Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Multiple Approaches To Reconstructing The Phosphorus History Of Marl Lakes: A Utah Lake Case Study, Mark R. Devey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Freshwater lakes around the world have suffered from the increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms in recent decades. One of the most pressing reasons water quality managers try to address harmful algal blooms is that some of the species that occur with them produce toxins which can affect humans, pets, and wildlife. In many lakes, the nutrient phosphorus controls whether these harmful algal and bacterial species can occur. Therefore, efforts to control harmful algal blooms often center around reducing inputs of phosphorus from a variety of sources within the watershed. Scientists and water quality managers have long been challenged by …

Stability, Electronic Structure, And Nonlinear Optical Properties In Clusters And Materials: A Synergistic Experimental-Computational Analysis, Maksim Kulichenko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main objective of Chemistry as a science is an understanding of how and why certain atoms are bonded together and what effects these bonds cause. Modern computational chemistry offers a wide range of tools that greatly assist the exploration of vast chemical space replacing expensive trial-and-error experimental approaches. Computational chemistry may serve to characterize newly synthesized compounds and provide atomic scale insights inaccessible to experimentalists’ vision. Moreover, predictive power of computational chemistry may be used as a guidance for future experiments and for the rational design of new compounds with desired properties.

This dissertation demonstrates the capabilities of joint …

Detecting Ecosystem Response To Restoration Efforts With Implications For Recovery Of The Threatened June Sucker (Chasmistes Liorus) In A Shallow, Eutrophic, Utah Lake, Ryan D. Dillingham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Environmental damage associated with a growing human population will increase globally without active management. Restoration can promote ecosystem recovery, yet often fails to produce desired results and may require decades to achieve noticeable benefits. Detecting small, incremental change sis imperative in these difficult situations. Here, I demonstrate that restoration focused on fish removal triggers incremental responses in aquatic plants and animals. Removing common carp is expected to encourage recovery of aquatic plants, increasing animal habitat, resulting in more macroinvertebrates (e.g., aquatic insects, snails). Carp removal should also increase water clarity, improving visibility for fishes, thus increasing their ability to find …

The Influence Of A Course On Assessment For Inservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers, Natalie M. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many mathematics teachers are not prepared to design valid and usable measurements of their students’ mathematical achievements. There are relatively few opportunities for mathematics teachers to improve their assessment literacy. The purpose of this study is to (1) design a course on assessment for inservice mathematics teachers and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the course. This paper recounts the development of the course and its influence on 16 teachers. Teachers who completed the course submitted a unit outline with learning objectives, a test blueprint, and a unit test. These artifacts influenced my evaluation on the effectiveness of the course. All …

Role Of Mitochondria In Postmortem Proteolysis And Meat Tenderness, David Son Dang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Among all eating quality characteristics in beef, tenderness is regarded as one of the most important traits. Previous research indicates that consumers are willing to pay a premium for beef guaranteed to be tender. Yet, tenderness is difficult to control and predict as it is influenced by a multitude of factors. Among these factors, meat aging has been shown to be a strong determinant of tenderness. Meat aging describes a process in which muscle tissue is broken down by other proteins within the muscle, resulting in a more tender product after cooking. Two well-recognized proteins that participate in the breakdown …

Evaluation Of Hydrograph Separation Techniques With Uncertain End-Member Composition, Eileen Page Lukens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes to precipitation and temperature occurring as a result of climate change can influence water sources (such as groundwater or snowmelt) that contribute to stream flow in a watershed. This is significant, as shifts in the amount of water coming from different water sources can shape watershed management decisions. One technique often used to investigate changes in water sources is hydrograph separation, a mathematical tool that allows for the quantification of the amount of water that came from different water sources. However, it can be difficult to perform hydrograph separations in remote watersheds as there may be insufficient infrastructure, i.e. …

Characterizing The Migratory Phenology And Routes Of The Lazuli Bunting (Passerina Amoena) In Northern Utah, Kim Savides

