Digital Commons Network^™

Smart City Modeling: Using Gis Capabilities To Simulate Urban Areas And Events, Zachary Isaac Crawford

Architecture Theses

This research aims to show the capabilities of smart city modeling using GIS and other accessible information to provide accuracy and precision. Through this data collection, architects and urban planners can strategically alter urban areas to promote user experience and contentment. Current well-established cities can become known as smart cities, or cities that are data driven. This collection of data, such as traffic data, can be used to improve the user experience through efficiency and correct implementation. The idea of a “walkable city” is also reinforced as an important design solution that directly impacts the user experience in this urban …

Benefiting Youth And The Natural Environment: Integration Of Biophilic Design In A Youth Center, Abbigail Ann Miner

Architecture Theses

This thesis will entertain the idea of integrating biophilic design principles into a youth center. First there is a discussion of biophilic design, community centers, and youth centers with the intent to understand what they are and the benefits of each. Seven case studies are examined next to provide examples of how biophilic design has been applied to community centers, youth centers, and preschools. The design of a youth center that uses biophilic design principles to foster a relationship with children and nature is presented as a solution. The created youth center is titled Elk River Community Center. There is …

Building Blocks Towards New Education, Gaius Josiah D. Arroyo

Architecture Theses

The purpose of this research is to look at the effects digital technologies have had on education and explore ways educational facilities can react to these new technologies in the form of how we look at learning spaces. The goal with this thesis is not for it to be a guide but rather as a point of inspiration for educational facilities and designers. With the advancing development of digital technology, educational facilities are tasked with adapting to a society that has digital technology deeply ingrained in it. Educators and designers have a great opportunity to reevaluate our learning spaces and …

Living Library: How Stories Told Through Architecture Can Strengthen Communities And The People Within Them, Mariah Kate Zeien

Architecture Theses

Story has been passed down through generations, carrying with it the history and teachings of diverse groups of people. Storytelling has evolved to fit into an ever-changing society, trying to adapt and stay prevalent in it. With the ever-widening distance between strangers today, many stories and storytelling opportunities are being lost. Architecture is no longer being used as a tool to tell stories and provide places for stories to be told. The connections and spaces that once brought people from all walks of life together do not exist as they once did. The living library is an intervention, providing a …

Arachnid Sports + Entertainment Complex, Carson F. Wilkin

Architecture Theses

Las Vegas has become a sport energized metropolis. The city not only offers shows, restaurants, and gambling, but now also a successful professional sports market. At the cost of more infrastructure, Vegas has also lost some of its connection to its local community. The strip can be categorized as a tourist grabber, that has also become a money leech and ultimately reducing the interactions from locals across the Nevada area. The metro area has started creating and incorporating many sports teams that have brought community more together than anything in the downtown spaces. Sports offer love and passion that can …

Circulus Aquatilis: Designing Air Circulation For A Better Swimming Experience, Jakob Craven

Architecture Theses

Air circulation in natatoriums is a very crucial part of pool design. Improper design of the HVAC system can lead to respiratory problems for swimmers, lifeguards, or even spectators. Having experienced multiple pools with this issue before has led me to push to investigate this problem further. The focus of my research is to get a better understanding of how air circulation works within a natatorium. This will primarily look at the design elements of natatoriums such as air changes per hour, flow rate, and proper placement of vents for supply and return and see how each function and influences …

Cosmic Curiosities And Earthy Wonders: A Sensuous Reimagining Of The Denver Museum Of Nature And Science, Brady Kowalzek

Architecture Theses

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science envisions a transformation that acknowledges our connection to nature, aiming to deepen our understanding of this relationship. This transformation stems from the belief that humans are part of nature, not its conquerors. The museum has achieved LEED Platinum certification, highlighting its commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. However, critics argue it serves more as a testament to human achievements than as a sanctuary for nature, missing the chance to integrate with its surrounding environment. To address this, the proposed transformation emphasizes architectural design in harmony with nature, moving away from mere mechanical …

Trade Disruption And Commodity-Program Payments: A Panel Garch Model, Bismark Asante

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Trade disruption has reduced the economic gains countries enjoy from great trade relationships. This disruption stems from trade wars, exchange rate volatility, and rare events. However, the gravity model, mainly used to investigate this problem, is plagued with heteroscedasticity, omitted variables, and zero trade flow. This makes it difficult for farmers, policymakers, and investors to predict how the international market behaves. The study assesses how commodity-program payments help mitigate shocks from trade disruptions using a panel GARCH model. Hence, the study examines the source of trade disruption, the intensity of trade disruption on soybean and corn export, the risk associated …

