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An Examination of Factors Related to Parental Involvement in Youth Extension Programs
No full textIncreased parent and guardian involvement in youth Extension programs could help improve youth’s academics and enhance Extension programs. This study was designed to help determine the logistical factors and barriers that prevent parents and guardian from attending Extension programs with their youth. A researcher-developed questionnaire asked parents/guardians for their insight on logistical factors, barriers, their preferred modes of communication, and their personal involvement in Extension programs in Idaho. The population of this study was N = 1025 participants who were parents/guardians of youth participating in youth Extension events in the state of Idaho. Results from this study included three of the largest barriers preventing parents and guardians from attending Extension events, the top three included: dates, times, and fees or cost. Preferred modes of communication determined that parents and guardians prefer to be contacted by Extension staff via email, at 4-H club meetings, and face-to-face. Combining the most preferred modes of communication to reach parents and guardians could help increase attendance and involvement from parents. Reducing barriers of dates and times by scheduling events during parent/guardian most available times, Monday nights and Saturday mornings, could increase involvement from parents and guardians with youth involved in Extension programs. Implications from this study could increase parent and guardian involvement in Extension programs. Follow up research could help determine more barriers and logistical factors of parent/guardian involvement that could further increase parent and guardian involvement in youth Extension programs.masters, M.S., Agricultural Education & 4H Youth Development -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
Two Roads Converge: Exercises in Discretion in a Virtual Environment
No full textThe extent of the client’s involvement in the aesthetic component of architectural design is traditionally limited to responding to a set of options presented by the architect. This has been the prevailing practice at both the micro-level (client-architect) and the macro level (architect-stakeholder). In principle, the elicitation of client, or community, preferences with respect to elements of design before the design process begins would allow resulting designs to be more pertinent to the client’s aesthetic preferences. However, for a preference model to be useful, the results derived must be valid, reliable, and easily integrated into an established design process.This study employs multiple regression analysis to derive a useful quantification of preference, relating to a single select element of design (proportion) from a virtualized choice model presented to presumptive architectural clients.masters, M.S., Architecture -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
Real-time Defense Strategies against Rogue Nodes in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks
No full textIntelligent Transportation Systems provide technologies, services, and applications that allow wireless communication between vehicles, and between vehicles and the roadside infrastructure using Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC). This collaborative communication forms a Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET). The most important applications in VANET are DSRC Safety Applications, which play a significant role in reducing road accidents. As these applications rely on wireless communication they inherit all of the associated security problems. VANET security is crucial, since application reliability, and thus safety, must not be compromised. Rogue nodes can severely affects the reliability of applications by sharing or injecting false data in the network. They may even launch Sybil attacks, in which a rogue node pretends to be multiple nodes by impersonating their identities, potentially causing serious problems. In this dissertation, defense strategies against rogue nodes in vehicular networks are proposed, which improve the reliability of safety applications operating in hostile environments. These strategies take advantage of certain properties of a new hybrid jammer, which is introduced to cause safety applications to fail. First, a detection algorithm for the new hybrid jammer is presented. Then an enhanced voting-based algorithm is shown, which is capable of significantly reducing the decision times of safety applications to alert drivers. Next, passive and active Sybil attack detection algorithms are introduced, which enhance the resilience against Sybil attacks in static and dynamic power environments respectively. Finally, an enhanced active Sybil detection algorithm is introduced and its impact on DSRC safety applications is analyzed. The defense strategies and their effectiveness were investigated using simulations and field experiments. The latter used vehicles equipped with commercial DSRC equipment. The experimental results show that the defense strategies have significant impact on enhancing the reliability of safety applications in the presence of attacks. In addition, all algorithms proposed in this research comply with current protocols and do not require modifications to existing standards.doctoral, Ph.D., Computer Science -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
