Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Positive School Orientation And Teacher Attachment On Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes: Investigating Possible Group Differences, Within A Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum, Stefanie Diann Holloway

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions can be delivered universally in schools to help equalize opportunities for diverse students and improve their mental health, as well as other outcomes. However, it is not always known or fully understood which underlying mechanisms may be at play that enable these interventions to achieve their effects –or how such mechanisms may develop over time, within an SEL intervention. The primary purpose of this study was to determine how one such intervention, Positive Action, was able to improve adolescent students’ mental health outcomes, by testing the potential mediational influences of students’ levels of …

Effects Of Habitat Disturbances On Reptiles In Sagebrush Steppe, Kristina Joan Parker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Reptiles inhabiting shrub-steppe ecosystems of the Intermountain West have adapted to harsh, unpredictable desert conditions, yet recent changes in disturbance regimes may put species at risk. In southwest Idaho, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has altered the fire regime resulting in a vast conversion of shrub-steppe to mostly annual grasslands that burn too frequently to allow shrublands to recover. Southwest Idaho has the highest reptile diversity in the Pacific Northwest, yet we know little about reptile community dynamics in response to the cheatgrass-fire cycle. We hypothesized that wildfires and cheatgrass negatively affect reptile communities directly (i.e., mortality during fires) and …

Using Differential Shear Strain Measurements To Monitor Crosstie Support Conditions In Railroad Tracks, D. Kody Johnson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details a comprehensive numerical analysis of load determination, and crosstie support assessment and monitoring using strain gauges to measure differential rail shear strain in ballasted railroad tracks due to applied railcar wheel loads. These differential shear strain measurements can be related to applied wheel loading and crosstie support reactions through the geometric and constitutive properties of a given rail section. The basic theory behind the measurement technique was reviewed and investigated using finite element models of varying complexity. The impact of field conditions such as differential ballast and subgrade support, track stiffness, crosstie spacing, gauge installation location, and …

Role Of The Nuclear Envelope In The Mechanoregulation Adipogenesis, Matthew H. Goelzer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical signals are known regulators of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) fate, regulating their differentiation into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. These relevant mechanical signals reach to nucleus through nuclear envelope proteins such as Lamin A/C and the Linker of the Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes. Within the context of bone, clinically relevant mutations of Lamin A/C and the LINC complexes have been shown to alter adipogenic and osteogenic MSC differentiation patterns, suggesting that that nucleo-cytoskeletal connectivity provided by nuclear envelope is important in regulating MSC fate. Using MSC adipogenesis as a model of MSC mechanical regulation, the goal of this work …

How To Recognize And Control Interfacial Phenomena That Hinder The Advancement Of Clean Energy Technologies, Corey Michael Efaw

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear energy and electrochemical energy storage, such as batteries, are key parts to the clean energy transition of critical infrastructure. This work aims to define, monitor, and modify interfacial layers that would improve the utility of materials in harsh environments seen in nuclear and energy storage applications. First, the studying of zirconium alloys, which is used as nuclear cladding, was done to better understand the degradation mechanisms within an extreme environment. High-resolution characterization techniques were used to correlate corrosion mechanisms to equivalent circuit models from novel in-pile electrochemical impedance spectroscopy sensors. Advancement in this sensor technology could provide further insight …

The Interactions Between Oral Biofilms, Antibiotic Resistance, And Dentistry, Maxine Taylor

Honors Projects

Antibiotic resistance is a pressing concern that demands further action to reduce and develop new countermeasures. Antibiotic resistance impacts all fields of health and medicine, including dentistry. Many of the preventive and restorative dental procedures are due to a bacterial cause. Knowledge of oral biofilm development mechanisms and the interactions and relationships between oral microbiota is necessary to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance and develop more effective dental treatments. Exploring how the oral microbiomes and their treatments impact the health of the rest of the body is another important consideration since dentistry is part of the general healthcare system. …

