Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Effect Of Seed Mix Density And Composition On Wetland Plant Community Assembly In The Great Salt Lake Watershed, Elana Feldman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services to society but are in danger across the globe partly due to the spread of invasive species (species that harm humans, the environment, or the economy). One species, Phragmites australis, is a widespread invader across the country, including in the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. Phragmites australis spreads widely and quickly outcompetes native species. In places where P. australis has already been removed, seeding wetlands helps block P. australis from returning. Native plants’ ability to prevent invasive species from entering the community is affected by many factors, but two that …

The Analysis Of Mechanical Exfoliation Of Graphene For Various Fabrication And Automation Techniques, Lance Yarbrough

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mechanical Exfoliation of Graphene is an often-overlooked portion of the fabrication of quantum devices, and to create more devices quickly, optimizing this process to generate better flakes is critical. In addition, it would be valuable to simulate test pulls quickly, to gain insight on flake quality of various materials and exfoliation conditions. Physical pulls of graphene at various temperatures, pull forces, and pull repetitions were analyzed and compared to the results of ANSYS simulations, solved for similar results. Using ANSYS’ ability to predict trends in exfoliations, flake thickness and coverage using stress and deflection analyses were investigated. Generally, both strongly …

Divergence-Free Tensor Densities In Two Dimensions, Tyler Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In physics, a common method for exploring the way a physical system changes over time is to look at the system’s energy. Roughly speaking, the energy in these systems are either motion-based (kinetic energy, a bullet in flight) or position-based (potential energy, a rock sitting at the top of a hill). The difference between the system’s total kinetic and potential energies is quantified by an expression called the Lagrangian. Using a special procedure, this Lagrangian is massaged to produce a group of equations called the Euler-Lagrange equations; if the initial configuration of the system is provided, the solution to these …

Exploring Optimal Design Of Experiments For Random Effects Models, Ryan C. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The majority of research in the field of optimal design of experiments has focused on producing designs for fixed effects models. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the optimal design framework applies to nested random effects models. The object that is being optimized is the model information matrix. We explore the full derivation of the random effects information matrix to highlight the complexity of the problem and show how the optimization is a function of the model's parameters. In conjunction with this research, the ODVC (Optimal Design for Variance Components) package was built to provide tools that …

A Review Of Student Attitudes Towards Keystroke Logging And Plagiarism Detection In Introductory Computer Science Courses, Caleb Syndergaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The following paper addresses student attitudes towards keystroke logging and plagiarism prevention measures. Specifically, the paper concerns itself with changes made to the “ShowYourWork” plugin, which was implemented to log the keystrokes of students in Utah State University’s introductory Computer Science course, CS1400. Recent work performed by the Edwards Lab provided insights into students’ feelings towards keystroke logging as a measure of deterring plagiarism. As a result of that research, we have concluded that measures need to be taken to enable students to have more control over their data and assist students to feel more comfortable with keystroke logging. This …

Spatial Ecology Of Mule Deer Migrations From Grand Teton National Park And The Teton Range, Justin K. Schwabedissen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem hosts several of the longest, fully intact ungulate migrations remaining in the continental United States. However, expanding development and an increasing human footprint continue to truncate migratory routes. While the endpoints are often a seasonal range on protected lands, these migration corridors frequently cross other jurisdictional boundaries, including large tracts of private or multiple-use lands, with varying levels of protection. Thus, it is critical resource managers understand the dynamics of migratory movements to define population-level corridors and prioritize appropriate conservation strategies. Mule deer in Wyoming have been documented traveling long distances between summer and winter ranges; …

A Framework That Explores The Cognitive Load Of Cs1 Assignments Using Pausing Behavior, Joshua O. Urry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Pausing behavior in introductory Computer Science (CS1) courses has been related to a student’s performance in the course and could be linked to a student’s cognitive load, or assignment difficulty. Having an objective measure of the cognitive load would be beneficial to course instructors as it would help them design assignments that are not too difficult. Two studies are presented in this work. The first study uses Cognitive Load Theory and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development as a theoretical framework to analyze pause times between keystrokes to better understand what types of assignments need more educational support than others. The …

Informing Control Efforts For A Prolific Invasive Species: Characterizing Common Carp Spatio-Temporal Distribution And Evaluating The Impacts Of Gear Selectivity In Utah Lake, Rae Fadlovich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Management programs that aim to reduce the consequences of invasive species are often challenged by populations that can rapidly recover from removal efforts. Selectivity, the relative impact of harvest on different size classes, can contribute to population recovery when younger fish are not effectively targeted. In Utah Lake, the location of one of the world’s largest freshwater fish control programs, managers have been attempting to control the common carp (Cyprinus carpio, hereafter “carp”) population since 2009 but efforts have been hindered by the use of selective fishing gears. I conducted a lake-wide field study to gain insights into …

