Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Insufficient Sleep On Activity Limitation: Results From The Brfss 2022 Survey, Jonathan Meyer

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective: To determine whether insufficient sleep (less than 7 hours per night) is associated with activity limitation (14 days or more of poor mental or physical health interfering with everyday activities) in Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data from 2022. Methods: BRFSS is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of non-incarcerated US adults. The exposure of interest was insufficient sleep, and the outcome of interest was activity limitation. Other demographic variables used in a final weighted adjusted analysis include age >65 years, race/ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, and total physical inactivity. Results: The weighted prevalence of insufficient sleep for …

Ensuring Safe Mri Examinations And Earlier Detection Of Recurrent Cancer: A Scoping Review To Identify Breast Tissue Expanders That Are Safe For High-Risk Breast Cancer Survivors, Kristin E. Westmore

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Purpose

This capstone project aims to conduct a scoping review to identify breast tissue expanders that are safe for high-risk breast cancer survivors, ensuring safe magnetic resonance (MR) examinations. The goal is safe MR examinations for early detection of recurrent cancer, post-operative evaluation, monitoring, and reducing preventable morbidity and mortality.

Background

The MR safety of manufacturers' tissue expanders is defined according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and regulations as MR Conditional or MR Unsafe. Before 2023, there was a safety concern about using tissue expanders containing a magnetic port during the first stage of breast …

Exploration Of Canine T. Cruzi Seroprevalence As A Trigger For Enhanced Human Chagas Surveillance, Brittany N. Hocking

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in many Latin American countries and now the southern United States. An increasing number of Chagas cases in the U.S. have occurred because of autochthonous transmission and enzootic cycles involving infected wildlife and domestic animals, like canines.

Objective: This study aimed to explore canine seroprevalence as a trigger for enhanced human Chagas surveillance by describing detected U.S. T. cruzi from human and canine testing data, creating maps to explore geographic areas with potential high yield for T. cruzi surveillance via animal testing, and developing a SWOT analysis for …

Reducing Greenhouse Gases Through Food Waste Reduction: A Literature Review Of Programs And Behavior Change, Schafer Flowerday

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly contribute to climate change. Methane is a potent GHG emitted in landfills as organic material breaks down. Food waste is the single most common item disposed of in Lincoln’s Bluff Road Landfill (LTU, 2022). As such, food waste disposal in the landfill is a preventable issue that could dramatically reduce GHG emissions in Lincoln. This project seeks to determine what barriers and motivations exist for reducing food waste at a consumer level. A literature review was conducted to find what behavior change campaigns and interventions have taken place nationwide to encourage residential food waste …

A Process Evaluation Plan For The Nebraska Fetal Infant Mortality Review (Fimr) Program, Mamello Makhele

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The United States (U.S.) has made substantial progress in reducing fetal and infant mortality, but high rates of infant mortality persist, particularly within minority populations. In Douglas County, Nebraska, racial disparities in infant mortality rates remain a significant issue. In 2019, the infant mortality rate among African American mothers was 14.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 5.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births among Caucasian mothers.

To reduce fetal and infant mortality in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Human Resources and Services Administration, fund the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review …

Current Status Of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Adults With And Without Cognitive Disabilities In The United States, 2022, Elma Vasconcelos

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of non-compliance with colorectal cancer screening guidelines among US adults aged 45-75, comparing individuals with cognitive disabilities to those without.

Methods: This study utilized data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, which uses weighted and complex survey sampling methodologies. Participants under 45 were excluded, resulting in a study sample of 220,879. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the prevalence odds ratio of colorectal cancer screening among individuals with and without cognitive disabilities.

Results: Those with cognitive disabilities had 1.07 (95% CI: 0.99-1.15) times the odds of not adhering …

Sidestepping Substance: How Administrative Law Plays An Outsized Role In Shaping Environmental Policy And Why Recalibration Is Necessary, Sanne H. Knudsen

Articles

Administrative law and environmental law are companion fields. Still, they are not interchangeable. They promote different values. And yet, sometimes when courts resolve environmental disputes by relying on administrative doctrines, courts elevate the values of administrative law over those codified in environmental statutes. This is particularly concerning when courts rely on judicially-created administrative law doctrines to sidestep congressional intent as expressed by the substantive aims of environmental statutes.

To reduce the risk of sidestepping—whether inadvertent or intentional—this Article critically examines how administrative law doctrines can undermine environmental law. Drawing on prominent case examples, including the Supreme Court decision in Sackett …

Social Media Influencers: The Effects Of Information Richness And Follower Size On Purchase Intent, Tyishia S.N. Goldsberry

All Dissertations

This study investigated the dynamics of social media influence on marketing with a focus on two key variables, information richness and influencer follower count, to determine how these characteristics influenced customer purchase intents. In the search for more successful advertising strategies, current marketing trends have capitalized on social media influencers’ expanding role in determining customer behavior. In some cases, this has led to unethical behavior and subsequent mistrust, underlining the challenge of maintaining openness and ethical standard in digital marketing.

