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Disambiguation Of Large-Scale Educational Network Data For Social Network Analysis, Adam Weaver Dec 2021

Disambiguation Of Large-Scale Educational Network Data For Social Network Analysis, Adam Weaver

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a research method which quantitatively maps qualitative social interactions between individuals who comprise a ‘network’. Delineating these social networks yields highly valuable data, including SNA measures like centrality, which can be used to measure social influence, connectivity, and more. Further, these networks can also be visualized by graphing individuals as ‘nodes’, and then by drawing ‘edges’ (the lines that connect them) to produce sociograms. With these sociograms, researchers can concurrently conduct visual and statistical analysis of relations between node and network traits of interest. As a result of these capabilities and the growth of social …


The Impact Of Covid-19 On Students At Usu Eastern, Marcos Suarez, Brielle Mccourt, Aurelio Rodriguez, Jessica Hansen Dec 2021

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Students At Usu Eastern, Marcos Suarez, Brielle Mccourt, Aurelio Rodriguez, Jessica Hansen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of people throughout the world in numerous ways. The ramifications of the pandemic will be studied for years to come. We are interested in the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on college students, specifically those at Utah State University Eastern (USUE). We will be conducting an exploratory quantitative survey, in conjunction with the Student Counseling Center, for current students enrolled at USUE, ages 18 and above and will be asking questions about their mental, educational, financial, and social wellbeing. The survey will be distributed by email and will be available through the …


Book Worms? A Profile Of The Reading Lives Of English Majors, Ryan Collins, Claire Atwood, Virginia Beikmann, Josephine Rivera, Mya Bethers, Kerrin Mountcastle, Sam Richens, Cayla Cappel Dec 2021

Book Worms? A Profile Of The Reading Lives Of English Majors, Ryan Collins, Claire Atwood, Virginia Beikmann, Josephine Rivera, Mya Bethers, Kerrin Mountcastle, Sam Richens, Cayla Cappel

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

What are the reading lives of a group of upper-division English majors in terms of their autobiographies, their processes of reading, and their preferred texts? How do they manage required reading and reading for pleasure? Although university students who major in English Studies read consistently, often reading behaviors are taken for granted, particularly the long-term reading lives of these students. How did they develop as readers? What strategies have they developed to be successful? What are preferred tools and technology? How has their various cultures influenced their reading? By using an autoethnographic approach that describes and interrogates their processes and …


Discovering Virally Encoded Proteins That Block Type Iv Crispr Immune Systems, Andrew Williams Dec 2021

Discovering Virally Encoded Proteins That Block Type Iv Crispr Immune Systems, Andrew Williams

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Bacteria and the viruses that infect them have been at war from the beginnings of life until today. Due to selective pressure from viral infection, bacteria have evolved various biological defense systems, including CRISPR-Cas systems that use a genetic memory of previous viral encounters to protect against future invasions. However, recently it has been shown that viruses have evolved counter-strategies to evade CRISPR systems. Virally encoded proteins called anti-CRISPRs use a variety of mechanisms to block the activity of CRISPR immune systems in order to infect bacterial cells. The Jackson lab at USU recently showed that a Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas …


Pan Variant Sars-Cov-2 Common Interactions And Drug Candidates, Kolton Hauck Dec 2021

Pan Variant Sars-Cov-2 Common Interactions And Drug Candidates, Kolton Hauck

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread, multiple strains have appeared. Research has investigated potential drug candidates for COVID-19, but without consideration for the multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2. A domain-based and interolog-based method were implemented to predict protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the SARS-CoV-2 variants and human proteins. A common set (conserved among all strains) and a unique set (distinct for each strain) of interactions were made. These sets of interactions were characterized via subcellular localization, tissue expression, pathway enrichment and gene ontology. Lastly, drug candidates were identified for the common set. The combined domain and interolog methods resulted in 8963 predicted …


Characterization Of The Atpase Activity Of Casding, Christian Cahoon Dec 2021

Characterization Of The Atpase Activity Of Casding, Christian Cahoon

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The battle between bacteria and phage has been ongoing for eons. This battle has generated the evolutionary pressure necessary for the development of microbial immune systems. Characterization of these systems has led to the discovery of molecular tools such CRISPR-Cas systems. This system uses a genetic memory of past viral infections coupled with associated proteins to form ribonucleoprotein complexes which seek out and destroy foreign genetic elements. These systems have been repurposed by scientists to create powerful gene editing tools such as Cas9. With such powerful molecular tools being discovered, we have pursued the characterization of a relatively unknown system, …