Investigating The Role Of The Skeletal Muscle In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Neuromuscular Junction Dysfunction, Agnes Badu-Mensah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) dysfunction has been identified as one of the earliest events in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) pathology. However, which tissue type induces NMJ disruption; be it the motoneurons (hMN), Schwann cells or skeletal muscle (hSKM) remains unresolved. While mechanisms by which ALS hMN contribute to NMJ dysfunction are well-described in literature, limited information exist on how the other tissue types in the tripartite synapse (hSKM and Schwann cells) induce and/or contribute to ALS NMJ disruption. A fair understanding of the role of each tissue type in NMJ dysfunction would help shape the trajectory of future ALS research and …

The Impact Of The Community Partnership School Model On Student Self-Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Brandon Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to identify the impact of the Community Partnership Schools™ (CPS) model of community schools in the areas of social self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, emotional self-efficacy, and civic engagement beyond the point of enrollment in the school. To answer the research questions, the researcher compared the responses of 96 high school students that had previously been enrolled in a CPS with the responses of 402 students from racially and socioeconomically similar schools that were not CPS, using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) and the Civic Engagement Scale (CES). Results showed a significant positive correlation …

Water Diplomacy And Its Strategic Significance For Sustainable Development Goals And Global Security Architecture, Adam Krzymowski

All Works

This article presents new approaches to water diplomacy connected with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The research question is what is the role and significance of water diplomacy for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global security architecture? The paper is based on the theory of interdependence. To illustrate this concept, the author used several case studies to identify the international security role of water diplomacy in the context of SDGs. The case studies point to the greater likelihood that wars in the twenty-first century will be due to freshwater disputes; water diplomacy should be a crucial instrument for the SDGs …

Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Inhibit Trpc4-Mediated Muscarinic Cation Current In Mouse Ileal Myocytes, Lina T. Al Kury, Dimitrios Papandreou, Vasyl V. Hurmach, Dariia O. Dryn, Mariia I. Melnyk, Maxim O. Platonov, Yuriy I. Prylutskyy, Uwe Ritter, Peter Scharff, Alexander V. Zholos

All Works

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are characterized by a combination of rather unique physical and chemical properties, which makes them interesting biocompatible nanostruc-tured materials for various applications, including in the biomedical field. SWCNTs are not inert carriers of drug molecules, as they may interact with various biological macromolecules, including ion channels. To investigate the mechanisms of the inhibitory effects of SWCNTs on the muscarinic receptor cation current (mICAT), induced by intracellular GTPγs (200 µM), in isolated mouse ileal myocytes, we have used the patch-clamp method in the whole-cell configuration. Here, we use molecular docking/molecular dynamics simulations and direct patch-clamp recordings of …

Water As A Weapon Of War In The Tigris-Euphrates Basin, Adam Krzymowski

All Works

The article’s scientific goal is to investigate the Weimar Triangle countries’ relations with the United Arab Emirates. Therefore, the author asks the research question. Are the Weimar Triangle states’ role and significance increasing in the external dimension of the European Union? Based on the example of the United Arab Emirates, the research adopted a hypothesis. It is the statement that after Brexit, the Weimar Triangle countries have a chance to improve their importance in the EU external activities. Apart from case studies, to revise the hypothesis, the author performed a meticulous comparative analysis. Moreover, the research implemented International Practice Theory …

Theoretical Models Of Integration Of Interactive Learning Technologies Into Teaching: A Systematic Literature Review, Laila Mohebi

All Works

With the fast progress of technology and the vast amount of research papers related to technology integration in education being published yearly, a study that reviews models used in these papers is needed. Therefore, this paper (1) reviewed and analysed theoretical frameworks with models used for integration of technology in classrooms, (2) reviewed studies that discussed the impact of technology integration on students' learning capabilities, and (3) discussed the importance of preparing teachers to effectively integrate technology in teaching. The models reviewed were: Teacher Thoughts and Action Process (TTAP), Theory of Planned Behavior, Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation (EVAM), Substitution …