Allocating Heat and Electricity in a Nuclear Renewable Hybrid Energy System Coupled with a Water Purification System
No full textGrowing concerns over the impact of fossil fuels on climate change are driving efforts to use more low emission fuel sources. In response, fluctuating renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are growing to meet more of the electric demand. However, maintaining reliable energy accessibility to the grid requires a stable, dispatchable source of power. Nuclear power plants provide low emission, reliable energy to the grid \cite{IPCC}. To best reduce reliance on fossil fuels while ensuring reliable energy generation and profitability, Nuclear Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems (NRHESs) focus on electrically and thermally coupling renewable generation with a nuclear power plant (NPP) by co-locating the generation sources on an industrial park. The industrial park is comprised of at least the NPP, the renewable energy source, and some form of industrial process that consumes the energy not used by the grid. The main question this thesis focuses on is what are the economic and thermodynamic benefits of thermally coupling an industrial process to the nuclear power plant in a NRHES as opposed to electrically coupling. This paper analyzes the computational modeling approaches currently being pursued for NRHES. Initially, the thesis begins by reviewing past research to determine the necessary software capabilities for an NRHES model. Then, with the help of an expert survey and the risk assessment techniques of Preliminary Hazards Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process, I determine the best industrial process to couple with a generic NRHES model. I then develop Aspen HYSYS models of a Palo Verde Generating Station reactor coupled to both a thermal multi-stage flash distillation water purification system as well as an electrically coupled reverse osmosis system. To compare the different couplings, I apply an economic exergy analysis to the system. Finally, results and future research are discussed.masters, M.S., Nuclear Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
Artifacts of Memory
No full textThis body of work consists of mixed media drawings accompanied by 3D printed vessels. The “artifacts” are the materials—earth pigments, ochres and paper, as well as processes, pigment application, drawing and technical notation, pastel work and gestural mark making. The artworks are metaphors for memory, experience and emotional processing. The geometrical constructs are stand-ins for the increasing complexity of our thoughts, emotions and experiences as dealt with in a rationalistic way. The color ground as a layer begins the metaphor of our sensual, emotional selves as rooted in our natural beings, while the expressive color figures are our more complex human emotions. These layers are assembled, just as our memories are assembled; the artifacts become the drawing, they become us.masters, M.F.A., Art & Design -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
SAFETY IMPACT OF WIDER PAVEMENT EDGE LINE MARKINGS
No full textThe primary task of pavement markings is to provide a visual cue to drivers to assist them with vehicle position along a roadway and help them make a proper lane change decision. The objective of this study was to determine the safety effectiveness of wider pavement markings with regard to traffic safety. The study collected and analyzed crash data at 38 locations in the state of Idaho. In the United States, the default pavement marking width is typically 4 inches and the color is white or yellow. Before and after studies using comparison group and Empirical Bayes methods were applied to determine that if there was a relationship between the implementation of wider pavement markings and vehicle crashes. Safety performance functions (SPF) for run-of-the-road crashes (ROR) in Idaho for two-lane rural highways were also developed. This study concluded that there is a strong relationship between wider pavement markings width and a reduced number of ROR crashes especially fatal and serious injuries crashes. For this reason, the implementation of wider pavement marking widths by agencies along two-lane rural highways is encouraged to provide a long-term safety benefit for the motoring public. This study will recommend strategies for state DOTs to increase safety and suggest a need to revise the MUTCD definitions on marking widths. The research results showed that wide pavement marking implementation has the potential to reduce fatal and serious ROR crashes by 10.07 percent with an expected cost to benefit ratio of approximately 1:25.masters, M.Engr., Civil Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-1
The Development of a Steady-State Rankine Cycle Optimization Algorithm Within Aspen HYSYS