Perceived & Personal Mental Health Stigma, Katie White, River Jarman, Brenden Jones, Gabrielle Archambault Dec 2021

Perceived & Personal Mental Health Stigma, Katie White, River Jarman, Brenden Jones, Gabrielle Archambault

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

An exploration of stigmatizing beliefs held by college students, as well as the students' experiences with stigma and discrimination in relation to their own reported mental health problems. The Day's Mental Illness Stigma Scale and the Mental Health Stigma Scale were used to measure varying aspects of stigmatizing beliefs including treatability, relationship disruption, hygiene, anxiety, visibility, recovery, professional efficacy, discrimination, disclosure, and positive outcomes.


Characterizing The Mechanisms Of C. Elegans Prmt1 Temperature Dependence, Arianna Towne Dec 2021

Characterizing The Mechanisms Of C. Elegans Prmt1 Temperature Dependence, Arianna Towne

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Over time, cellular enzymes evolve through amino acid mutations which allow them to remain functional at temperatures specific to the host organism. This activity may be partially or completely lost when enzymes are removed from their optimal temperature range, as is observed for the C. elegans protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (cPRMT1). This construct demonstrates maximum enzymatic activity at the C. elegans optimum of 20°C, but no activity at 37°C where activity for mammalian PRMT1 variants is observed. Given dysregulation of PRMT1 has been linked to various disease states, we are interested in exploiting the biophysical mechanisms of cPRMT1 temperature dependence …


Determining The Nucleic Acid Binding Affinities Of Crispr-Associated Ding (Casding), Matt Armbrust Dec 2021

Determining The Nucleic Acid Binding Affinities Of Crispr-Associated Ding (Casding), Matt Armbrust

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

CRISPR-Cas systems are adaptive prokaryotic immune systems that enable host cells to defend against attack from foreign nucleic acids such as phage infections or plasmids. CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse and encompass 2 classes, 6 types, and 33 subtypes. The Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas system from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain 83 is composed of five different genes (csf1, csf2, csf3, cas6, and dinG). Type IV-A systems are poorly understood, and currently there is little research detailing their biological and biochemical mechanism of immunity. CasDinG, an ancillary protein within the Type IV-A system, is required for an immune response in vivo. However, the role …


Racial Disparity On Holding Penalties In The Nfl, Alex Dayley, Katelyn Williams, Terrance Bankhead, Cameron Wood Dec 2021

Racial Disparity On Holding Penalties In The Nfl, Alex Dayley, Katelyn Williams, Terrance Bankhead, Cameron Wood

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Numerous studies have identified and analyzed the existence and impact of racial discrimination on different aspects of United States culture, including the criminal justice system and professional sporting associations. For example, in the criminal justice system, research has found that minorities are more likely to experience a search of their vehicle during a traffic stop especially if the police officer is of a different race than the motorist. This analysis of racial bias can be applied to professional sporting associations, where split-second decisions are made which allows for the possibility of racial discrimination. In the NBA, research has found that …


Establishing A Framework Of Nitrogen Acquisition For Martian Agriculture, Tyler Wallentine Dec 2021

Establishing A Framework Of Nitrogen Acquisition For Martian Agriculture, Tyler Wallentine

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Nitrogen (N) forms a crucial part of DNA, proteins, and other biomolecules and is an essential element to life. Luckily, N is abundant in Earth’s and Mars’ atmospheres in its atmospheric form (N2); however, plants and humans are unable to metabolize it in this state. N2 gas is only able to be consumed by undergoing nitrogen fixation, an intensive process that breaks the extremely-stable N ≡ N bond in order to form bioavailable ammonia (NH3). Many prokaryotes are capable of nitrogen fixation. Plants may uptake fixed N from these, which are then consumed by other …


Determining The Biochemical Mechanisms And Binding Activities Of A Type Iv-A Crispr-Cas Ding Helicase, Matt Armbrust Dec 2021

Determining The Biochemical Mechanisms And Binding Activities Of A Type Iv-A Crispr-Cas Ding Helicase, Matt Armbrust

