Digital Commons Network^™

Community Norms Of The Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (Mddi) Among Gender Minority Populations, Jason M. Nagata, Emilio J. Compte, F. Hunter Mcguire, Jason M. Lavender, Tiffany A. Brown, Stuart B. Murray, Annesa Flentje, Matthew R. Capriotti, Micah E. Lubensky, Juno Obedin-Maliver, Mitchell R. Lunn

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose: Representing the pathological extreme pursuit of muscularity, muscle dysmorphia (MD) is characterized by a pervasive belief or fear around insufficient muscularity and an elevated drive for muscularity. Despite evidence of heightened body image-related concerns among gender minority populations, little is known about the degree of MD symptoms among gender minorities, particularly based on Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) scores. The objective of this study was to assess community norms of the MDDI in gender-expansive people, transgender men, and transgender women. Method: Data from participants in The PRIDE Study, an existing study of health outcomes in sexual and gender minority …

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (Dune) Near Detector Conceptual Design Report, A. Abed Abud, B. Abi, R. Acciarri, M. A. Acero, G. Adamov, D. Adams, M. Adinolfi, A. Aduszkiewicz, Z. Ahmad, J. Ahmed, T. Alion, S. Alonso Monsalve, M. Alrashed, C. Alt, A. Alton, P. Amedo, A. Hatzikoutelis, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international, world-class experiment aimed at exploring fundamental questions about the universe that are at the forefront of astrophysics and particle physics research. DUNE will study questions pertaining to the preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of supernovae, the subtleties of neutrino interaction physics, and a number of beyond the Standard Model topics accessible in a powerful neutrino beam. A critical component of the DUNE physics program involves the study of changes in a powerful beam of neutrinos, i.e., neutrino oscillations, as the neutrinos propagate a long distance. …

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution Of Β-Caryophyllene Producing Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Avinash Godara, Katy C. Kao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: β-Caryophyllene is a plant terpenoid with therapeutic and biofuel properties. Production of terpenoids through microbial cells is a potentially sustainable alternative for production. Adaptive laboratory evolution is a complementary technique to metabolic engineering for strain improvement, if the product-of-interest is coupled with growth. Here we use a combination of pathway engineering and adaptive laboratory evolution to improve the production of β-caryophyllene, an extracellular product, by leveraging the antioxidant potential of the compound. Results: Using oxidative stress as selective pressure, we developed an adaptive laboratory evolution that worked to evolve an engineered β-caryophyllene producing yeast strain for improved production within …

Fuel Load, Stand Structure, And Understory Species Composition Following Prescribed Fire In An Old-Growth Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) Forest, David Cowman, Will Russell

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: With the prevalence of catastrophic wildfire increasing in response to widespread fire suppression and climate change, land managers have sought methods to increase the resiliency of landscapes to fire. The application of prescribed burning in ecosystems adapted to fire can reduce fuel load and fire potential while minimizing impacts to the ecosystem as a whole. Coast redwood forests have historically experienced fire from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and are likely to respond favorably to its reintroduction. Results: Random sampling was conducted in three burned sites and in three unburned sites, in an old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. …

Comparative Egg Attendance Patterns Of Incubating Polar Petrels, Scott A. Shaffer, Pierre Blévin, Christophe Barbraud, Olivier Chastel, Henri Weimerskirch

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: The internal environment of eggs in most birds is regulated by transferring heat energy through contact incubation, maintaining nest microclimate, and frequent egg turning by the incubating parent on its nest. However, we lack information about egg attendance patterns in birds that breed in polar environments where variations in life history are expected to influence incubation behavior. Moreover, crevice/burrow nesting petrels in high-latitude regions are known for periodically leaving their egg unattended (hereafter ‘egg neglect’), but there is little reporting on the internal condition of unattended eggs. At Dumont d’Urville Station, Antarctica, we studied the incubation behavior of 24 …

The Cross-Sectional Association Of Cognition With Diabetic Peripheral And Autonomic Neuropathy–The Grade Study, Joshua I Barzilay, Alokananda Ghosh, Rodica Pop Busui, Andrew Ahmann, Ashok Balasubramanyam, Mary Ann Banerji, Robert M Cohen, Jennifer Green, Faramarz Ismail-Beigi, Catherine L Martin, Elizabeth Seaquist, José A Luchsinger, Grade Research Group

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Studies examining whether measures of cognition are related to the presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and/or cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) are lacking, as are data regarding factors potentially explaining such associations.