Heat-Treated Soybean Meal In Beef Cattle Diets, Grady Gullickson

Animal Sciences

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate replacing dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) with heat-treated soybean (TSBM) at increasing rates in forage-based diets on steer growth performance, nutrient flow, and digestibility. Experiment 1: 70 angus-based steers were utilized in a generalized randomized block design for an 85-d growing study at the NDSU Beef Cattle Research Complex. Experiment 2: five fistulated Jersey steers fitted with ruminal, duodenal, and ileal cannulas were utilized in a 4 × 5 row column design for 56 d to measure nutrient flow and digestibility. Diets were formulated to replace DDGS, included in the diet at 16% …

One-Carbon Metabolites, Fetal Growth, Maternal Oxidative Stress, And Fetal Programming During Early Gestation, Layla King

Animal Sciences

In ruminant production systems, maternal nutrient intake and supplementation practices vary widely throughout the industry. Adequate maternal nutrient supply is critical for fetal development and subsequent offspring performance and health. Therefore, determining strategic supplementation of specific nutrients during critical developmental windows is crucial to fetal growth during early gestation will positively impact beef cattle production systems. In this dissertation, two experiments using beef heifers were conducted to test the hypothesis that differing maternal rate of gain (achieved through differing intake) during the first 63 d of pregnancy would compromise indices of maternal and fetal development; and that strategic nutrient supplementation …

Habitat Ukraine: A Modular, Mass Timber Housing Approach To Help Rebuild Ukraine, Andrew Tovsen

Architecture Theses

Fear. Destruction. Suffering. These are the words that come to mind upon the mention of the current conflict that the nation and people of Ukraine are submerged in. Millions of them have been forced to leave behind their livelihoods for safety, greatly damaging their financial and general well-being. Though the fighting still rages on, one day it will come to an end. This begs the question: how will these individuals and families be able to return to their native places from which they have been suddenly torn? Habitat Ukraine explores and proposes a permanent, semi-modular housing design approach focused on …

The Impact Of The Third Place, Cameron Brian Persons

Architecture Theses

The research conducted will look at the importance third places have for a community’s well-being and happiness, and why they need to be valued within society. It will consider the positive impacts third spaces have on humans, as well as the negative consequences involved in neglecting places of connection and congregation within a community. There has been a dramatic increase in ways to connect with people due to the increased popularity of technology. Yet, there has been an equal increase in the feeling of loneliness and social isolation by Americans. Physical and tangible third places are the answer to the …

A Landscape For Play: An Exploration Of Sensory Architecture Solutions For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judith Irva Frelich

Architecture Theses

In the kaleidoscope of human experiences, the sensory realm unfolds as a tapestry that uniquely colors our perceptions of the world. For children navigating the intricate landscape of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this tapestry takes on profound significance as their sensory sensitivities can both illuminate and obscure the path to understanding and learning. The concept of sensory architecture combined with the ‘neuro-typical’ approach presents an innovative and promising solution to developing inclusive spaces for children with ASD. Influenced by ‘the play of light’ and ‘the play of the waves,’ this thesis aims to create an understanding of dynamic interaction, freedom …

Improving Nitrogen Management, Including The Use Of Cover Crops, In North Dakota Cropping Systems, Brady Goettl

Natural Resources Management

Crop production in North Dakota covers nearly 64 million ha, playing a crucial role in the state’s economy. However, wide-spread agriculture also poses environmental risks resulting from soil erosion and loss of N to ground and surface water. To address these concerns, agriculturists must adopt practices to decrease soil erosion and responsibly manage N. Between 2020 and 2024, several studies in North Dakota focused on improving N management in two-row malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), explored opportunities for cover crop integration, and assessed the rotational impact cover crops on crop productivity and soil factors. Research indicated N recommendations ranging from …

An Assessment Of Barriers To Nurse Practitioners’ Utilizing Pharmacogenetic Testing For Depression, Sierra Entzel

Nursing

As a leading cause of disability worldwide, depression is considered a chronic disease. Medication management is the first-line treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder. Medications are selected based on provider experience and preference with a trial-and- error” approach. These medications may take several weeks to reach therapeutic dosing. If it is not tolerated or ineffective for treating the disease, then the medication regimen is changed, requiring a minimum of 4-6 weeks to determine efficacy. This trial-and-error approach to depression treatment can lead to patients living with persistently debilitating depressive symptoms for months, increased healthcare costs due to continued …

Emergency Provider Education For Management Of Patients With Suicidal Ideation In Rural Minnesota, Stephanie Slivnik