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Migratory species time their movements to follow changes in food and environmental resources throughout the year. Despite the ubiquity of migration in birds, little is still known about how birds select routes and time migrations. Recent advancements in miniaturized tracking devices now allow tracking of small birds throughout their annual life cycle, presenting opportunities for migratory ecology research at scales immeasurable in the past. Here we investigated the migratory ecology of a northern Utah, USA breeding population of Lazuli Bunting, a common songbird in western North America for which few migratory studies have been completed. We sought to compare breeding …

Comparative Studies In Rangeland Management: Examining The Foundational Assessments Relationship To The Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Assessment Framework And Assessment Of Predicted Cattle Distributions Using Gps Collars In Rich County, Utah, Michael T. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is being used as an umbrella species to manage for 350 plant and animal species that also depend on rangeland communities. Sage-grouse habitat assessments have been carried out using multiple methods. Standard sage-grouse methods described by Connelly et al 2003, include line intercept (LI) and Daubenmire frames (DF) measuring canopy cover. These methods were adopted broadly among sage-grouse biologist and used to develop habitat objectives for greater sage-grouse. Federal land management agencies now use the Habitat Assessment Framework (HAF). Specifically, HAF employs line-point intercept (LPI), to assess foliar cover in sage-grouse habitat. While …

Coping Strategies Mediate The Relation Between Executive Functions And Life Satisfaction In Middle And Late Adulthood: A Structural Equational Analysis, Hui Si Oh, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Recent studies have suggested that executive functions (EF) predict life satisfaction for older adults. However, the mechanism is not known. By analyzing a sample (N = 3,287, ages 32- 84 years) from the Midlife Development in the United States 2, we examined the mediational role of coping strategies in the relation between EF and life satisfaction. Both active coping and behavioral disengagement mediated the relation between EF and life satisfaction, and age significantly moderated the mediational pathways. Specifically, the positive effect of EF on active coping was more pronounced in middle-aged and older adults than in young adults. However, the …

Sunshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy... Especially If I’M Less Intelligent: How Sunlight And Intelligence Affect Happiness In Modern Society, Satoshi Kanazawa, Norman P. Li, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The savanna theory of happiness proposes that, due to evolutionary constraints on the human brain, situations and circumstances that would have increased our ancestors’ happiness may still increase our happiness today, and those that would have decreased their happiness then may still decrease ours today. It further proposes that, because general intelligence evolved to solve evolutionarily novel problems, this tendency may be stronger among less intelligent individuals. Because humans are a diurnal species that cannot see in the dark, darkness always represented danger to our ancestors and may still decrease our happiness today. Consistent with this prediction, the analysis of …

The Interaction Between Serotonin Transporter Allelic Variation And Maternal Care Modulates Instagram Sociability In A Sample Of Singaporean Users, Andrea Bonassi, Ilaria Cataldo, Giulio Gabrieli, Moses Tandiono, Jia Nee Foo, Bruno Lepri, Gianluca Esposito

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Human social interactions ensure recognition and approval from others, both in offline and online environments. This study applies a model from behavioral genetics on Instagram sociability to explore the impact of individual development on behavior on social networks. We hypothesize that sociable attitudes on Instagram resulted from an interaction between serotonin transporter gene alleles and the individual’s social relationship with caregivers. We assess the environmental and genetic components of 57 Instagram users. The self-report questionnaire Parental Bonding Instrument is adopted to determine the quality of parental bonding. The number of posts, followed users (“followings”), and followers are collected from Instagram …

Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurofilament Light Predicts Risk Of Dementia Onset In Cognitively Healthy Iindividuals And Rate Of Cognitive Decline In Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Longitudinal Study, Kunal Dhiman, Victor L. Villemagne, Christopher Fowler, Pierrick Bourgeat, Qiao Xin Li, Steven Collins, Ashley I. Bush, Christopher C. Rowe, Colin L. Masters, David Ames, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Ralph N. Martins, Veer Gupta

