Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Range-Wide Sources Of Variation In Reproductive Rates Of Northern Spotted Owls, Jeremy T. Rockweit, Julianna M. Jenkins, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Katie M. Dugger, Alan B. Franklin, Peter C. Carlson, William L. Kendall, Damon B. Lesmeister, Christopher Mccafferty, Steven H. Ackers, L. Steven Andrews, Larissa L. Bailey, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Tara Chestnut, Mary M. Conner, Raymond J. Davis, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, David W. Lamphear, Trent L. Mcdonald, Janice A. Reid, Carl J. Schwarz, David C. Simon, Stan G. Sovern, James K. Swingle, J. David Wiens, Heather Wise, Charles B. Yackulic

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

We conducted a range-wide investigation of the dynamics of site-level reproductive rate of northern spotted owls using survey data from 11 study areas across the subspecies geographic range collected during 1993–2018. Our analytical approach accounted for imperfect detection of owl pairs and misclassification of successful reproduction (i.e., at least one young fledged) and contributed further insights into northern spotted owl population ecology and dynamics. Both nondetection and state misclassification were important, especially because factors affecting these sources of error also affected focal ecological parameters. Annual probabilities of site occupancy were greatest at sites with successful reproduction in the previous year …

Collaborative Research: Developing Advanced Magnesium Electrolytes Toward Low Cost, High Energy Density Mg Batteries, Tianbiao Liu

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Predicting Order Status Using Xgboost, Kegan J. Penovich

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

Invista, a Koch subsidiary, is a multinational producer of fibers, resins, and intermediaries, particularly nylon. To keep the company operating required them to take over 1.5 million orders over the course of - years, less than a third of which arrived on-time. Orders arriving other than when expected can cause many problems for any company. While arriving late is a clear problem, it also troublesome for them to arrive early. In the face of this, it becomes important to be able to tell a-priori if an order will arrive on-time or not.

To address this problem, we made use of …

Recognizing And Reducing Ambiguity In Mathematics Curriculum And Relations Of Θ-Functions In Genus One And Two: A Geometric Perspective, Shantel Spatig

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

Anxiety and mathematics come hand in hand for many individuals. This is due, in
part, to the fact that the only experience they have with mathematics is what some
mathematics educators refer to as "schoolmath," which uses a somewhat different
language than real mathematics. The language of schoolmath can cause individu-
als to have confusion and develop misconceptions related to several mathematical
concepts. One such concept is a fraction. In chapter one of this report, one possible
reason for this is discussed and a possible solution is purposed.
In chapter three of this report, genus-two curves admitting an elliptic involution …

A Bayesian Hierarchical Approach For Modeling Virtual Species With Realistic Functional Trait Relationships, Sarah Bogen

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

Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of plant populations has important implications for the fields of ecology and conservation. A rich body of mathematical modeling approaches, including reaction-diffusion equations and integrodifference equations, have been developed to mechanistically model population spread based on species demography and seed dispersal characteristics. However, with over 390,000 plant species on Earth, it is not feasible to collect complete information on all species for the purpose of drawing generalized conclusions. One means of overcoming such a problem is through trait-based modeling, which seeks to represent realistic combinations of organismal traits rather than focusing on individual species. …

Quantum Computing Simulation Of The Hydrogen Molecule System With Rigorous Quantum Circuit Derivations, Yili Zhang

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

Quantum computing has been an emerging technology in the past few decades. It utilizes the power of programmable quantum devices to perform computation, which can solve complex problems in a feasible time that is impossible with classical computers. Simulating quantum chemical systems using quantum computers is one of the most active research fields in quantum computing. However, due to the novelty of the technology and concept, most materials in the literature are not accessible for newbies in the field and sometimes can cause ambiguity for practitioners due to missing details.

This report provides a rigorous derivation of simulating quantum chemistry …

A Dynamic Relationship With Wilderness: Comparing Day And Multi-Day Visitors' Indicators Of Quality In Wilderness Settings, Caleb Meyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The length of stay in wilderness areas is declining and, in many areas, day visitors comprise most of all use. Most prior research exploring this trend took place in the 1990s and few studies of wilderness visitation account for the increase in outdoor recreation participation over the last decade. Lack of understanding surrounding this trend raises questions about managerial and philosophical approaches to the recreation-wilderness relationship. This study explored these topics within visitor use management approaches used by the National Park Service, which manages the proposed Glen Canyon Wilderness, near Escalante, Utah, where this research took place.