This quantitative study used surveys to investigate consumer experiences with various influencer content forms and follower counts. The research specifically …

What Are The Potential Drivers Of Nil Perception Among Student-Athletes?, Fred E. Washington

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the impact of the NCAA's Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy on student-athletes' college choice. By synthesizing existing academic literature on NIL and college choice models, the study established a comprehensive theoretical framework. The research employed quantitative methods, gathering data through a survey to explore their perceptions and experiences with NIL. The analysis revealed that NIL significantly influenced college selection, with factors such as scholarship type, sport type, and geographic background of the athletes playing crucial roles. Interestingly, most respondents were aware of NIL policies before starting their college search. Demographic insights showed a slight female majority …

Implementation And Optimization Of A Secure, Scalable, And Robust Long-Range Low-Power Mesh Network For Enhanced Geo-Location Accuracy And Efficient Data Aggregation, Sheikh Tareq Ahmed

All Dissertations

The burgeoning realm of the Internet of Things (IoT) calls for advanced communication networks that can support an ever-increasing number of connected devices. Among these, Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), specifically LoRaWAN technology, have emerged as frontrunners due to their long-range, low-power capabilities, ideally suiting IoT's expansive nature. This dissertation presents a comprehensive study on enhancing LoRaWAN technology to overcome the existing limitations in geolocation accuracy and data aggregation efficiency. The work is set against the backdrop of the technology's vulnerability to signal attenuation in obstacle-rich environments and its challenges in scaling to accommodate dense networks without performance degradation. …

Enhancement Of Network Anomaly Detection Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques, Toya Acharya

All Dissertations

Traditional signature-based network intrusion detection systems, which capture network attributes, are inadequate against zero-day attack. The smaller number of attacks creates an imbalanced dataset, the major problem during anomaly detection. Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) approaches are promising for network anomaly detection because they can efficiently analyze big network traffic data for malicious activities and detect zero-day attacks. The appropriate selection of the ML/DL algorithm, hyperparameter tuning, and techniques, such as sampling methods, ensemble methods, and reduction of number of classes, can enhance the anomaly detection performance of the anomaly detection methods on an imbalanced network intrusion-based dataset. …

Sustainable Energy-Generating Pads As Future Alternative Energy Source For Road Infrastructure, Kazi Meharajul Kabir

All Dissertations

The world is experiencing a significant environmental crisis due to its dependence on fossil fuels for energy and transportation, which is leading to global warming and climate change. The global climate crisis demonstrates the urgent need to transition to renewable energy sources, making research on sustainable energy-generating systems increasingly important. PZT cells present an alternative energy-generating source but face challenges such as brittleness, low-frequency operation, and high-temperature sensitivity, which cause performance degradation. Additionally, issues like impedance matching and fluctuations in PZT-based energy systems contribute to significant energy generation losses. Research into composite materials, design optimizations, temperature-stabilized materials, fabrication techniques, and …

The Impact Of District Policy On The Efficacious Implementation Of Texas House Bill 5, Marlene Studivant- Moore

All Dissertations

Preparing students to contribute to society is essential for every high school in the nation. Texas House Bill 5 (House Bill 5, 2013) sought to create a framework for achieving college and career readiness for Texas public schools. Counselors were the frontline mentors who had essential roles in implementing House Bill 5. However, the performance of graduation and curricular changes mandated by House Bill 5 increased the responsibilities of counselors and challenged how the policy implementation affected students' college and career readiness. Numerous challenges and issues emerged within the school districts executing House Bill 5.

The success of House Bill …

Association Between Lifestyle Behaviors And Type 2 Diabetes Among African Immigrants In The United States, Momo Joemah Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recent evidence demonstrates that African immigrants are healthier than African immigrants born in the United States. After individuals have stayed in the United States for a duration of 4–5 years, the health gap starts to narrow significantly as health conditions worsen. Acculturation and body mass likely play a role; physical inactivity and psychological distress may arbitrate the association. T2DM is an expanding global health problem that is closely linked to the epidemic of obesity. Individuals with T2DM are at risk of other complications that include retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and microvascular complications. The purpose of the study was to assess the …

Residential Street Trees And Cardiovascular Disease Among Urban-Dwelling Mexican Adults, Christine Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a significant public health burden in Mexico despite national efforts to address traditional risk factors. With growing evidence that elements of nature can improve physical and mental health of people living in cities, this quantitative epidemiological study of secondary data examined the relationship between the presence of street trees in Mexican metropolitan areas and self-reported CVD in adults over age 40. The integrated socio-environmental model of health and well-being provided the conceptual framework for the study. A secondary data analysis was performed using combined individual health data from Mexico’s 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey and …