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

CRISPR-Cas systems are adaptive prokaryotic immune systems that enable host cells to defend against attack from foreign nucleic acids such as phage infections or plasmids. CRISPR-Cas systems are diverse and encompass 2 classes, 6 types, and 33 subtypes. The Type IV-A CRISPR-Cas system from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain 83 is composed of five different genes (csf1, csf2, csf3, cas6, and dinG). Type IV-A systems are poorly understood, and currently there is little research detailing their biological and biochemical mechanism of immunity. CasDinG, an ancillary protein within the Type IV-A system, is required for an immune response in vivo. However, the role …


True Grit (1969) And Feminism: How It Succeeds And Why We Should Expect Better, Courtney Isom Dec 2021

True Grit (1969) And Feminism: How It Succeeds And Why We Should Expect Better, Courtney Isom

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Hollywood Westerns are certainly not renowned for their contribution to feminist plots or characters, but True Grit (1969) is one of the more forward thinking movies with respect to women’s roles. However, the movie still portrays traditional power structures of patriarchy that undermine the female character’s autonomy. Looking at this film through the lens of both Critical Rhetoric and a Gender Diversity Perspective allows us to see the nuances of Mattie Ross' stand against oppressive traditional roles, while also examining the ways in which she is still dominated by discursive patriarchal practices. Celeste Condit’s gender diversity perspective encourages ditching traditional …


Known And Unknown: Women's Voices Of The Hole-In-The-Rock Expedition, Bonnie Swenson Dec 2021

Known And Unknown: Women's Voices Of The Hole-In-The-Rock Expedition, Bonnie Swenson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

In 2020, Utah focused on a significant benchmark in voting rights: the celebration of 150 years of Utah women voting, the first in the modern nation to do so. Over the course of the celebration stories about women were uncovered, recovered, and publicized. Too often, women’s stories in history have been overlooked. This project seeks to recover some of those women’s voices. The Hole-in-the-Rock expedition was an arduous trek in 1879-80 across an uncharted, barren landscape in southeastern Utah by novice pioneers. History has focused primarily on the extraordinary feat building of the 290-mile road. The clever engineering allowed wagons …


Abstract Marketing Of The British Empire, Rachel Campbell Dec 2021

Abstract Marketing Of The British Empire, Rachel Campbell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

A critic on the British empire using their own marketing tactics in a abstract way.


Measuring Irregularity Via Approximate Entropy: How Does Perceived Human Instability Affect One's Own Stability?, Madi Braunersrither Dec 2021

Measuring Irregularity Via Approximate Entropy: How Does Perceived Human Instability Affect One's Own Stability?, Madi Braunersrither

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

In a study performed at Utah State University, participants were prompted to evaluate the stability of pictured human postures while standing on a force plate. The force plate was used to collect the center of pressure of the subjects by recording measurements in the vertical and horizontal directions. The way these factors fluctuate over time and the irregularity in this fluctuation, specifically, can give insight into the subject’s postural stability. Rather than working with summary statistics such as means and variances of fitting parameters of a distribution as commonly done in statistics, we want to measure irregularity through analyzing the …


A Hot Wheeler's Heaven Or Hell? A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Hot Wheels Red Line Club Online Forums And How They Compare To Other Online Mediums, Samuel Richens Dec 2021

A Hot Wheeler's Heaven Or Hell? A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Hot Wheels Red Line Club Online Forums And How They Compare To Other Online Mediums, Samuel Richens

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

This research project aims to shed light on the unique phenomenon of the Hot Wheels Red Line Club online forums and how the rhetorical interactions that take place there compare to other mainstream forums. To the uninitiated, Hot Wheels by Mattel, introduced in 1968, is the best-selling toy, even outperforming Barbie, who debuted a decade earlier. To begin, a rhetorical analysis of conversations on the online discussion forum was conducted. In addition, a survey was distributed to students asking about their online forum experiences, and an interview was conducted with an expert on online forums to gain their knowledge and …


Economic Benefits Of Cross-Strait Tensions, Jason Seedall Dec 2021

Economic Benefits Of Cross-Strait Tensions, Jason Seedall

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

This research explores the economic benefits experienced by Taiwan due to the cross-strait tensions between the island and mainland China as well as how it affects the future of economic and political relationships between Taiwan, China, and the United States.