METHODS: Participants were from the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes Study (GRADE) that examined 5047 middle-aged people with type 2 diabetes of(memory) were assessed with the Spanish English Verbal Learning Test; frontal executive function and processing speed with the Digit Symbol Substitution Test; and ability to concentrate and organize data with word and animal fluency tests. DPN was assessed with the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument and CAN …

An Investigation Of Phosphorus Removal By Purple Bacteria In Dairy Wastewater Lagoons, Lauren M. Gomez, Andrew J. Schuler, Jose M. Cerrto, David T. Hanson

Civil Engineering ETDs

The objective of this study was to determine whether the polyphosphate metabolism in purple photosynthetic bacteria (PPB) is similar to that of wastewater polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) such as Accumulibacter. Dairy lagoon samples were studied in continuous and batch laboratory tests to evaluate whether cyclic light and dark conditions for PPB are similar to aerobic and anaerobic conditions for PAOs in domestic wastewater treatment systems. 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated the presence of the purple sulfur bacterium Thiolamprovum (53.92%) in one lagoon source, and Thiodictyon (3.50%) in a second lagoon. Phosphorus contents were at least 0.7% higher than the …

Equivalence: A Covariantly Constant Problem In General Relativity, Jaren Hobbs

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In studying the space-time structures described by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, it is often useful to identify particular properties referred to as geometrical invariants. These are attributes of the space-times which do not change regardless of the underlying coordinate systems used to study them. This project is part of a larger effort to catalogue space-times studied in general relativity. Specifically, computational software was used to identify structures known as covariantly constant vector fields.

Representations Of Masculinity And The Influence Of Bruce Lee In Film, Zhenxia Meng

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis is an annotated bibliography that lays a critical foundation for examining the performance of heroism, violence, male bonding, and masculinity in the movies of Enter the Dragon (1973) by Bruce Lee, Hard Boiled (1992) by John Woo, and Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (2003-04) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino. I am interested in comparing the representations of masculinity in these films, focusing specifically on how Woo and Tarantino have been influenced by Lee’s films. Before I can begin this comparative research project, however, I need to conduct extensive research into several …

The Volatility Implications Of The Chinese Cryptocurrency Ban, Keaton Manwaring

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this paper, I examine the effect of the May 18^th, 2021 Chinese ban of cryptocurrency transactions on the overall volatility of the cryptocurrency market. To do this, I analyze, in both univariate and multivariate settings, range-based volatility in various event windows surrounding the event. I find clear economic and statistical change in volatility in the five days after the ban. In the ten-day period after the ban, there is a moderate economic change in volatility. In the forty-day period after the ban, there is little economic change in volatility. I conclude that the Chinese ban had a …

Becoming A Flexible Teacher Through Critical Reflective Journaling, Marianne Young

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This thesis project is a portfolio that advises veteran teachers on the importance of journaling and self-reflection in order to stay involved and invested in the teaching community. As a practice, journaling helps teachers analyze how they teach, why they teach the way they do, and how they can improve their classroom through adaptation and change. Therefore, the pieces in this portfolio--a philosophy statement, a pedagogical essay, and a teaching tool-- demonstrate the need for reflection, allowing master teachers to become flexible within an ever-changing field.

Survey Of Ncaa Athletic Trainers’ Administration Of The National Wrestling Coaches Association Weight Certification Program, Samuel Konrath

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Context: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented a minimum weight certification program in 1997 to help protect wrestlers from dangerous weight loss practices. Despite nearly a quarter of a century of this program, there is no published research detailing the implementation of it.