Does Bedtime Music Listening Improve Subjective Sleep Quality And Next-Morning Well-Being In Young Adults? A Randomized Cross-Over Trial, Nadyana M. Majeed, Verity Y. Q. Lua, Jun Sen Chong, Zoey Lew, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Previous research has found that young adults exhibit patterns of poor sleep and that poor sleep is associated with a host of negative psychological consequences. One potential intervention to improve sleep quality is listening to music at bedtime. Although there exist previous works investigating the efficacy of listening to music as a form of sleep aid, these works have been hindered by statistically weak designs, a lack of systematic investigation of critical characteristics of music that may affect its efficacy, and limited generalizability. In light of the limitations in the existing literature, a 15-day randomized cross-over trial was carried out …

Seasonal Sea Ice Persisted Through The Holocene Thermal Maximum At 80°N, Anna J. Pieńkowski, Katrine Husum, Simon T. Belt, Ulysses Ninnemann, Denizcan Köseoğlu, Dmitry V. Divine, Lukas Smik, Jochen Knies, Kelly Hogan, Riko Noormets

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The cryospheric response to climatic warming responsible for recent Arctic sea ice decline can be elucidated using marine geological archives which offer an important long-term perspective. The Holocene Thermal Maximum, between 10 and 6 thousand years ago, provides an opportunity to investigate sea ice during a warmer-than-present interval. Here we use organic biomarkers and benthic foraminiferal stable isotope data from two sediment cores in the northernmost Barents Sea (>80 °N) to reconstruct seasonal sea ice between 11.7 and 9.1 thousand years ago. We identify the continued persistence of sea-ice biomarkers which suggest spring sea ice concentrations as high as …

The Dynamics Of Covid-19 In The Uae Based On Fractional Derivative Modeling Using Riesz Wavelets Simulation, Mutaz Mohammad, Alexander Trounev, Carlo Cattani

All Works

© 2021, The Author(s). The well-known novel virus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus family, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a dangerous epidemic. More than 3.5 million positive cases and 250 thousand deaths (up to May 5, 2020) caused by COVID-19 and has affected more than 280 countries over the world. Therefore studying the prediction of this virus spreading in further attracts a major public attention. In the Arab Emirates (UAE), up to the same date, there are 14,730 positive cases and 137 deaths according to national authorities. In this work, we study a dynamical model …

Accelerometer Measured Physical Activity Patterns Of Children During Segmented School Day In Abu Dhabi, Rahma Ajja, Ludmilla F. Wikkeling-Scott, Keith Brazendale, Rafiq Hijazi, Abdishakur Abdulle

All Works

Background: The overwhelming majority of United Arab Emirates (UAE) school-aged children do not meet the 60 min per day recommendation of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Understanding the different school day segments contribution to children reaching this goal is a crucial step toward developing successful strategies to promote school day MVPA levels. This study aimed to objectively measure children’s’ physical activity levels and to examine the difference in physical activity levels between high active and low active children during the school day in Abu Dhabi. Methods: A total of 133 school children (56% boys; mean age 10.5 years; grades 4–7) from …

Influence Of The Covid-19 Lockdown On The Physical And Psychosocial Well-Being And Work Productivity Of Remote Workers: Cross-Sectional Correlational Study, Ya Tronco Hernández, F Parente, Ma Faghy, Cmp Roscoe, Fa Maratos

School of Health Professions

Background:Lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the living and working habits of millions of people, with potentially important implications for their physical, mental, and social well-being.Objective:The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote workers who were not directly affected by COVID-19.Methods:This was a correlational cross-sectional study (with an additional qualitative component) of 184 remote workers surveyed during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Standard measures of mental health (Kessler-6 Distress Scale), productivity (Brief Instrument to Assess Workers’ Productivity During a Working Day), and physical activity (International Physical …

