Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Romantic Relationship Quality And Technological Communication: Examining The Roles Of Attachment Representations And Rejection Sensitivity, Ron C. Bean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is important to understand normal developmental patterns in romantic relationships, which develop within historical and cultural contexts and are influenced by social and technological advancement. One of the core features of developing attachment in romantic relationships is proximity to the attachment figure, for which technology may be a substitute. This study described patterns of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in young adult relationships. We hypothesized that core relational and personality features were linked to participants’ interpretations of CMC.

For this study, 97 college students provided overall scores for rejection sensitivity, insecure attachment styles, relationship satisfaction, and data about CMC with their …

Spatial Temperature Variation In Refrigerated Road Transport, Joseph D. Phoenix

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the temperature variability that existed in refrigerated table grape consignments over a two-day journey from two suppliers in southern Spain, to client managed facilities in England. In order to inhibit senescence, perishable foods are transported in temperature-controlled transport to maximize shelf life. However, thermal dynamics suggests that uniform spatial temperature is not necessarily achieved despite a constant set point. As fruit exposed to suboptimal temperatures is more likely to exhibit undesirable quality issues, knowledge of spatial temperature can direct quality control team members to these potentially problematic pallets within an inbound shipment.

Warmer temperatures were identified on …

Cultural, Demographic, And Environmental Influences On Risk Perception And Mitigation In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Voravee Saengawut Chakreeyarat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Protecting human communities and natural environments from wildfire is growing more complex as more people move to fire-prone areas across the United States. This study integrates cultural, psychological, and environmental information to reach a better understanding of the linkages between perceptions of risk from wildfire and people’s behaviors to reduce that risk. Through studies in fire-prone communities in Arizona, California, and New Mexico, I investigated factors that influence peoples’ decisions whether to undertake wildfire hazard mitigation activities such as clearing dead vegetation around the house. The social and ecological characteristics of individual properties were investigated to understand how they are …

Effectiveness, Facilitator Characteristics, And Predictors Of The Premarital Interpersonal Choices And Knowledge (Pick) Program, J. Wade Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are two studies in this dissertation. Both are about a program called “PICK a Partner.” The first study looked at how the program went for 682 people from the community who were taught PICK. These people ranged in age from 18 to 25. Those in attendance were given questions at the beginning of the program about their thoughts, perceptions, and knowledge regarding dating relationships. They were given these same questions at the end of the program. The scores on the questions at the end of the program were compared with scores on the questions at the beginning of the …

Relations Among Teachers' Implicit Theories Of Intelligence, Standardized Achievement Testing, And Classroom Goals, Sydnie W. Ringle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An achievement gap between ethnic minorities and White Americans continues to exist within the U.S., as well as between the U.S. and varying countries. Research has identified several factors that contribute to this gap, such as differences in curricula across countries, teacher quality, and school funding. In addition to these factors, teachers’ implicit theories of intelligence may also contribute to the achievement gap. Whether teachers view intelligence as fixed (entity theory) or malleable (incremental theory) can impact instructional practices, specifically the use of performance and learning goals. Performance goals focus on evaluation, ability, and performance rather than mastery of material, …

The Effect Of A Class-Wide Training On Prosocial Bystander Behaviors, Charity Deanne Barnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to decrease school bullying by teaching defending steps and increasing incentives for bystanders, students who witness bullying but who are not necessarily involved in the violence. An established bullying prevention program was modified to increase the likelihood that bystanders would defend victims of bullying behaviors. The findings of the study suggested that bullying behavior decreased and defending increased. Further, acceptability of the intervention and the skills taught to children were rated as moderately high across all classrooms.