Objective: Determine how the NCAA minimum weight certification is being implemented across Division I programs.

Design: Cross-sectional study

Setting: Survey

Patients or Other Participants: A total of 35 (45.5%) of 77 NCAA division I wrestling athletic trainers responded to the survey.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Survey data on how the NCAA minimum weight certification program was implemented …

A Reexamination Of The Illiquidity Premium In Cryptocurrencies, Wyatt Fitz

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In this study, I examine the illiquidity premium amongst the 372 most actively traded cryptocurrencies from September 2014 to May 2021. I find that the average returns on the most illiquid cryptocurrencies are larger than those on the most liquid cryptocurrencies. My results are robust to different weighting mechanisms for the market index and to various asset pricing model specifications. These results suggest that an investor might be able to go long a portfolio of illiquid cryptocurrencies while simultaneously shorting a portfolio of liquid cryptocurrencies to effectively generate a positive risk-adjusted return.

Forecasting Stock Market Prices: A Machine Learning Approach, Abraham Alhomadi

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

There has been extensive literature written about the efficiency of the stock market. Practitioners and academicians have debated whether investors can exploit publicly available information to generate excess returns. Clearly predicting the stock market’s return with high accuracy has been enormously difficult, but we are interested in contributing to the continuous exploration of the efficiency of the stock market using machine learning techniques. We also want to examine the relationship between our dataset’s macroeconomic indicators and foreign nations’ stock markets with our target feature—the S&P 500. In this paper, we will be using supervised machine learning models, like Linear Regression, …

An Examination Of Costume Design And Costume Shop Management; And Working In Theatre During A Pandemic, Jordan Draper

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

An examination of my work as a costume designer for two productions by the Theatre Arts Department in the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University, along with my work as the costume shop manager for the spring 2021 semester at Utah State University's theatre costume shop.

Airframe And Systems Design, Analysis, And Testing Of The Horizon Morphing-Wing Aircraft, Sabrina A. Snow

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Morphing trailing edge technology can provide the ability to dynamically alter the twist distribution, and therefore lift distribution, of an aircraft during flight. There are certain optimal lift distributions which can be chosen to create proverse yawing effects and eliminate the need for vertical control surfaces. The purpose of this project is to support the design and testing of a morphing, crescent flying wing airframe which will be used to evaluate yaw control in an aircraft without vertical control surfaces. There are three main objectives of this project, which are to perform static and dynamic analysis on the crescent wing …

Willingness To Pay For Fact-Checking About Immigration: The Effect Of Partisan Cues, Jennifer Morales

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

I analyze the results of an online experiment designed to elicit individuals’ willingness to pay for fact-checking of statements related to immigration. Using a control and treatment group, I test whether individuals’ willingness to pay is affected by partisan cues. First, I outline this research’s position related to existing literature. I then describe the experimental design and analyze the results. Partisan cues are shown to have no statistically significant effect on participants’ willingness to pay for fact-checking.

Comparison Of Solutions To Reduce Air Quality Impacts To Environmental Justice Neighborhoods, Rebecca Merrell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Air quality is a complex problem with as many potential solutions. The objective of this thesis is to identify solutions that will create cleaner air for Environmental Justice Communities in Barstow, California. California is now requiring cities to create plans for air quality improvement and this thesis strives to try to evaluate the effectiveness of options cities may use. There are many solutions that claim they will improve air quality but few comparisons on the feasibility for a town to implement them.