Results of this …

Conservation Conflict: Rare Plant Conservation And Energy Development And Potential In The Colorado Plateau, Joshua Carrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Colorado Plateau provides numerous sources of energy, particularly natural oil and gas. This energy potential is being actively extracted for consumption on both public and private lands. Elements of biodiversity (e.g., listed and sensitive plant and animal species) are distributed among all land tenures, yet the laws protecting them can vary depending if they occur on public, private, or tribal land. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the geographic ranges of threatened, endangered, and sensitive species and their relationship to land ownership to preserve habitat and conserve species populations. I developed species distribution models (SDMs) to examine the predicted …

"Design For Co-Design" In A Computer Science Curriculum Research-Practice Partnership, Victor R. Lee, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway, Mimi Recker

Publications

This paper reports on a study of the dynamics of a Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) oriented around design, specifically the co-design model. The RPP is focused on supporting elementary school computer science (CS) instruction by involving paraprofessional educators and teachers in curricular co-design. A problem of practice addressed is that few elementary educators have backgrounds in teaching CS and have limited available instructional time and budget for CS. The co-design strategy entailed highlighting CS concepts in the mathematics curriculum during classroom instruction and designing computer lab lessons that explored related ideas through programming. Analyses focused on tensions within RPP interaction dynamics …

Storing Water For The Environment: Operating Reservoirs To Improve California’S Freshwater Ecosystems, Sarah Null, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Kristen Dybala, Gokce Sencan, Anna Sturrock, Barton Thompson, Harrison Zeff

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

California’s freshwater ecosystems—its lakes, rivers, floodplains, meadows, natural and managed wetlands, and estuaries—are a vital part of the state’s natural infrastructure. These ecosystems provide numerous benefits, including water supply, hydropower, flood control, fisheries, recreation, and cultural and aesthetic value. They are also home to the nation’s most diverse array of plant and animal communities, with numerous freshwater species found only in California (Jensen et al. 1993; Grantham et al. 2017).

Investigating Factors That Impact Income Generation And Distribution In Western National Park Gateway Communities, Elizabeth Depew

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many rural towns in the western united states have come to be defined by high levels of tourism, seasonal residents, and migration driven by the desire to be close to natural amenities and the higher quality of life they afford. This shift is especially apparent in communities that are “gateways” to natural amenities such as national parks. Embracing this shift towards the “New West,” many community planners have heralded amenity-led development as a remedy to the waning feasibility of relying on agriculture and extractive industries. However, anecdotal evidence and several case studies indicate the factors which make these gateway communities …

Natural And Experimental Slow Slip Observed Along Shallow Hematite Faults, Alexandra A. Dimonte

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fault slip relieves stress in the shallow crust by slipping suddenly during earthquakes, but some faults also slip slowly in between earthquakes. Exhumed faults, brought up to the Earth’s surface from depth, preserve a record of fault processes and slip rates informed by fault rock structures, textures, and chemistry. Hematite, a common iron oxide mineral that precipitates on fault surfaces, exhibits crystal textures that potentially indicate past slip rate. Hematite can be dated using the radioisotopic system of (U-Th)/He thermochronometry, which constrains the time when He is trapped within a crystal, a process that is a function of temperature. Exhumed …

Spatiotemporal Data Augmentation Of Modis-Landsat Water Bodies Using Generative Adversarial Networks, Ashit Neema

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The monitoring of the shape and area of a water body is an essential component for many Earth science and Hydrological applications. For this purpose, these applications require remote sensing data which provides accurate analysis of the water bodies. In this thesis the same is being attempted, first, a model is created that can map the information from one kind of satellite that captures the data from a distance of 500m to another data that is captured by a different satellite at a distance of 30m. To achieve this, we first collected the data from both of the satellites and …

Holocene Chronostratigraphy Of Dune Fields In Southern Utah: Geomorphic Record Of Past Aridity In The Central Colorado Plateau, Harriet S. Cornachione

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The southwestern United States is characterized by dry climate, and droughts are common. The region is currently in an extreme drought that began in 2000 CE and has lasted longer than any previous drought in at least 500 years. Models predict greater future climate extremes under human-caused climate change. Understanding of the natural range of climate variability is important to put these changes in context. Sedimentary archives of past sand dune activity can help extend the available instrumental observations (last century) and tree-ring records (last millennium).

Sand dunes are landforms that are sensitive to aridity and decreased vegetation cover. They …

Contributions To Random Forest Variable Importance With Applications In R, Kelvyn K. Bladen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major focus in statistics is building and improving computational algorithms that can use data to predict a response. Two fundamental camps of research arise from such a goal. The first camp is researching ways to get more accurate predictions. Many sophisticated methods, collectively known as machine learning methods, have been developed for this very purpose. One such method that is widely used across industry and many other areas of investigation is called Random Forests.