The Gap Between Automated Building Management System And Office Occupants' Manual Window Operations: Towards Personalised Algorithms, Ss Korsavi, Rv Jones, A Fuertes

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper aims to demonstrate how knowledge acquired from occupants' manual window operations can be implemented into BMS automated window operation algorithms. Ten single-occupant offices were selected in a university building in the UK. More than 28,000 hourly data points on indoor and outdoor temperature and open window area (OWA) were analysed from 2015 to 2020. The BMS had adopted nine different automated window operation algorithms during the 5 years. The automated window algorithms could be manually overridden by the office occupants. Automated algorithms were compared against manual window operations. The results showed that the slope and gradient of the …

Substance Use Initiation Among Mexican Children: An Examination Of Individual And Ecological Factors, Alejandro L. Vázquez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mexico is experiencing increased rates of substance use among children and adolescents. This is concerning as early substance use is associated with an increased risk for developing mental and physical health problems during adulthood. These outcomes may be prevented through early identification and intervention before individuals encounter the negative consequences of substance use/abuse. The current dissertation sought to improve our knowledge regarding factors associated with substance use and intention for first time use among Mexican children. Three manuscripts examined child individual characteristics and aspects of their environment. The first manuscript examined demographic characteristics to determine whether particular groups of children …

Computer-Based Training For Mswo Preference Assessment With Paraprofessionals In A Self-Contained Special Education Classroom, Megan Robertson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special educators are required to train the staff who work in their rooms to be competent in working with students with severe disabilities. Oftentimes these special educators do not have enough time to adequately train the staff and this often results in a high turnover rate and frustrated staff. This study looked at the effects of using a video model to train staff to complete a multiple stimulus without replacement assessment which identifies a student’s preferences. These preferences can then be used for a student to earn throughout their school day. The participants were paraprofessionals who work in a self-contained …

Absolute Neutral Densities And Temperatures And Their Climatologies In The Middle Atmosphere Using An Optimal Estimation Method With Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar Observations Obtained At Utah State University, Jonathan L. Price

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Earth’s atmosphere is comprised of layers which can be defined by their temperature characteristics. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. The region where life exists is in the troposphere, however the study of the layers above is important as changes in these regions can directly impact, or indicate significant changes in, weather in the troposphere. The mesosphere is the least well-known region because it is the most difficult to observe. One of the best tools for observing this region is the Rayleigh-scatter lidar. It is capable of remotely observing the entirety of the mesosphere with good …

Valley Bottom Inundation Patterns In Beaver-Modified Streams: A Potential Proxy For Hydrologic Inefficiency, Karen Bartelt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For centuries river management and land use actions in North America have caused widespread stream degradation where water now flows downstream with artificially high efficiency. When present, beaver dams slow the flow of water and decrease the efficiency of water conveyance through the landscape. These effects are often to the benefit of the function of natural physical processes and ecology of the stream. The benefits provided by beaver dams have been well studied at small scales, but the methods that these studies rely on are often expensive and time consuming and consequently not feasible to deploy at larger spatial scales …

Achieving A Sequenced, Relational Query Language With Log-Segmented Timestamps, M. A. Manazir Ahsan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In a relational temporal database, typically each row of each table has a period timestamp to indicate the lifetime of that row. In order to evaluate a query in a temporal database, sequenced semantics comes into play. The semantics stipulates that the query must be evaluated simultaneously in each time instant using the data rows available at that point of time. Existing researches have proposed changes in the query evaluation engine to achieve sequenced semantics. In this paper we show a way to support sequenced semantics without modifying the query engine. We propose a noble construction log-segmented label to represent …