Halotolerant Rhizosphere Bacteria: Isolation Of Rhizosphere Bacteria From Native Utah Plant Ceanothus Velutinus, Alyssa Nielsen Dec 2021

Halotolerant Rhizosphere Bacteria: Isolation Of Rhizosphere Bacteria From Native Utah Plant Ceanothus Velutinus, Alyssa Nielsen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Increasing incidences of drought forced farmers to use the secondary, degraded water for irrigation. These water sources are rich in salt concentrations. This project has started with the hopes of finding bacteria from the rhizosphere of a native to Utah plant, Ceanothus velutinus, that helps the plant survive the saltier conditions of Utah. The rhizosphere, a layer of soil attached to the roots of a plant, contains microorganisms that may contribute to the plants' abiotic and biotic stress resistance. These microorganisms are known as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). The roots and rhizosphere samples were collected from Tony Grove in …


Unmasked: A Comparative Glimpse Into East Asian Theatre, Marcilene Hyer Dec 2021

Unmasked: A Comparative Glimpse Into East Asian Theatre, Marcilene Hyer

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

From the more simplistic costumes, makeup and performances of Pansori (판소리) meaning ”Gathering place” or “varying sound” from Korea to the elaborate, colorful, and vibrant costumes, makeup, and performances we see in Kabuki (歌舞伎) which means “Song-Dance Skill” or “Bizarre Theatre” from Japan and Jīngjù/Jīngxì (京剧/京戏) or Beijing/Peking Opera or “Theatre of the Capital” from China. These beloved Eastern Asian Theatres are a treasure for each country being the embodiment of aesthetic ideals, and a bridge to connect people of many different cultures. These traditional performances with similar origins in religious practices or other culture celebrations such as a bountiful …


Gender & Social Support In Young Adults, Sierra Howe, Amy Jensen, Kaitlin Welsh, Jalena Warner Dec 2021

Gender & Social Support In Young Adults, Sierra Howe, Amy Jensen, Kaitlin Welsh, Jalena Warner

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The effect of social support on mental health outcomes is important in understanding how best to address mental health issues in the general population. Young adulthood is a time of extreme stress and change which can often be a trigger for mental illness to occur. Previous research indicates gender as a major determinant for mental health outcomes, especially when exploring help-seeking behaviors. While women are more likely to seek support for mental illness, men are much more likely to self-medicate rather than seek help. Trans and gender diverse individuals were much less likely to receive social support for mental illness, …


Re-Envisioning Transforming Communities Initiative, Alyssa Cronin Dec 2021

Re-Envisioning Transforming Communities Initiative, Alyssa Cronin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Have you ever seen a large problem you wished we could just solve already? There are many: poverty, homelessness, racism, hunter. The list goes on. Huge issues like these require people to step up to the plate and dismantle oppressive systems and construct better ones. Social workers have been doing this since their conception; however, engagement in these areas have been dwindling over the past decades. TCI was born in 2014 to help combat this by training the next generation of civically engaged social workers while conducting research and working with communities in Utah to create change. It is now …


Microaggressions Experienced By Lgbtq Individuals In Cjclds Contexts, Jane Bell Dec 2021

Microaggressions Experienced By Lgbtq Individuals In Cjclds Contexts, Jane Bell

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Relative to heterosexual and cisgender individuals, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) have elevated rates of minority stress and heightened chances of health problems, including mental health disorders and suicidal ideation. This process can be exacerbated in a conservative Christian religious setting, such as in the context of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS). Although CJCLDS doctrine embraces love for all, LGBTQ+ individuals experience discrimination, sometimes through subtle verbal/nonverbal barbs called microaggressions. There is limited research on this intersection of experience, which makes it difficult to understand how to help the individuals being adversely affected. This study seeks …


Trauma: Forced Sterilizations Of Latina Women In The United States, Lisset Delgado, Wystan Hampton Dec 2021

Trauma: Forced Sterilizations Of Latina Women In The United States, Lisset Delgado, Wystan Hampton

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The purpose of our research is to understand the history of how American society has viewed Latina women and the oppression they have faced mainly due to forced sterilizations. Between the 1930s and 1970s, Latinos in the United States were forced to undergo sterilizations which have been a large contributor to the cause of multiple underlying mental health issues. Although the book Taína, written by Ernesto Quiñónez, is considered fiction, we understand that many of Quiñónez's stories within the book are based on actual events that took place in his life. As a result, his literary work will be …