The Influence Of Individual Strategies On Cougar Ecology: Insights From Predation, Space Use, And Reproduction, Kristin Nicole Engebretsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Carnivores are ecologically important to global ecosystems because they interact with their prey species and other carnivores in a variety of ways. Many carnivores have suffered habitat loss and persecution by humans, which has led some populations to become imperiled or locally extirpated. Despite these challenges, cougars (Puma concolor) continue to exist across North, Central, and South America. They exhibit behavioral adaptation across their wide range, thriving in terrain that ranges from temperate forests, to steppe scrub, to rainforest, to rugged deserts. Across these diverse ecosystems, cougars can successfully establish territories, hunt prey, and raise young to persist …

Inferring A Hierarchical Input Type For An Sql Query, Santosh Aryal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

SQL queries are a common method to retrieve information from databases, much like asking a detailed question and getting a precise answer. Plug-and-play queries simplify the process of querying. In a Plug-and-play SQL query a programmer sketches the shape of the input to the query as a hierarchy. But the programmer could make a mistake in specifying the hierarchy and it takes programmer time and effort to specify the hierarchy. A better solution is to automatically infer the hierarchy from a query. This thesis presents a system to infer a hierarchical input type for an SQL query. We consider two …

Advancing Game Development And Ai Integration: An Extensible Game Engine With Integrated Ai Support For Real-World Deployment And Efficient Model Development, Ryan Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis introduces Acacia, a game engine with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Acacia allows game developers to effortlessly incorporate Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms into their creations. By tagging game elements to convey information about the game state or rewards, developers gain precise control over how RL algorithms interact with their games, mirroring real player behavior or providing full knowledge of the game world.

To showcase Acacia’s versatility, the thesis presents three games across different genres, each demonstrating the engine’s AI plugin. The goal is to establish Acacia as a preferred resource for creating 2D games with RL support without …

On The Existence Of Periodic Traveling-Wave Solutions To Certain Systems Of Nonlinear, Dispersive Wave Equations, Jacob Daniels

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

A variety of physical phenomena can be modeled by systems of nonlinear, dispersive wave equations. Such examples include the propagation of a wave through a canal, deep ocean waves with small amplitude and long wavelength, and even the propagation of long-crested waves on the surface of lakes. An important task in the study of water wave equations is to determine whether a solution exists. This thesis aims to determine whether there exists solutions that both travel at a constant speed and are periodic for several systems of water wave equations. The work done in this thesis contributes to the subfields …

Ianova: Multi-Sample Means Comparisons For Imprecise Interval Data, Zachary Rios

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In recent years, interval data has become an increasingly popular tool to solve modern data problems. Intervals are now often used for dimensionality reduction, data aggregation, privacy censorship, and quantifying awareness of various uncertainties. Among many statistical methods that are being studied and developed for interval data, the significance test is particularly of importance due to its fundamental value both in theory and practice. The difficulty in developing such tests mainly lies in the fact that the concept of normality does not extend naturally to interval data (due the range of an interval being necessarily non-negative), causing the exact tests …

Vectors And Vector Borne Disease: Models For The Spread Of Curly Top Disease And Culex Mosquito Abundance, Rachel M. (Frantz) Georges

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Mathematical models are useful tools in managing infectious disease. When designed appropriately, these models can provide insight into disease incidence patterns and transmission rates. In this work, we present several models that provide information that is useful in monitoring diseases spread by insects.

In the first part of this dissertation, we present two models that predict disease incidence patterns for Curly Top disease (CT) in tomato crops. CT affects a wide variety of plants and is spread through the bite of the Beet Leafhopper. This disease is particularly devastating to tomato crops. When infected, tomato plants present with stunted growth …

Assessing Extant Methods For Generating G-Optimal Designs And A Novel Methodology To Compute The G-Score Of A Candidate Design, Hyrum John Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Experimental designs are used by scientists to allocate treatments such that statistical inference is appropriate. Most traditional experimental designs have mathematical properties that make them desirable under certain conditions. Optimal experimental designs are those where the researcher can exercise total control over the treatment levels to maximize a chosen mathematical property. As is common in literature, the experimental design is represented as a matrix where each column represents a variable, and each row represents a trial. We define a function that takes as input the design matrix and outputs its score. We then algorithmically adjust each entry until a design …

A Comprehensive Uncertainty Quantification Methodology For Metrology Calibration And Method Comparison Problems Via Numeric Solutions To Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Parametric Bootstrapping, Aloka B. S. N. Dayarathne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In metrology, the science of measurements, straight line calibration models are frequently employed. These models help understand the instrumental response to an analyte, whose chemical constituents are unknown, and predict the analyte’s concentration in a sample. Techniques such as ordinary least squares and generalized least squares are commonly used to fit these calibration curves. However, these methods may yield biased estimates of slope and intercept when the calibrant, substance used to calibrate an analytical procedure with known chemical constituents (x-values), carries uncertainty. To address this, Ripley and Thompson (1987) proposed functional relationship estimation by maximum likelihood (FREML), which considers uncertainties …