Representations Of Us Acts Of Extra-Territoriality As Illustrated In Pakistani-English Political Cartoons, Aina S. Niaz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The significance of Pakistan as an international state cannot be downplayed. Not only is Pakistan the first Islamic state to develop its nuclear power, but Pakistan has served as an important geostrategic state to the US on several occasions. The US-Pakistan geopolitical relationship was most vividly highlighted during the final years of the Cold War; and has reemerged again in the Global War on Terror. This thesis will examine Pakistani-English political cartoons to examine the way US extra-territoriality is represented visually. Approximately 2940 political cartoons are collected from four Pakistani-English newspapers: Dawn, The Express Tribune, The Nation, …

Analysis Of Portfolio Diversification And Risk Management Of Livestock Assets In The Borana Pastoral System Of Southern Ethiopia, Medhat Ibrahim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethiopia is one of the poorest and most populated countries in the world. It is also one of the largest receivers of foreign aid in the world. The Borana Plateau in the Oromia region is one of the poorest regions in southern Ethiopia. The local population in this region has relied on livestock for their livelihood for many generations. The growing number of humans and livestock on the Borana Plateau has caused the rangeland to be degraded. Coupled with more frequent and severe droughts, this growth can cause the loss of a large number of the livestock in this region …

School-Based Mental Health Practices In Utah: A Descriptive Study, Dina Hargrave

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As psychological well-being, or mental health, is a key factor to academic performance, schools are in a pivotal position to provide needed services to improve the well-being of individual students, parents, and teachers, as well as school-wide wellness. This study explored the current and possible types of school-based and community services within a multi-tier service system approach at each tier level (universal, at-risk, and intensive) delivered to elementary and secondary students, the outcomes expected to be impacted by these partnerships, and the barriers and key factors associated with effective program implementation. Results revealed that 18 of the 21 districts are …

Democracies Waging Counterinsurgency In A Foreign Context: The Past And Present, Scott J. Winslow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The lack of favorable outcomes produced by recent attempts at counterinsurgency by Western countries shows that the importance of uncovering a more effective approach for conducting external counterinsurgency operations cannot be downplayed. In an attempt to discover what this approach might entail, prior successful interventions conducted by democracies in the Philippines and Kenya were compared to the recent failure in Iraq, using three variable groupings as a lens through which to view all three conflicts and allow cross-conflict comparison of conditions that contributed to success or failure. Through evaluation of indicators linked to these variable groupings, it was determined that …

Student Research + Digitalcommons@Usu = A Partnership With Unlimited Potential, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

International Teaching Assistants' Experiences In The U.S. Classrooms: Implications For Practice, Ekaterina Arshavskaya

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

Recently, a number of studies have examined the lived experiences of the international teaching assistants (ITAs) in the U.S. classrooms. The findings show that the ITAs face many challenges such as classroom management, instructional, linguistic, cultural and social challenges. Following this line of research, this interview-based study examined the lived experiences of a group of ITAs using a qualitative methodology. The qualitative approach was intentionally selected to add an interpretive stance to the quantitative analyses prevalent in the current research on the ITAs. The paper aims to: (1) to provide insights into the ITAs’ perspectives on their first semester of …

Improving Micro-Finance Productivity Through Data Analysis, Ryan D. Taylor

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

After nearly three months of gathering, creating, organizing, and analyzing data from social entrepreneurship programs in Peru and Ghana, correlations have been found within the data which may be used in the pursuit to eliminate poverty around the globe. These correlations were found through completing both linear relationship analyses and multi-variable regression analyses. The most statistically significant factors when looking at correlational relationships with number of missed and late payments were APR, loan duration, loan date (year fraction), gender or principle loan participant, and participation in incentive programs. The most poignant of these variables in terms of statistical significance was …

Marginalia No. 36, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University

Marginalia

That Voila Moment …wonders of digital access in the library…… Brad Cole, Interim Dean New &

Notable Acquisitions: Newton’s Opticks and four plays from Shakespeare’s second folio… Brad Cole

You are an alchemist: Sir Isaac Newton’s obsession with the ancient art ….. K.schockmel

Chad Nielsen wins 2014 Arrington Lecture Award …..

Patrick Williams Friends Lecture 2015: The Curious Case of the Connection between Sherlock Holmes & the Mormons … Patrick Williams 2014 Arrington Lecture Drew Large Crowd … Liz Kline Well Done!

