cheese is popular for its rich sensory notes and desirable physical attributes; however, the late blowing gas defect in cheddar cheese disrupts its appearance and can undermine its commercial value, for example if the late gas defect is severe, the block can crumble upon cutting, increasing cutting losses from 10% (non-defective) up to 50% (Donnely et al., 2014).

Paucilactobacillus wasatchensis cannot survive pasteurization (McMahon, D. J., et al., 2020); therefore, it enters the cheese as a contaminant during the cheesemaking process. Cheesemaking occurs in three stages: (1) curdling of milk by acidification through starter cultures, (2) separation of curd from …

Effects Of Tourist Feeding On The Gut Microbiome And Ecophysiology Of Endangered Northern Bahamian Rock Iguana (Cyclura Cychlura), Erin Lucy Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The lifespan and reproduction of an animal depends on maintaining a healthy physiology. The proportion of individuals that survive to an age at which procreation can occur is important to long-term stability of populations and contributes to species survival. Health in an animal is measured in a variety of ways, including through monitoring of the body’s physiological systems, as well as its ability to respond to invading pathogens, and through the different types of bacteria present in the gut. Relationships among those different health metrics have been discovered in recent years and have been found to play important roles in …

Characterizing Metabolic Flux Of Plant Secondary Metabolites From Diverse Animal-Source Foods To Humans, Muhammad Ahsin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

There is a popular saying: “You are what you eat.” But does this also mean, “You are what your food eats”? This dissertation explores that question by examining how farming practices shape the nutritional quality of meat—and what, if anything, those differences mean for the people who consume it. While modern livestock production and nutrition research often emphasize protein and fat, this work tests the idea that animals function as biological mediators, linking soil and plant conditions to human diets through the chemical composition of meat and milk. To evaluate this hypothesis, we tracked health-relevant plant compounds— phytonutrients—across the soil–plant–animal–human …

Evaluation Of Fertilizer Recommendation And Soil Amendment Impacts On Crop Production In The Intermountain West, Megan Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Fertilizers improve crop yield and quality by supplying crops with essential nutrients, but can also be a significant input cost. Determining what nutrients and rates to apply for optimal crop growth can be difficult, leading many growers to use external sources for these decisions. Land-grant universities are a common source for fertilizer recommendations, but often based on decades-old research and should be evaluated periodically to verify effectiveness and calibrated to current soil analysis methods. Current Utah State University (USU) guidelines for sulfur (S) and zinc (Zn) were tested across Utah in on-farm trials in 2021-2025. Zinc applications of 5 or …

Impact Of Inhibiting Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake On Calcium Homeostasis And Postmortem Metabolism In Porcine Muscle, Fatema Rahaman Mishu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

After harvesting the animal, pork muscle continues to undergo changes as it turns from muscle into meat. During this early period, the muscle uses up energy and produces acid, which lowers pH and can affect important quality traits such as color and how well the meat holds water. A key driver of these early changes is calcium, a natural mineral inside muscle cells that helps control contraction and energy use. In this study, we tested whether mitochondria (the cell’s “powerhouse”) help control calcium after harvest and, in turn, influence early postmortem changes in pork. We used a research compound (DS16570511) …

Influence Of Predation Risk On Elk Feeding Behavior In A Multi-Predator Environment, Rosemarie C. Pugh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sometimes predators don’t just affect prey by killing them, they can also change how prey behave. For example, animals may spend more time watching for danger and less time eating, which could affect their health and survival. In Yellowstone National Park, past research has suggested that elk may reduce feeding because they are trying to avoid predators like wolves and cougars. However, most previous studies have only looked at elk behavior during the daytime and have often looked at responses from single predators rather than multiple.

In this study, I used high-resolution tracking collars equipped with motion sensors to directly …

Effects Of Mineral Supplementation On Ovine Performance, Forage Selectivity, And Rangeland Utilization In Southern Utah, Ryan A. Spurling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Sheep producers in the Intermountain West region of the US rely on productive rangeland ecosystems that vary widely in forage composition and nutrient availability. As such, supplementation is often necessary to offset dietary deficiencies. Soils and forages grown on rangelands are known to be highly variable in mineral content. Even so, a third to half of the producers in the Intermountain West choose not to provide a complete mineral supplement. Rangeland environments are often characterized by rugged geographical features that make optimal supplement placement difficult. New advances in technology have allowed us to measure individual animal intake on rangelands via …