This thesis explores the effectiveness of three types of vegetation solutions, three types of mechanical air filtering solutions, …

Transfer Effects Of A Multiple-Joint Isokinetic Eccentric Training Intervention To Nontraining-Specific Traditional Muscle Function Measures, Steven Spencer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The transfer effects of isokinetic, eccentric-only resistance training programs on non-specific measures of muscle function such as isometric peak force, isokinetic concentric peak force and dynamic constant external resistance 1-repetition maximal strength (DCER 1RM) have been researched extensively in a single joint context, yielding mixed results. However, investigations involving multiple-joint isokinetic eccentric-only training models have been sparse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the transfer effects of a short-term multiple-joint isokinetic eccentric leg press (Eccentron) training program on several measures of lower-body strength and performance. Fifteen participants performed Eccentron training three times/week for four weeks and were evaluated …

The Non-Fee Costs Of Grazing On Idaho State Grazing Leases, Dexton Lake

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In 2018, Idaho became interested in assessing and raising the grazing fee for state grazing ground. The state commissioned a study to analyze the non-fee costs of grazing, but for various reasons the study was not completed. In 2021, a proposed adjustment was released by the Idaho Department of Lands to raise the fee. In a desire to obtain the non-fee costs of grazing for Idaho state leases and to get stakeholder input, the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and a research team from Utah State University surveyed Idaho producers to obtain costs per AUM for eleven cost categories. These cost …

Examining General Education Teacher Perceptions Of Individualized Education Program Accommodations, Riley Johnson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study examines general education teacher perceptions of IEP accommodations and their suggestions for relevant training to support diverse learner needs. Accommodations have been defined as adaptations or changes to educational environments and practices designed to help students overcome challenges presented by their disabilities. An electronic survey was sent to general education teachers across the four high schools in Cache County School District. The survey included a variety of questions regarding teachers’ perceptions of accommodations and their involvement in the IEP process. The results showed a variety of explanations and expand the knowledge base of various perceptions of this important …

The Healing Landscapes Of Usu: Discovering Spaces Of Potential Mental Restorativeness: A Geospatial Analysis Of Usu Campus, Amelia H. Wilcken

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project focuses on understanding an alternative resource that can be intentionally improved upon to help address the mental health crisis on university campuses. With ample research showing how nature and being outside can help improve, or be restorative for, the mental state of individuals, this project developed an analytical method for understanding the restorative potential within the campus landscape as a whole and within districts. The analysis uses nine separate elements that make up the campus landscape: (1) trees, (2) landscape plantings (grass, planters, etc.), (3) art pieces, (4) benches, (5) water features, (6) sidewalks, (7) roads, (8) parking …

Suspicionless Policing, Julian A. Cook

Scholarly Works

The tragic death of Elijah McClain—a twenty-three-year-old, slightly built, unarmed African American male who was walking home along a sidewalk when he was accosted by three Aurora, Colorado police officers—epitomizes the problems with policing that have become a prominent topic of national conversation. Embedded within far too many police organizations is a culture that promotes aggressive investigative behaviors and a disregard for individual liberties. Incentivized by a Supreme Court that has, over the course of several decades, empowered the police with expansive powers, law enforcement organizations have often tested—and crossed—the constitutional limits of their investigative authorities. And too often it …

Neuroimaging Association Scores: Reliability And Validity Of Aggregate Measures Of Brain Structural Features Linked To Mental Disorders In Youth, Luiza Kvitko Axelrud, André Rafael Simioni, Daniel Samuel Pine, Anderson M. Winkler, Pedro Mario Pan, João Ricardo Sato, André Zugman, Nadine Parker, Felipe Picon, Andrea Jackowski

School of Medicine Publications

In genetics, aggregation of many loci with small effect sizes into a single score improved prediction. Nevertheless, studies applying easily replicable weighted scores to neuroimaging data are lacking. Our aim was to assess the reliability and validity of the Neuroimaging Association Score (NAS), which combines information from structural brain features previously linked to mental disorders. Participants were 726 youth (aged 6–14) from two cities in Brazil who underwent MRI and psychopathology assessment at baseline and 387 at 3-year follow-up. Results were replicated in two samples: IMAGEN (n = 1627) and the Healthy Brain Network (n = 843). NAS …