Environmental Factors Associated With Triploid Aspen Occurrence In Intermountain West Landscapes, James A. Walton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Polyploidy is common among plants and can contribute to physiological and morphological differences, altering how plants respond to environmental changes, promoting genetic diversification and even species radiation. Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a keystone species associated with high plant and animal diversity is frequently found in mixed diploid/triploid populations in the Intermountain West. Triploid aspen carries an extra chromosomal copy, whereas the diploid type contains two chromosomal copies. High mortality rates and widespread population declines in aspen are of increasing concern in the Intermountain West, and often ascribed to changing climates and drought stress events. The goal of this …

Analysis And Numerical Simulation Of Tumor Growth Models, Daniel Acosta Soba

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation we focus on the numerical analysis of tumor growth models. Due to the difficulty of developing physically meaningful approximations of such models, we divide the main problem into more simple pieces of work that are addressed in the different chapters. First, in Chapter 2 we present a new upwind discontinuous Galerkin (DG) scheme for the convective Cahn–Hilliard model with degenerate mobility which preserves the pointwise bounds and prevents non-physical spurious oscillations. These ideas are based on a well-suited piecewise constant approximation of convection equations. The proposed numerical scheme is contrasted with other approaches in several numerical experiments. …

Life On The Edge: The Cambrian Marine Realm And Oxygenation, Sara Pruss, Benjamin C. Gill

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The beginning of the Phanerozoic saw two biological events that set the stage for all life that was to come: (a) the Cambrian Explosion (the appearance of most marine invertebrate phyla) and (b) the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE), the subsequent substantial accumulation of marine biodiversity. Here, we examine the current state of understanding of marine environments and ecosystems from the late Ediacaran through the Early Ordovician, which spans this biologically important interval. Through a compilation and review of the existing geochemical, mineralogical, sedimentological, and fossil records, we argue that this interval was one of sustained low and variable marine …

Decentralized Unknown Building Exploration By Frontier Incentivization And Voronoi Segmentation In A Communication Restricted Domain, Huzeyfe M. Kocabas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Exploring unknown environments using multiple robots poses a complex challenge, particularly in situations where communication between robots is either impossible or limited. Existing exploration techniques exhibit research gaps due to unrealistic communication assumptions or the computational complexities associated with exploration strategies in unfamiliar domains. In our investigation of multi-robot exploration in unknown areas, we employed various exploration and coordination techniques, evaluating their performance in terms of robustness and efficiency across different levels of environmental complexity.

Our research is centered on optimizing the exploration process through strategic agent distribution. We initially address the challenge of city roadway coverage, aiming to minimize …

Building And Using A Hydrology Experiment For Place-Based Learning With Native American Students, Michaela Shallue

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Geoscience has a known diversity problem, specifically a participation gap of ethnic minority representation, and it is especially severe regarding Native American representation. To address this participation gap, an identity gap needs to be addressed first. Native students need to visualize themselves as geoscientists before they can commit to geoscience programs and careers. This project uses a hands-on, place-based learning activity as an opportunity for Native students to better see themselves as geoscientists.

A portable rainfall simulator was constructed, calibrated, and refined for use in teaching concepts about rainfall, runoff, and erosion. It was employed in place-based learning exercises with …

Impacts Of Lake Elevation Decline On Tui Chub, A Critical Forage Species For Lahontan Cutthroat Trout In Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Usa, Sarah Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Lake level decline affects lakes worldwide, changing the availability and character of nearshore habitat used by fish to spawn, and increasing total dissolved solids (TDS), similar to salinity, a factor that negatively impacts fish health. Lake level decline can affect different lakes in different ways, but typically when lake level declines significantly, there is less nearshore habitat overall, and what nearshore habitat remains has less diverse habitat for fish. We investigated whether both impacts of lake level decline may be causing declines of Tui Chub Siphateles bicolor, a large minnow native to Pyramid Lake that spawns in nearshore habitat. …

Examining The Relationship Between Manning's Roughness Coefficient And Stage, Henry Holtkamp

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper uses LOESS regression to predict Manning's roughness coefficient to calculate flows in natural stream channels. Manning's roughness coefficient can introduce variability into Manning's equation, potentially destabilizing results. Utilizing LOESS to find n based on backcalculated n from collected discharge vs. stage information is the best way to acquire accurate Manning's roughness coefficient values at a variety of flows. Book values tend to drastically overestimate which can have wide-ranging implications for water allocation, flood management, maintaining environmental flows, and maintaining water quality.