Designing An Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging System, Conner Sabin Dec 2021

Designing An Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging System, Conner Sabin

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

USU researchers at ASPIRE NSF Engineering research center are developing power electronic systems including wireless charging systems to increase EV charging accessibility. EV wireless charging systems include two charging coils, one on the ground and one on the bottom of the car. Current is driven through the charging coil as a car drives over the top of or parks on top of this coil. High current creates a magnetic field which induces current in the car coil. The alternating magnetic fields can charge the car as the car is simply parked on the top of this coil. Designing a wireless …


The Impact Of China's Recent Economic Growth Has Had On The Environment: Challenging The Assumption That In Order To Protect The Environment We Must Sacrifice Development., Mckay Overton Dec 2021

The Impact Of China's Recent Economic Growth Has Had On The Environment: Challenging The Assumption That In Order To Protect The Environment We Must Sacrifice Development., Mckay Overton

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Pollution is a major issue in China effecting both the health and environment of the Chinese people. Since its rapid rise in economic and technological development, China has become one of the global leaders in business and technology. Conversely, China has also become one of the global leaders in the amount of pollution it creates. Every day, large amounts of coal and fossil fuels are burned. There are few regulations to protect the environment, and even fewer that are actually enforced. High levels of pollution cause high rates of cancer as well as high rates of lung and heart issues …


Violent Crime With The Influx Of Immigrants Along The Southern Us Border., Jesse Clark Dec 2021

Violent Crime With The Influx Of Immigrants Along The Southern Us Border., Jesse Clark

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The United States citizens have a perception that the foreign-born, especially “illegal aliens,” are responsible for the carnage and the reported increase in violent crime rates along the U.S.and Mexico border, and the media and popular myth often perpetuate this mentality. But these perceptions are not supported empirically; instead, they are proven wrong by the scientific evidence. If we understand “carnage” to mean criminal violence and killings, state and national crime data doesn’t support this narrative. Although an increase of property crimes, due to the sheer number of border crossers, have been attributable to traveling migrants — like break-ins, cut …


Working With Your Brain: A Case Study Of The Writing Processes Of Women Writers With Adhd, Claire Atwood Dec 2021

Working With Your Brain: A Case Study Of The Writing Processes Of Women Writers With Adhd, Claire Atwood

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Adult women with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are diagnosed at a significantly lower rate than adult men and children. As children, ADHD presents itself in classroom behaviors, like a difficulty in concentrating, staying on task, and interrupting the lesson. For girls and especially adult women, these symptoms are not as obvious as they are in men, which results in a significant lack of research about women with ADHD. In Women with ADHD, Roberta Sanders notes that “there is a tendency for girls to be diagnosed with [the ADHD Inattentive type] more than boys and it prevails in older children …


A Computational Model Of Angiogenesis In Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Brandon Pace Dec 2021

A Computational Model Of Angiogenesis In Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Brandon Pace

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease which causes central blindness in the eye. This progressive disease is thought to affect 1 of every 4 people over the age of 80 living in developed countries, including America. There is no cure and the only treatments to halt disease progression involve biweekly eye injections for the rest of the patient’s life. Clearly there is a great need to understand AMD and find better treatment for the many afflicted. It is known that harmful capillary growth (angiogenesis) contributes to AMD. By learning more about retinal angiogenesis, we can understand AMD in …


Creating Transparent And Accessible Methods For Approximating The Composite Strength Of Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels, Ruth Taylor Dec 2021

Creating Transparent And Accessible Methods For Approximating The Composite Strength Of Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels, Ruth Taylor

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Background: The method of designing partially composite sandwich wall panels (SWPs) relies strongly on the use of percent of composite action. Calculating these values proves to be a complex and virtually inaccessible process for practicing engineers, resulting in the reliance on proprietary software or connector-system manufacturers for the necessary values. We simulated percent composite action data, including several relevant variables, to examine the relationship and determine if simple and accessible methods of calculation could be created. Methods: Code from collaborating engineers used to calculate percent composite action with the Iterative Sandwich Beam Theory (ISBT) method was translated into R, a …