Absence Of Coding Somatic Single Nucleotide Variants Within Well-Known Candidate Genes In Late-Onset Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease Based On The Analysis Of Multi-Omics Data, Shishi Min, Zongchang Li, Annie Shieh, Gina Giase, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Somatic mutations arise randomly or are induced by environmental factors, which may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Identifying somatic mutations in sporadic AD (SAD) may provide new insight of the disease. To evaluate the potential contribution of somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs), particularly that of well-known AD-candidate genes, we investigated sequencing data sets from four platforms: whole-genome sequencing (WGS), deep whole-exome sequencing (WES) on paired brain and liver samples, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and single-cell whole-genome sequencing (scWGS) of brain samples from 16 AD patients and 16 non-AD individuals. We found that the average number, mean variant allele fractions …

Clinical Predictors Of Non-Response To Lithium Treatment In The Pharmacogenomics Of Bipolar Disorder (Pgbd) Study, Yian Lin, Adam X. Maihofer, Emma Stapp, Megan Ritchey, Ney Alliey Rodriguez

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Lithium is regarded as a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), but partial response and non-response commonly occurs. There exists a need to identify lithium non-responders prior to initiating treatment. The Pharmacogenomics of Bipolar Disorder (PGBD) Study was designed to identify predictors of lithium response.

Methods: The PGBD Study was an eleven site prospective trial of lithium treatment in bipolar I disorder. Subjects were stabilized on lithium monotherapy over 4 months and gradually discontinued from all other psychotropic medications. After ensuring a sustained clinical remission (defined by a score of ≤3 on the CGI for 4 weeks) had been …

Fast Reconfiguration Of Robot Swarms With Uniform Control Signals, David Caballero, Angel A. Cantu, Timothy Gomez, Austin Luchsinger, Robert Schweller, Tim Wylie

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper investigates a simplified model of robot motion planning where particles on a board respond to global signals, causing them to move uniformly in a particular direction. We consider two types of movement commands: (1) Steps, which cause particles to move one unit distance in the given direction, and (2) Tilts, which cause particles to move maximally in the given direction. Under the overarching theme of reconfiguring robot swarms, we look at the problem of assembling general shapes both within systems that exclusively use step commands and systems that exclusively use tilt commands. We derive upper and …

Short-Term Interaction Between Silent And Devastating Earthquakes In Mexico, V. M. Cruz-Atienza, J. Tago, C. Villafuerte, M. Wei, R. Garza-Girón, L. A. Dominguez, V. Kostoglodov, T. Nishimura, S. I. Franco, J. Real, M. A. Santoyo, Y. Ito, E. Kazachkina

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Either the triggering of large earthquakes on a fault hosting aseismic slip or the triggering of slow slip events (SSE) by passing seismic waves involve seismological questions with important hazard implications. Just a few observations plausibly suggest that such interactions actually happen in nature. In this study we show that three recent devastating earthquakes in Mexico are likely related to SSEs, describing a cascade of events interacting with each other on a regional scale via quasi-static and/or dynamic perturbations across the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. Such interaction seems to be conditioned by the transient memory of Earth materials subject …

Parents’ Pandemic Nicu Experience In The United States: A Qualitative Study, Ashlee J. Vance, Kathryn J. Malin, Jacquelyn Miller, Clayton J. Shuman, Tiffany A. Moore, Annella Benjamin

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) frequently reported high levels of stress, uncertainty, and decreased parenting confidence. Early research has demonstrated that parents have had less access to their infants in the hospital due to restrictions on parental presence secondary to the pandemic. It is unknown how parents have perceived their experiences in the NICU since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of parents who had an infant in the NICU in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to …

The Impact Of Corporal Punishment For Timorese High School Graduates, Veronica Godinho Pereira

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the impacts of corporal punishment for Timorese high school graduates. Physical punishment is a pervasive method of disciplining students and children used in Timor-Leste because it has been such a tradition (UNICEF 2017). Few researchers have attempted to analyze the negative impacts of corporal punishment and possible gender differences; there is no known research on the impacts of corporal punishment in Timor-Leste. This study uses an in-depth interview method, where data were collected from 26 Timorese high school graduates composed of both men and women from both private and public schools in Timor-Leste. The ages of the …