Exploring Decentralized Computing Using Solid And Ipfs For Social Media Applications, Pranav Balasubramanian Natarajan

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As traditional centralized social media platforms face growing concerns over data privacy, censorship, and lack of user control, there has been an increasing interest in decentralized alternatives. This thesis explores the design and implementation of a decentralized social media application by integrating two key technologies: Solid and the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Solid, led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, enables users to store and manage their personal data in decentralized "Pods," giving them ownership over their digital identities. IPFS, a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol, facilitates decentralized file storage and sharing, ensuring content availability and resilience against censorship. By leveraging these technologies, the …

An Empirical Study On The Efficacy Of Llm-Powered Chatbots In Basic Information Retrieval Tasks, Naja Faysal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The rise of conversational user interfaces (CUIs) powered by large language models (LLMs) is transforming human-computer interaction. This study evaluates the efficacy of LLM-powered chatbots, trained on website data, compared to browsing websites for finding information about organizations across diverse sectors. A within-subjects experiment with 165 participants was conducted, involving similar information retrieval (IR) tasks using both websites (GUIs) and chatbots (CUIs). The research questions are: (Q1) Which interface helps users find information faster: LLM chatbots or websites? (Q2) Which interface helps users find more accurate information: LLM chatbots or websites?. The findings are: (Q1) Participants found information significantly faster …

Rice Biomass Response To Various Phosphorus Fertilizers In A Phosphorus-Deficient Soil Under Simulated Furrow-Irrigation, Jonathan B. Brye

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Wastewater-recovered phosphorus (P), in the form of the mineral struvite (MgNH4PO4⋅6H2O), may provide a sustainable alternative to rapidly decreasing rock phosphate reserves. Struvite can be generated via chemical and/or electrochemical precipitation methods, potentially reducing the amount of P runoff to aquatic ecosystems. The objective of this greenhouse tub study was to evaluate the effects of chemically- and electrochemically precipitated struvite (CPST and ECST, respectively) on above- and belowground plant response in a hybrid rice cultivar (Gemini 214, RiceTec) grown using furrow-irrigation compared to other common fertilizer-P sources [i.e., triple super phosphate (TSP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP)] in a P-deficient silt …

Exploring The Role Of Gender, Race, First-Year College Gpa And Passing Stem Advanced Placement Exams And The Likelihood Of Graduating With A Stem Degree: A Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis, Amar Patel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers are projected to grow beyond the normal pace of job growth (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). Many of these careers will require degrees in STEM fields, but, currently, there is a significant underrepresentation of Blacks and females in both STEM degree programs and careers. The purpose of the current quantitative study was to explore the strength of the association between AP Exams, first-year GPA, race, and gender in science achievement. Research Question 1 investigated the relationship between taking AP Exams and the time taken to graduate. For students who took an AP Exam, …

Cultural Immersion In Gaming: Ethiopian Influences In Horizon Forbidden West, Henoch Tilahun

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

This paper examines the immersive incorporation of Ethiopian culture in the video game "Horizon Forbidden West," focusing on visual, narrative, and thematic themes. It explains how the game represents Ethiopian legacy and custom by examining architectural design, landscape portrayal, mythological integration, and character representation. The paper uses different academic works and gaming articles and emphasizes the game's ability to inspire empathy, curiosity, and enthusiasm for cultural diversity, as well as cross-cultural appreciation and understanding. It also investigates the importance of ethical and responsible game production approaches in ensuring accurate cultural portrayal. Finally, this paper examines the transformative power of cultural …

Scientific Frontiers In Game Studies, Prthvi Kapilavai

ART 108: Introduction to Games Studies

Video game studies as a dynamic field has benefited from this synthesis of the scientific method and critical theories that, together, enrich our understanding of video games as both technological artifacts and cultural products.(Girina and Jung, 2019). More than a mere shadow-boxing between disciplinary echo chambers, this kind of integration enriches our understanding of video game form and experience while projecting a more informed path forward into game design and game scholarship. It demonstrates how findings from psychology and cognitive science describe or explain video games’ enticement or their potential for learning, and how theories of media from the humanities …

Ai And Advocacy: Maximizing Potential, Minimizing Risk, Matthew Salzano, Nicholas Fung, Ada Lin, Sofia Marchetta, Faith Colombo, Kaylah Davis, John Flynn, Carlos Fuentes, Fion Li, Malar Paavi Muthukumaran, Angelica Paramoshin, Chrisanne Pearce, Vianney Ramos, Charles St. Hilaire, Xi Zheng, Wei Zhuang

School of Communication and Journalism Faculty Publications

New Generative AI tools are revolutionizing writing and communication. This report focuses on AI and advocacy, the act of influencing public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. This report identifies three major opportunities and accompanying risks, plus one strong recommendation for advocates considering using AI. We argue that AI can be useful for advocates, but they must be careful to center human judgment and avoid risks that could distract from their important work or even contribute to societal harms.