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Biomarkers that are indicative of early biochemical aberrations are needed to predict the risk of dementia onset and progression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We assessed the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) chain for screening preclinical AD, predicting dementia onset among cognitively healthy (CH) individuals, and the rate of cognitive decline amongst individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Neurofilament light levels were measured in CSF samples of participants (CH, n = 154 and MCI, n = 32) from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study of ageing (AIBL). Cases of preclinical AD were identified using biomarker-guided …

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: Do All Roads Lead To Rome?, Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Iwein Gyselinck, Mona Bafadhel, Wim Janssens

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

To the Editor: The Rome chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation proposal is a welcome step forward (1). Celli and colleagues have attempted to revise the definition and propose a new severity classification, based on measurable clinical and laboratory variables instead. The central role of healthcare use when defining exacerbations has held us back from a better understanding of these critical events. ...

Dietary Iron And The Elite Dancer, Caitlin Attwell, Cory Dugan, Alannah K. A. Mckay, Joanna Nicholas, Luke Hopper, Peter Peeling

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Dancers are an athlete population at high risk of developing iron deficiency (ID). The aesthetic nature of the discipline means dancers potentially utilise dietary restriction to meet physique goals. In combination with high training demands, this means dancers are susceptible to problems related to low energy availability (LEA), which impacts nutrient intake. In the presence of LEA, ID is common because of a reduced mineral content within the low energy diet. Left untreated, ID becomes an issue that results in fatigue, reduced aerobic work capacity, and ultimately, iron deficient anaemia (IDA). Such progression can be detrimental to a dancer’s capacity …

Characterization Of Retinal Drusen In Subjects At High Genetic Risk Of Developing Sporadic Alzheimer’S Disease: An Exploratory Analysis, Inés López-Cuenca, Elena Salobrar-García, Inés Gil-Salgado, Lidia Sánchez-Puebla, Lorena Elvira-Hurtado, José A. Fernández-Albarral, Federico Ramírez-Toraño, Ana Barabash, Jaisalmer De Frutos-Lucas, Juan J. Salazar, José M. Ramírez, Ana I. Ramírez, Rosa De Hoz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Having a family history (FH+) of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and being a carrier of at least one ε4 allele of the ApoE gene are two of the main risk factors for the development of AD. AD and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) share one of the main risk factors, such as age, and characteristics including the presence of deposits (Aβ plaques in AD and drusen in AMD); however, the role of apolipoprotein E isoforms in both pathologies is controversial. We analyzed and characterized retinal drusen by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in subjects, classifying them by their AD FH (FH-or FH+) and …

Labor Market Institutions And The Incidence Of Payroll Taxation, Jinyoung Kim, Seonghoon Kim, Kanghyock Koh

Research Collection School Of Economics

Despite the unambiguous predictions of the canonical model of a competitive labor market, empirical studies of the labor market effects of payroll taxation provide conflicting evidence. We estimate the labor market impacts of payroll taxation in Singapore, the country with the most competitive and flexible labor market among the countries investigated in the literature. By exploiting the sharp reduction in payroll tax rate when workers turn 60, we find that the reduced payroll tax rate in Singapore has a large effect on wages without changes in employment. Our meta-analysis shows consistent evidence that varying degrees of labor market competitiveness across …

Immature Stages Clarify Systematics In Two Nymphalid Butterflies, Andrea L. Bui, Bismanbir Pannu

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Signaling Strategies And Competition In Male Tungara Frogs, Alison S. Kim

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Eardrum Tuning In The Tungara Frog, Robert A. Wong

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Relationships And Immature Stage Morphology Of Adelpha Diocles And Its Relatives, Jomel Thomas, Jordan Renner, Lu Han

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Age On The Mating Call Of The Tungara Frog, Zaizhen Xu

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Growth, Sexual Dimorphism And Resource Allocation In The Túngara Frog, Kaitlyn D. Tonnu

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

What Is The Prevalence Of Dirofilaria Immitis (Dog Heartworm) In Invasive Aedes Mosquitoes?, Leen Yousef, Johan Espinoza Corrales, Daniela H. Dolar, Taylor K. Trieu, Aisha Popalzai, Agamchat Dhami

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Auditory Stimulation And The Day-Night Cycle On E. Pustulosus Hiding, Movements And Amplexus Behavior., Makaila Gita Gaff

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Medial Edge Chondrification Of The Vocal Folds Of E. Pustulosus And Its Function In Sexual Selection, Helena Soon Czochanski

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.