Injection Of Iodoacetic Acid Into Pre-Rigor Bovine Muscle Simulates Dark Cutting Conditions, Jared Forrest Buhler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Following the harvest of an animal, muscle will continue to produce energy in an attempt to stay alive, primarily through the pathway of glycolysis. This occurs in the form of anaerobic (oxygen-free) metabolism of glucose and glycogen, which causes the meat to acidify. This acidification process is important for proper meat quality development and when insufficient glycolysis occurs it can cause a meat defect known as dark cutting. This defect causes the color of the muscle to become very dark, increases the water-holding capacity of the meat, and causes it to feel firm and dry on the surface because the …

Balance Control And Exercise-Based Interventions In Older Adults, Youngwook Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Loss of balance and consequential falling, caused by natural degenerations in the sensory and motor systems with aging, are critical issues that require constant research exploration to ultimately improve the quality of life in older populations. Balance can be simply classified into static and dynamic balance, and the latter is more associated with common causes of falling in older adults. There are numerous ways to improve dynamic balance, and exercise training has been considered the most beneficial intervention for that purpose. Specifically, aquatic exercises have been suggested as a promising modality because several properties of water, including buoyance and hydrostatic …

Ammonia Emission Assessment From Gasoline And Diesel Engines Under Utah Specific Conditions, Motasem Suleiman Abualqumboz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aims to quantify ammonia (NH₃) emission rates from the on-road gasoline and diesel motor vehicles fleet of the Wasatch Front, Utah. For this purpose, a portable Pollution Emissions Monitoring System (PEMS) was used to estimate NH₃ emission rates from a representative fleet of 53 in-use light-duty (LD) gasoline and diesel vehicles over a total of 166 on-road Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests. The post-catalyst concentrations of NH₃ precursors, nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and carbon monoxide (CO) were also measured. The outcomes of this study showed that a motor vehicle in the Wasatch Front …

Candidate Ideology And Small Donor Contributions, Ryan Kobe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While individual citizens are the biggest source of campaign fundraising in Senate and House elections, previous research has focused on individuals donating over the reporting limit of $200. The Federal Elections Committee now makes available data on individuals who donate less than $200, and as these donors take on a bigger role in congressional fundraising, a new analysis of donor motivations is needed. This thesis investigates if and how candidate ideology is related to amount contributed. Specifically, I ask whether the dollar amount of contributions changes depending on how conservative or liberal a candidate is. These results have important implications …

Ataturk Vs. Soleimani: Political Philosophy & Contemporary Archetypes, Rachel R. Tolhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is an examination of the lives of Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk through the lens of the political philosophies of Plato and Niccolò Machiavelli. Qassem Soleimani and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were noted for their militant lives and share certain qualities of character in their pre-political careers that provide a unique opportunity for a direct comparison and the formulation of a normative claim assessing their relative successes and/or failures despite their many similarities. Through the course of this research the conclusion asserts that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a more capable man than Soleimani to ascend to a position …

A Comparison Of The Ecology Of Resident And Translocated Beavers Used For Passive Restoration In Degraded Desert Rivers, Emma Doden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecosystem engineers are species that create, destroy, modify, or maintain habitat. As ecosystem engineers, beavers have the potential to assist in stream restoration. Translocation is the capture and relocation of an animal to another area. Translocation of nuisance beavers has become a popular method to reduce human-wildlife conflict and restore waterways. However, few projects monitor beavers after release and compare behavior to naturally occurring resident beavers. Translocations to desert rivers are also rare. We captured, tagged, and monitored 47 beavers which we translocated to desert river restoration sites on the Price and San Rafael Rivers, Utah, USA. We compared translocated …

Classical Venturi Meter Performance Downstream Of The Through Leg Of A Tee Junction, Matthew P. Day

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to analyze the accuracy of a Classical Venturi meter installed downstream of the through leg of a tee junction. A flowmeter that functions inaccurately due to improper installation may cause revenue loss for any company or organization involved in extraction, transportation, production, or purchasing of fluid resources and products. This research used physical data coupled with data produced by numerical models to determine how to correct the Classical Venturi meter’s inaccuracies created by this particular installation.

Results show the capability of measuring the flow rate accurately was greatly affected when most of the flow …