Nursing

This dissertation investigated the efficacy of an educational intervention aimed at enhancing the management of patients with suicidal ideation in a rural emergency department. Employing a quasi-experimental mixed-method design, the study involved an educational session, administration of online pre-, post-, and post three-month surveys, and an electronic health record review. The data was then compared to determine if provider confidence was impacted by education. The educational session, guided by the ICAR²E mnemonic developed by Wilson et al. (2020), encompassed components focused on identifying suicide risk, effective communication with patients, assessment for life-threatening conditions, risk assessment, strategies to reduce suicide risk, …

Embarking On The Analytical Odyssey: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Psychoanalytic Journey Of Formation, Steven Giddens

Psychology

This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study explored the lived experiences of Lacanian psychoanalysts undergoing formation. The research aimed to elucidate the subjective dimensions of the psychoanalytic journey by addressing three primary questions: (a) What are psychoanalysts’ fundamental experiences and challenges during their formation and training? (b) How do psychoanalysts perceive the impact of their formation on their professional development? (c) What roles do supervision, personal analysis, and organizational support play in the formation of psychoanalysts? Three participants affiliated with the Colorado Analytic Forum were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using IPA’s six-step process, …

Lessons Not Learned, Kyle Missbach

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

In July 1936, Spain descended into chaos and civil war. Fascists in the military, Catholic Church, and aristocracy rebelled against a government elected to reform centuries old power structures. The United States reacted in surprise and joined France and Britain, staunchly refusing to be involved. For six months, the Department of State impeded attempts to material assist the Spanish government, until Congress passed an updated neutrality law prohibiting trade with Spain or the rebels. Congress again renewed and updated the law a year later. Yet in spring of 1939, at the end of the war, Franklin D. Roosevelt told his …

Applying Theoretical Frameworks From Cognitive Psychology To Assess Faculty Professional Development And Student Reasoning In Physics, Alistair Mcinerny

Physics

Understanding human behavior and reasoning is essential for developing successful instruction. Discipline-based education researchers have examined how students learn, informing the development of successful instructional strategies. Researchers have also identified barriers to the successful implementation of such strategies. This work utilizes two theoretical frameworks from psychology to further examine: 1) efforts to enact instructional change and 2) the effectiveness of instructional approaches to improve students' reasoning in physics. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is used to assess professional development supporting the successful implementation of evidence-based instructional strategies. The Dual Process Theories of Reasoning and Decision-making (DPToR) are used to …

An Exploratory Study Of A Peer Mentoring Program For High School Students With Disabilities, Jordan Bentz

Human Development and Family Science

Many students with disabilities are isolated from general education classrooms and are restricted in the social opportunities that are available to them. With the shift toward more inclusive education settings, these students are given the chance to develop alongside their general education peers. The present study analyzed a peer mentoring program that partnered students with disabilities (i.e., mentees) and students without disabilities (i.e., mentors) with the goal of promoting inclusion at a high school. The study included a set of focus groups and surveys. The four focus groups included past mentors, teachers, and administrators who answered questions about their perception …

A Path To Reconnection: Using Architecture To Restore The Relationship Between Humankind And The Natural World, Elizabeth Kucala

Architecture Theses

Humans and the natural world once shared a profound connection through the reciprocal nature of their relationship. Due to the continuous changes in the technology and customs of society, as well as the apprehension of those who are different from us, humans have disconnected from each other, animals, and nature. This has led to the mistreatment and ignorance of groups such as the elderly and stray animals who have been cast out from society. This project aims to reconnect humankind and the natural world through the improvement of animal shelter design and the amalgamation of building programs including a memory …

Healing Through Humanitarian Design: Understanding The Refugee Crisis And Designing For The Future, Matthew Peikert

Architecture Theses

This project is an exploration into understanding the qualities of the built environment to attain a level of dignity for refugees in their healing process. Architecture cannot solve these social issues but seeks to understand the impact of the built environment on individual people. This research will focus on the humanitarian design response method and how it can be improved in the future. Can healing take place through design created by architects and does the design of a refugee camp have anything to do with that healing process? This research will use the global refugee situation as a vehicle to …

The Future Of Our Future: Designing Early Education For All, Anne Rebecca Manstrom

Architecture Theses

“Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society” (“About IDEA,” n.d.). Starting from a young age, children strive to be wanted, accepted and included. Elementary schools serve as a launching pad for the rest of everyone's lives. Making sure students, in all capacities, are thought of from the beginning is crucial to successful design. Often, students with learning disabilities are sent to different rooms with different teachers to learn at different rates. What if there was a way to keep all students together …

A Riverfront Revival: Transforming St. Paul's Downtown In Synergy With The Mississippi River, John Roman Meyer