The second camp of research is that of improving the interpretability of machine learning methods. This is worthy of attention when analysts desire to optimize …

Urban Soil Chemical And Nutrient Management Issues Facing Emerging Small Grower Enterprises In Utah, Frank E. Oliver

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Knowledge of both soil quality and contamination has become increasingly important with the growth of urban agriculture in Utah and the United States as whole. Land is also a common limiting factor in urban agriculture, so it is important to maximize yield and net returns. In order to meet these demands, three studies were conducted across key urban agriculture sites along the Wasatch Front: 1) an urban soil survey to assess soil contamination, 2) an urban soil survey to evaluate macronutrient and salinity levels, and 3) a nitrogen fertilizer management trial for dahlia (Dahlia pinnata), a cut flower …

Quantification Of Hydrologic Response To Forest Disturbance In Western U.S. Watersheds, Sara A. Goeking

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forested watersheds produce more than half of the water supply in the United States. Forests affect how precipitation is partitioned into available water versus evapotranspiration. This dissertation investigated how water yield and snowpack responded to forest disturbance following recent disturbances in western U.S. forests during the period 2000-2019.

Chapter 2 systematically reviewed 78 recent studies that examined how water yield or snowpack changed after forest disturbances. Water yield and snowpack often increased after disturbance, but decreased in some circumstances. Decreased water yield was most likely to occur following disturbances that did not remove the entire forest canopy. It was also …

Toward A Conceptual Approach To The Coriolis Force: Cataloging Intuitive Knowledge Elements In Intermediate Physics Learners, Jared B. Arnell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Physics, the topic of the Coriolis force is often confusing and difficult to teach. I conducted a series of interviews with undergraduate physics students to understand how they would use their prior knowledge and personal experiences to interact with and navigate through a new conceptual teaching approach for the Coriolis force. Many students applied their intuitive understanding of balance to interpret and make predictions about the Coriolis force. Some students displayed a strong conviction that rotating objects will naturally get pulled outward, which suggests that this impression may be a useful tool for novice physics learners to use in …

Defining Areas Of Interest Using Voronoi And Modified Voronoi Tesselations To Analyze Eye-Tracking Data, Joanna D. Coltrin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye tracking is a technology used to track where someone is looking. Eye-tracking technology is often used to study what people focus on when looking at a photo of another person. The eye-tracking technology records points on a photo that a person is looking at. When the photo being looked at shows a person, the points can be categorized by body part such as head, right hand, left hand, and torso. This thesis presents the use of partially circular areas to define the body parts of the person in the photo and therefore categorize the points collected by the eye-tracker. …

Developing Confidence And Interest In Teaching Relevant Mathematical Modeling Lessons, Jacy Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

What is mathematical modeling and how can inservice and pre-service teachers develop the skills and competencies necessary to increase confidence and interest in teaching relevant mathematical modeling lessons? Mathematical modeling is “the process of choosing and using appropriate mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations, to understand them better, and to improve decisions” (CSSM, 2010, p. 72). By providing students with an opportunity to engage in relevant mathematical modeling prompts, we provide them with transferable skills and knowledge. The aim of this paper will be to provide insight into the relevance of teaching mathematical modeling, provide resources for integrating modeling …

Dynamic System Discovery With Recursive Physics-Informed Neural Networks, Jarrod Mau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis presents a novel method, recursive Physics informed neural network, to learn the right hand side of differential equations. The neural network takes in data, then trains, and then acts as a proxy for the differential equation which can be used for modeling. We show the theoretical superiority of the recursive approach. We also use computer simulations to demonstrate the proved properties.

Syntax Exercises And Their Effect On Computational Thinking, Marina Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Abstract—Job opportunities and the need for programmers are increasing. Companies are looking for new hires who have the ability to learn how to learn, who have computational thinking skills. Student dropout rate in computer science is the highest among college majors. Educators are striving to find a way to teach efficiently and effectively the technical and the problem solving skills students need. In this paper we will be studying the effects of syntax exercises on a subject’s ability to think computationally and precisely. We tested our process on professionals and students. Half of the professionals were in the computer science …

Evaluation Of The Geothermal Potential Of The Camas Prairie, South-Central Idaho, Connor J. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The area studied in this thesis was assessed based on the analysis of a water sample collected from the exploratory well USU Camas-1. The water sample was characterized and compared to other water samples collected and analyzed during a previous phase of this project according to its water chemistry.