A Multiagency Approach To Animal Hoarding In Central Iowa, Gary W. Rasmussen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research explored animal hoarding in Iowa using the qualitative method with the resource dependency theory and a case study approach. These cases were studied using multiple sources of information, from media reports in initial locating cases to court documents, to examine the results of each case. It examined how different sized law enforcement agencies’ investigations into these cases impacted the outcomes of the cases in sentencing and the use of mental health evaluations and treatments. It also explored the efficacy of how different sized law enforcement agencies investigated animal hoarding cases. The law enforcement agencies were divided into two …

Human Rights Violations Against Legal Immigrants In Minnesota, John Ewu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite legal entitlements to protections under the International Bill of Human Rights, legal immigrants in Minnesota face human rights violations, including discrimination, harassment, and denial of essential services. These violations hinder their well-being, social integration, and economic stability, exacerbate existing disparities, and their ability to provide for their families and secure legal representation. The purpose of this study was to provide information that could be used in considering policy reforms to improve the treatment of immigrants in Minnesota. This was achieved by exploring how Mexican, Somali, and Hmong legal immigrants experienced human rights violations in Minnesota as a vulnerable population …

Law Enforcement Attitudes, Decisions, And Behaviors In Encounters With The Mentally Ill, Melissa L. Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement officers frequently encounter challenges when interacting with mentally ill individuals, often resulting in negative outcomes. In this generic qualitative study, the attitudes, decision making process, and behaviors of law enforcement officers in such interactions were investigated, with a focus on identifying facilitators and barriers to peaceful interactions. Additionally, the goal was to explore how police officer training could be improved to enhance outcomes in dealing with mentally ill individuals. Using a generic qualitative approach, data was collected through in-depth individual interviews and analysis of relevant documents from police forces. Participants, selected through snowball sampling from Police Departments, shared …

Scotland In The Forefront Of Property Law Reforms In The Uk: Potential Implications For The Scottish People, Goodtime Okara

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

The Scottish Government has taken steps to revolutionise its body of law on ‘trust and succession’ and housing. The recent Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024 has severally impacted the issues of appointment and removal of trustees, fiduciary duties of trustees, rights of beneficiaries, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments in Scotland; while the proposed new Housing (Scotland) Bill 2024 has the proclivity of influencing rent, rent control areas, eviction and homelessness in Scotland. Accordingly, this paper focuses on exploring the potential impacts of these legislative reforms on the lives of the Scottish people. Do they ‘make’ or ‘mar’ …

Remembering, Forgetting, And Artifact Deposition In Late Prehistoric Florida, Andrew Bowen

Master's Theses

Material culture plays a fundamental role in memory processes. Artifacts are an important means of both connecting with and cutting ties with a real or imagined past. They can be reminders or symbols of connection to other people, places, things, powers, or memories, making them key components within networks and relations. The way materials are deposited or destroyed often follows specific customs or responds to environmental factors. Specific situations, like interactions with outside groups or socio-political changes, prompt particular depositional events. During the Mississippi period, such circumstances were prevalent throughout the Southeast. By treating artifacts in specific ways during deposition, …

Evaluation And Improvement Of The Design 4 Every Drop Course, Kenzy Fogle

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah and the greater Intermountain West are experiencing a water crisis. Many factors are contributing to this situation, including an arid climate exacerbated by climate change, rapid population growth, and a high-water-demanding landscape typology. Landscapes currently consume an estimated 60-80% of Utah’s potable water, representing a significant opportunity for water savings. However, changing the traditional water-dependent landscape typology requires educating the public regarding water-wise landscape design processes, best practices, and implementation approaches. Utah State University is the land grant university for Utah and home to one of the oldest Landscape Architecture departments in the Intermountain West. Utah State University’s community …

Acute Effects Of Multi-Joint Eccentric Exercise On Lower Extremity Muscle Activation Measured During Land And Water Walking, Brayden Worley

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Although prior literature has established the preliminary clinical benefits of aquatic exercise across various clinical populations, there is a need to explore the potential for including aquatic-based movement as a key component of a multi-modal approach toward improving mobility and reducing fall risk. Eccentric exercise may complement aquatic exercise given that movements performed in water immersion tend to be low impact. Eccentric exercise may also improve the passive stiffness of lower extremity extensors, which gives an additional rationale for the potential of eccentric exercise to reduce fall risk when combined with aquatic exercise. There may also be an acute response …

Unveiling Key Features: A Comparative Study Of Machine Learning Models For Alzheimer's Detection, Cailean Bushnell