The Rodent Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (Rends): Effects Of Age On Self-Administration Of Inhaled Nicotine In Female Rats, Daniel Santos Da Silva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Smoking tobacco is the leading avoidable cause of death and drives many health problems. Nicotine, the main chemical in tobacco products, keeps people using it. This study used the Rat Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (RENDS), an inexpensive and freely shared, to examine e-cigarette use in adolescent and adult female rats by exploring four phases of nicotine delivered and not delivered to understand use patterns among ages. Our study found that both adolescent and adult female rats chose to inhale nicotine when given the opportunity, showing drug-seeking behavior. Overall, nicotine use was similar between ages. These results could help inform therapies, …

Alfalfa Yield, Quality, And Nutrient Use Response To Pivot Sprinkler Technology, Deficit Irrigation, And Genetics, Dakota Boren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In water limited environments, alfalfa is often criticized for its high water use, prompting implementation of new irrigation technologies, deficit irrigation, and adapted crop genetics. Cumulative potential benefits from combining, or stacking, these water-optimizing practices have not been identified. The objective of this on-farm research study was to determine how irrigation technologies, deficit irrigation, genetics, and combinations of these practices impact alfalfa yield and forage quality. Trials were conducted at three sites in Utah from 2020 to 2022 on young alfalfa stands (establishment and first one to three production years). Treatments included five irrigation technologies, four irrigation rates, and two …

Understanding Impact Of Redox Potential On Microbial Community Of Cheddar Cheese During Aging, Abrianna Y. Paez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Cheese ripening is a complex process that shapes the flavor, texture, and overall quality of cheese, yet many of the factors that control how these changes occur are still not fully understood. One factor that may play an important role is redox potential, which describes the balance between oxidation and reduction reactions happening inside the cheese. These reactions can influence both the activity of bacteria and the chemical processes that create flavor. Past efforts to control redox using chemical additives often harmed beneficial bacteria, limiting their usefulness.

In this study, we tested the use of mechanical disruption and gas exposure …

Food-Form Delivery Of Spore-Forming Probiotics As An Alternative To Gavage In Animal Models, Aubreyona Faith Migliori Skalka

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Western dietary patterns are characterized by nutrient-poor, calorie-rich diets and have been linked to poor health outcomes and gut inflammation phenotypes. Probiotics are often taken to support gut health, but many beneficial bacteria do not survive transport through the digestive system to produce any effect. Spore-forming bacteria, such as Bacillus coagulans, are more resilient due to their hardy outer coat which aids in survival through many obstacles encountered in the gastrointestinal tract, including acidic stomach conditions. In research studies, probiotics are usually given to mice through a procedure called oral gavage, where a tube is used to deliver the …

Production Of Hydrolyzed Lactose Syrup From The Acid Whey, Aubrey Jean Arbon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Acid whey has gained significant attention within the dairy industry due to its complex matrix and the processing challenges. This by-product contains lactose that can be isolated, hydrolyzed, and further processed to produce hydrolyzed syrup. To optimize lactose utilization, it is essential to fine-tune the kinetics of the β-galactosidase enzymes used for lactose hydrolysis. To analyze sugars in acid whey, and LC-MS-based chromatographic method was developed. Once the method was developed, the kinetics of β-galactosidase were optimized with respect to enzyme concentration, pH, and temperature. The goal was to achieve the highest possible lactose hydrolysis. The hydrolyzed acid whey was …

Mechanisms Of Life History Trade-Offs In The Evolution Of Eusociality, Frances Katherine Hunter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

When faced with stressors such as pathogen infection, organisms must invest energy in defense or risk death. Because resources are limited, mounting an immune response often comes at the expense of other costly activities such as reproduction. The costs of immunity are shaped by factors including behavior, nutrition, age, and evolutionary history.

Social insects (e.g., ants, bees, and wasps) offer a powerful system for studying these trade-offs because queens in these colonies appear to escape them—living long lives while reproducing prolifically. Bees, which include species that range from those which nest solitarily to those with complex social systems and many …

Effect Of Agroecological Feeding Systems Of Dairy Cattle On The Nutritional Composition Of Milk, Sree Bhavya Immadi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

How food is produced can influence both its nutritional quality and its impact on the environment. In recent years, regenerative (agroecological) farming practices have gained attention for their potential to improve soil health, biodiversity, and the nutritional value of foods. In dairy production, these practices often involve growing more diverse forage crops, reducing soil disturbance, and relying less on monoculture-grown feed rations. However, there is still limited real-world evidence showing how these practices affect the nutritional composition of milk produced on commercial dairy farms.

This dissertation explores how regenerative feeding and feed production practices influence the nutritional quality of milk, …