Architecture Theses

St. Paul is the capital city of Minnesota and a very historical area. It is one of the biggest cities in the state and has started the birth of other cities in the metropolitan area. It has been a leader to other cities and is a very important location, but St. Paul still has many issues. The downtown area of the city is located next to the Mississippi River, but the connection is not as strong as it should be. With this, the skyline of the city is not very impressive and could do with some upgrades. While working with …

Genetic Variation In Black Gram And Guar For Phenology, Physiology, Growth, And Yield Under Irrigated And Rainfed Conditions Of Northern Great Plains, Saurabha Koirala

Plant Sciences

Field trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the feasibility of growing black gram (Vigna mungo) and guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and to identify superior accessions for semiarid conditions of Northern Great Plains, U.S. Significant genetic variability was observed among 21 black gram and 18 guar accessions under rainfed and irrigated conditions. Black gram accession PI425187 yielded the highest grain per plant (8.6 g) under rainfed conditions, while PI377397 and PI377406 performed best under irrigated (6.5 g). Number of pod per plant and seeds per pod were highly correlated with yield per plant. The highest guar yield per plant …

Xylan Fast Pyrolysis: An Experimental And Modelling Study Of Particle Changes And Volatiles Release, F Cerciello, E Freisewinkel, A Coppola, C Ontyd, D Tarlinski, Martin Schiemann, Osvalda Senneca, Pierro Salatino, C Allouis, Victor Scherer, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Biomass char particles produced by pyrolysis may have different morphologies, which has important implications on burning mode, conversion rate and boiler efficiency. These features are difficult to address due to the complexity of biomass structure and pyrolysis reaction models. The present work reports preliminary results on the morphological changes and volatile release that solid particles of Xylan experience upon fast heating in a Drop Tube Reactor (DTR) and in a Heated Strip Reactor (HSR) in a range of temperature between 1100 and 1573 K under inert atmosphere with heating rate in the order of 10³ K/s. Two different Xylan …

Understanding And Addressing The Individualized Emotional Impact Of Aphasia: A Framework For Speech-Language Pathologists, Tyson G. Harmon

Faculty Publications

Emotion plays an integral role in communication and has long been considered relevant to aphasia rehabilitation. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), however, may sometimes wonder how or whether to address emotional responses. The purpose of the present tutorial was to (1) present a framework that clinicians can use to understand individualized emotional responses in aphasia and (2) discuss examples of how the framework informs practical strategies that SLPs can use to provide emotional support to PWA. Drawing upon a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotions perspective combined with emerging research in aphasia, I show that emotion impacts and is impacted by both language processing …

The Naci Way: Connecting Native Groups And Teachers Through Culturally Responsive Instructional Design, Stephanie West, Heather Francis, Cally Flox, Brenda Beyal, Emily Soderborg, Jason K. Mcdonald

Faculty Publications

In 2018, the BYU ARTS Partnership Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI) was developed in response to teacher questions regarding the teaching of Native topics. Despite increased movements towards reconciliation, Native groups continue to be marginalized in Westernized educational settings. Additionally, teachers lack clear guidelines regarding the respectful teaching of Native topics. Describing the challenges we, the NACI team members, faced in our six-year journey partnering with Native groups in Utah, we outline key instructional design decisions we made and identify the culturally responsive principles that guided those decisions. We also advocate for the application of culturally responsive principles and practices …

Effects Of Cognitive And Social Demands On Linguistic Production For People With Moderate, Mild, Or No Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Emily Mcdonald, Kyle Steele

Faculty Publications

Background

Most everyday communication occurs in situations where cognitive and social demands are present. These types of situations may compound language deficits for people with aphasia (PWA). An understanding of the language interference that may occur from cognitive and social demands is an important precursor for assessment and intervention that addresses everyday communication situations.

Aims

To determine how cognitively and socially demanding conditions affect micro- and macrolinguistic production for people with moderate, mild, or no aphasia during narrative discourse and to compare effects among groups.

Method

Thirty participants with mild (n = 9), moderate (n = 9), or no (n …

Graph Two-Sample Test Via Empirical Likelihood, Ting Zou

Statistics

In the past two decades, there has been a notable surge in network data. This proliferation has spurred significant advancements in methods for analyzing networks across various disciplines, including computer science, information sciences, biology, bioinformatics, physics, economics, sociology, and health science. Graph two-sample hypothesis testing, aimed at discerning differences between two populations of networks, arises naturally in diverse scenarios. In this paper, we delve into the essential yet intricate task of testing for equivalence between two networks. There are many testing procedures available. For instance, the t-test based on subgraph counts is one of the methods. In this paper, we …