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis rigorously evaluates the application of an array of natural language processing (NLP) techniques and machine learning models to identify linguistic signatures indicative of dementia, as sourced from the DementiaBank Pitt corpus. Utilizing a binary classification paradigm, this study meticulously integrates sophisticated embedding methods—including Doc2Vec, Word2Vec, GloVe, and BERT—with traditional machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest, Multinomial Naïve Bayes, ADA boost, KNN classifier, and Logistic Regression, alongside deep learning architectures like LSTM, Bi-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM. The efficacy of these methodologies is evaluated based on their capacity to differentiate between transcribed speech impacted by dementia and that from control …

Advertising The West: The History Of La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, Monique Davila

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In February 1925, Tucson celebrated the first La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros with a three-day rodeo that ended with a huge parade through the city center. Created by Philadelphia-born and new resident of Tucson Frederick Leighton Kramer and other Tucson city boosters, the event became an annual fiesta with the hopes of not only promoting Tucson and a fundraiser for the University of Arizona’s newly established polo team, but also a way to share Kramer’s newfound enthusiasm for Tucson’s beauty and history. However, the history the fiesta presented centered around the Anglo-American pioneers of southern Arizona. This approach ignored the …

Sustainable Waste-To-Bioproducts Engineering Center Laboratory Safety Project, Claudine Mock

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Laboratory accidents are common in teaching and research labs; these accidents can be injurious or even fatal. The consequences of each type of laboratory accident are different based on the activities performed and the hazardous materials used in each facility. However, the most common issue related to laboratory accidents is the lack of proper safety measures (e.g., poor handling of hazardous materials, not reporting incidents immediately, etc.). This project aimed to establish and strengthen best practices and procedures to ensure laboratory safety at the Utah State University Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproducts Engineering Center. To achieve this goal, different practices and measures were …

Quality Of Life Domains For Students Living With A Severe Disability And Their Families, Eden Withers

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Background and Purpose

From the latter half of the 20th century to now, the United States has dramatically focused its efforts on increasing life longevity and quality of life for people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Federal legislation has taken steps to increase quality of life for people with IDD. Quality of life can be assessed through a variety of questionnaires, including the familial perspective of quality of life. Although quality of life can be assessed and it is supported by federal legislation, people with IDD broadly have yet to experience an enviable quality of …

The Sustainable Sites Initiative As It Applies To Existing Parks In Logan Utah, Randall Smith

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Intermountain West of the United States consists of a variety of climates and landscapes. Despite their diversity, all of these regions face similar issues, such as water shortage, lack of biodiversity, invasion of non-native plant species, land development, and population growth. The pursuit of sustainability has become imperative in order to meet the needs of the present, while simultaneously safeguarding the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Many influential landscape architects have advocated for sustainable design; namely, Frederick Law Olmsted, Ian McHarg, and Laurie Olin. However, sustainability is used too often as a generic buzzword, diminishing …

Introduction To Landscape Architecture State Standards And Curriculum For Utah High Schools, Joseph Pancoast

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Utah State University (USU) offers a successful Introduction to Landscape Architecture class for college students; this class increases awareness and understanding of landscape architecture as a profession. Though this is a wonderful resource offered at the college level, high school is a key time for career awareness. Unfortunately, there is a lack of student awareness surrounding the profession of landscape architecture. In Utah and the rest of the United States, there are currently no in-person Introduction to Landscape Architecture classes available in a high school setting to increase awareness and understanding for students in a high school setting. Providing a …

Balancing The Scales: Evaluating Variables Of Greatest Impact To Profit Margins When Finishing Cattle, Ryan Bake

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines the risk associated with finishing cattle in a feedlot, specifically in the context of historically high cattle prices and quality grade grid marketing systems that have not adjusted to these elevated prices. The analysis also looks at performance factors that drive profitability differences in pens of cattle in a commercial feedlot, and how market factors also impact profitability. Regression analysis determines the significance of performance variables such as days on feed, average daily gain, feed conversion rates, and carcass characteristics on pen profitability. The impact of cattle breeding and pre-feedlot management of the cattle are also considered …

Evaluating The Cost Of Gain And Financial Returns Of Cattle Fed Hydroponically Produced Barley Fodder, Lex Peterson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Hydroponically produced fodder continues to garner attention as a feed source within livestock production. This attention in part is due to a belief that hydroponically produced fodder is more efficient in its use of inputs such as water when compared to conventional feeds. Water efficiency is especially appealing in areas like the Intermountain West region of the U.S where water availability is often constrained. This analysis looks to understand how using hydroponically produced barley fodder to finish steers compares economically to finishing steers on a nutritionally equivalent conventional finishing ration. To do so, a stochastic simulation model is constructed to …