Recent Presentations and publications by our Librarians

The Year of Water 2015 … USU’s long involvement in Water …

Undergraduate Student Change In Colorblind Racial Attitudes: Impact Of A Multicultural Psychology Course, Christina Patterson, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Tools For Evaluating And Monitoring Effectiveness Of Urban Landscape Water Conservation Interventions And Programs, Diana T. Glenn, Joanna Endter-Wada, Roger Kjelgren, Christopher M. U. Neale

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Our research objective was to investigate ways to evaluate landscape water use to help cities more effectively direct water conservation programs to locations with capacity to conserve. Research was conducted in connection with a landscape irrigation evaluation delivered through a city-sponsored Water Check Program. Research efforts led to development of several assessment and monitoring tools including: Landscape Irrigation Ratio (LIR), Participant Outcome Evaluation Tool, and Program Evaluation Tool. We utilized these tools to identify locations with capacity to conserve water applied to landscapes, compare water use before and after the water check, and evaluate Water Check Program effectiveness. We found …

We Have Only Scratched The Surface: The Role Of Student Research In Institutional Repositories, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Scott Bates, Danielle M. Barandiaran

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Institutional repositories (IRs) and other research archives have at their core the mission to disseminate the scholarship of their communities. At universities, this content is often expected to come primarily from faculty and professional researchers. Certainly, faculty are significant producers of scholarship, but students also make worthy contributions to this body of knowledge. Graduate students, at least, are generally recognized as creators of information, and in recent years, IRs have been successfully collecting theses and dissertations written by masters and doctoral students. However, another important and often overlooked group is undergraduate students.

We Have Only Scratched The Surface: The Role Of Student Research In Institutional Repositories, Betty Rozum, Becky Thoms, Danielle M. Barandiaran, Scott Bates

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Searching Smart With Standards: Using Curriculum Standards To Find Educational Resources In Digital Libraries, Anne R. Diekama, Sheri Haderlie

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stability Of Children And Adolescents' Friendships: A Meta-Analytic Review, Diana J. Meter, Noel A. Card

Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Publications

Decades of research has assessed the benefits of children’s and adolescents’ friendships, but friendships among youth often dissolve within a matter of months or years. Studies have investigated predictors and consequences of friendship stability with the expectation that, in order for friendships to have a positive or negative influence on youth, they need to be enduring. However, differing methodology used to assess friendships affects the proportion of stable friendships observed, which may confound conclusions. In this meta-analysis a number of methodological and substantive study comparisons were made to assess their contribution to differences in effect sizes across studies of friendship …

The Digital Distribution Of Public Health News Surrounding The Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Longitudinal Infodemiology Study, L. Meghan Mahoney, Tang Tang, Kai Ji, Jessica Ulrich-Schad

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background: New media changes the dissemination of public health information and misinformation. During a guest appearance on the Today Show, US Representative Michele Bachmann claimed that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines could cause “mental retardation”. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore how new media influences the type of public health information users access, as well as the impact to these platforms after a major controversy. Specifically, this study aims to examine the similarities and differences in the dissemination of news articles related to the HPV vaccination between Google News and Twitter, as well as how the content of …

Review Of Extensible Processing For Archives And Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs, Todd Welch

Journal of Western Archives

Review of Extensible Processing for Archives and Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs.

Gsm - Based Telemetry To Define Turkey Vulture Movements At Key West Naval Air Station, A.G. Duffiney, J.S. Humphrey, E.A. Tillman, M.P. Milleson, M.L. Avery

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Nonlethal Approaches To Wildlife Damage Management, Charlotte Conley

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Milorganite As A Repellent For Domestic Mice, C.E. Martin, L.B. Wood, G.R. Gallagher

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Distinguishing Between Eurasian Wild Boar Hybrids And Feral Swine Using Molecular Analyses, J.A. Matthews, J.N. Caudell, C. Trzepacz, B. Mccann

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Sterilization, Hunting And Culling : Combining Management Approaches For Mitigating Suburban Deer Impacts, J.R. Boulanger, P.D. Curtis, M.L. Ashdown

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Consumption Of Metallic Lead And Its Effects On Tissue Lead Levels Of Urban Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus Carolinensis), Robert J. Lewis, Joe N. Caudell, Stephen B. White, Robin B. Doss, Michelle A. Lasher, Ramesh C. Gupta

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Blackbird Damage Is An Important Agronomic Factor Influencing Sunflower Production, Hans Kandel, George M. Linz

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.

Description Of Lethal And Nonlethal Predator Management At Two Piping Plower (Charadrius Melodus) Nesting Colonies In Michigan, Patrick J. Ryan, Vincent S. Cavalieri, Peter H. Butchko

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

No abstract provided.