Interleukin-16 Rs4778889 Polymorphism And Its Interaction With Interleukin-10 Rs1800896 Polymorphism Increase The Risk For Knee Osteoarthritis In The Lebanese Population, Zeina El-Ali, Fouad Ziade, Hassan Zmerly, Nisrine Bissar

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

To investigate the effect Interleukin-16 (IL-16) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) polymorphisms, and their interaction, on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) risk in the Lebanese population. Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) genotyping assay was performed to determine IL-16 rs4778889, rs11556218, and rs4072111 and IL-10 rs1800896 polymorphisms in 118 patients diagnosed with KOA ( ≥ 2 points on Kellgren-Lawrence (K&L) radiological classification scale) and 70 controls matched for age and gender (K&L score ≤ 1). After adjusting for age, gender, presence of metabolic disorders, smoking and drinking status, our findings suggest that rs4778889 TT genotype increases the risk for KOA compared to the combined CC …

Covid-19 In Lebanon: Demographics And Distribution, Mahdi Fadlallah, Fadi Hobeiche, Marie Therese Jamal, Elie Salem-Sokhn

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

COVID-19 pandemic has emerged over more than 200 countries leading to more than 117 million infection cases and more than 2.6 million deaths. Lebanon is one of the countries affected by this disease especially in the second half of 2020 reaching its peak early this year. In this study, we studied the impact of multiple factors on this surge and analyzed the positive tests among different age groups over a period of one year (from March 2020 to February 2021). Data was collected from one medical center in Beirut where more than 20,000 PCR tests were done using RT-PCR method …

Genus Melaleuca: Phytochemistry, Pharmacology And Effect Against Covid-19, Mayssaloune Ali Kanso, Maha Aboul Ela Prof., Abdalla El-Lakany, Mohamad Ali Hijazi

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Medicinal plants are used for the prevention and treatment of many diseases as they are rich in phytochemical constituents (like terpenes, flavonoids, and alkaloids) responsible for the pharmacological effects of these plants. Genus Melaleuca named the tea tree, belonging to the family Myrtaceae, is cultivated in Australia as well as in the Pacific and some regions of Asia. It has been employed in Australian traditional medicine for its broad antimicrobial activity because of its contents of phenolic compounds, monoterpenes, tannins, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, and essential oils. Owing to the valuable uses of plants of genus Melaleuca, for different medical purposes, it …

Prevalence Of Temporomandibular Disorders Among Orthodontic Patients (Cross-Sectional Clinical Survey), Manar Souhail Youssef, Ahmad Tarabaih, Aly Osman

BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing

Orthodontic treatment as a risk factor for the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) has been a controversy in literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of TMD, as defined in the Diagnostic Criteria (DC)/TMD Axis II, among orthodontic patients. A cross-sectional study (N=180) consisted of 3 groups: 60 control patients seeking orthodontic consultation, 60 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment for 3-5 months, 60 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment for 10-14 months. Patients answered a structured questionnaire that rated their oral parafunctions according to the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC), pain intensity levels according to the Graded Chronic Pain Scale …

A Proteomic Analysis To Identify Changes In Bacterial Protein Expression Following Overexpression Of A Spider Silk Protein, Jamie (Ju Yeon) Park, Jaeyoung (Kate) Lee, David Chanyang Eum, Minji Jung, Sungkyung Lee

Pacific Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference (PURCC)

No abstract provided.