Lithologic, geophysical, and temperature logs were also used to assess the study area. The depth sensitive data was analyzed to determine the characteristics of the formation as they relate to the favorable parameters of a geothermal resource, those being permeability of the subsurface, heat, and the presence of a clay seal. …

Extensions To The Syrjala Test With Eye-Tracking Data Analysis Applications In R, Eric D. Mckinney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye tracking is a process for measuring the movement of an individual’s eye(s) when that individual is looking at something. Many eye-tracking technologies exist to aid in calculating and recording data associated with what a person focuses their visual attention on. For example, eye-tracking technology can record points on an image that a person is looking at. Often the question arises as to whether two people, or groups of people, are looking at the same thing(s). This dissertation presents a new way (or test) to quantify those differences while taking into consideration the randomness associated with such data. Hence, the …

The Effect Of Species Choice, Seed Mix Composition, And Microtopography On Native Plant Restoration In Great Salt Lake Wetlands, Coryna Hebert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wetlands are important ecosystems that improve water quality, prevent floods, and provide wildlife habitat. As such, restoring native plants that promote wetland health is a high priority for land managers. However, there are many challenges to the restoration of native plants. In our study system (Great Salt Lake wetlands), many areas are invaded by the European grass, Phragmites australis. Phragmites grows in dense stands and displaces native plants. The reduction of native plant communities in Great Salt Lake wetlands is a major concern because these ecosystems provide habitat for millions of native birds. Managers have made successful efforts to …

Joint Invariants Of Primitive Homogenous Spaces, Illia Hayes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Joint invariants are motivated by the study of congruence problems in Euclidean geometry, where they provide necessary and sufficient conditions for congruence. More recently joint invariants have been used in computer image recognition problems. This thesis develops new methods to compute joint invariants by developing a reduction technique, and applies the reduction to a number of important examples.

Programming Process, Patterns And Behaviors: Insights From Keystroke Analysis Of Cs1 Students, Raj Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With all the experiences and knowledge, I take programming as granted. But learning to program is still difficult for a lot of introductory programming students. This is also one of the major reasons for a high attrition rate in CS1 courses. If instructors were able to identify struggling students then effective interventions can be taken to help them. This thesis is a research done on programming process data that can be collected non-intrusively from CS1 students when they are programming. The data and their findings can be leveraged in understanding students’ thought process, detecting patterns and identifying behaviors that could …

Using The Reshetikhin-Turaev Link Invariant Approach With Non-Semisimple Categories, Adam Robertson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Invariants of knots and links are useful because they give rise to invariants of 3-manifolds. In particular, combinatorial link invariants give rise to combinatorial invariants of 3-manifolds, which are hard to come by using traditional methods from classical topology. The Reshetikhin–Turaev approach, which is based in quantum topology, develops link invariants using semisimple ribbon categories. However, a large class of algebraically interesting ribbon categories are non-semisimple and so give trivial link invariants via the Reshetikhin–Turaev method. We modify the Reshetikhin–Turaev method to make it suitable for non-semisimple ribbon categories. We discuss explicitly the following three examples: semisimple modules for the …

Comparing Fecal Dna Capture-Recapture Methods To Traditional Mark-Resight Methods For Estimating Abundance Of Mule Deer On Winter Ranges, Andi M. Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Well-designed monitoring strategies are required to obtain accurate estimates of population abundance, which is important for evaluating conservation and management strategies. Obtaining abundance estimates using traditional survey methods, like aerial surveys, is not possible in all scenarios and can be expensive and risky. One survey method that has gained popularity in the last decade is fecal DNA-based capture-recapture (CMR). However, this method has not been evaluated on winter ranges or in snowy, winter conditions.

My first objective was to implement fecal DNA CMR to estimate abundance of mule deer in the Round Valley and Goodale winter survey areas in the …

Pesticide-Leaf Interactions And Their Implications For Pesticide Fate Modeling, Ashlie Kinross

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The work described here provides measured data to improve the understanding of the interaction between a pesticide and leaf surface after application. Two methods were developed, one using a newly introduced instrument, for the extraction of pesticides from leaves. This is required to measure the concentration of pesticide in the leaves. Using one of the developed extraction methods, measurements were made to determine how a pesticide equilibrates between a leaf and the air above it. These measurements were incorporated into a pesticide fate model that predicts how a pesticide moves through the environment after application to an agricultural field. The …