No full textThe economic competitiveness of the energy market drives thermal power plant designers and oper- ators to maximize the thermal efficiency of their power production cycles. The steam Rankine cycle is common to all nuclear power plants in the United States. A Rankine cycle is modeled in Aspen HYSYS and additional logic is used in the model to develop an optimization algorithm which will determine the expected thermal efficiency of the complete cycle based on user input parameters. The results are com- pared to work previously performed via manual optimization and show that the optimization algorithm performs better in most cases while requiring considerably less time to solve. The user is instructed on good practices for improving the efficiency further and suggested applications of the algorithm are provided.masters, M.S., Nuclear Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-1
THE EFFECT OF TREE SHELTERS ON SURVIVAL OF SALIX SPP. IN A SEMI-ARID AND HYDROLOGICALLY IMPACTED WATERSHED
No full textMany riparian areas in the arid west have become highly altered ecosystems that no longer undergo the underlying physical processes and disturbances that were essential to their formation. With the de-coupling of riparian zones from these natural processes, the loss of complexity in riparian zones has become a widespread problem. Due to the rapid rate of decline, great efforts have been made in the last quarter-century to attempt to restore these altered riparian areas and their plant communities to natural conditions. However, many of these underlying physical processes (over-bank flooding, sediment deposition cycles, etc.) are now controlled by larger systems such as complex water infrastructure projects that cannot be easily un-done given the growing demand for resources. Therefore, novel restoration approaches are needed to aid riparian plant communities in overcoming challenging site conditions that are not conducive to plant survival. This study tested the use of vented and unvented tree shelters on two species of willow (Salix lasilepis Benth. and Salix laevigata Bebb) in a riparian zone within the Shasta River watershed in north-central California to determine the effect of tree shelters on survival. Dormant willow poles were planted into 0.92 meter augered holes and planted into the winter groundwater table. The results of this study indicate that the two shelter treatments varied in their effect on willow survival, and the effect differed between species. Red willows planted in unvented tree shelters were three times more likely to survive than red willows in the control treatment, indicating that this is a successful planting methodology that can improve survival for this species under similar conditions. In comparison, arroyo willows in either tree shelter treatment were not significantly more likely to survive than those in the control treatment. However overall survival for arroyo willows after 24 months was very high across treatments, suggesting that it is robust enough to tolerate the site conditions and that the investment in tree shelters may not be worthwhile for this species.masters, M.S., Environmental Science -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0
Operation Return to Duty: Developing and Validating an Instrument to Assess Soldiers’ Mental Readiness to Resume their Duties Following Injury Rehabilitation
No full textThe U.S. Armed Forces places strong emphasis on military readiness and fiscal spending, which are both detrimentally impacted by the increasing number of injuries suffered by service members (SMs; Booth-Kewley, Larson & Highfill-McRoy, 2009). As injuries continue to mitigate military readiness, it is vital to understand the psychological processes of injury and injury rehabilitation. Because evidence supports the divergence of mental and physical readiness to return from injury, Manuscript 1 sought to identify the underlying components of mental readiness to RTD. A qualitative investigation, incorporating focus groups and one-on-one follow-up interviews of (previously) injured SMs provided depth and greater practical understanding of this concept. The information derived from Manuscript 1 informed the processes of Manuscript 2, which involved item development and refinement of the Military Mental Readiness to Return from Injury Instrument (MMRRII) using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Exploratory Structural Covariance Modeling (ESCM). Results from Manuscript 2 provided preliminary support for factorial validity of a 3 factor (i.e., Support, Autonomy, and Competence), 12-item version of the MMRRII. Manuscript 3 furthered the validation process of the MMRRII using advanced multivariate statistical analyses, including: K-means cluster analysis, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and follow-up univariate analysis of variance (ANOVAs). Results indicated four distinct Mental Readiness profiles, labeled: (a) Mentally Prepared (MP), (b) Mentally Prepared- Low Autonomy (MPLA), (c) Mentally Unprepared- High Autonomy (MUHA), and (d) Mentally Unprepared (MU). These profiles demonstrated statistically significant differences across three demographic variables, including: perceived mental readiness, recovery time, and injury severity. Results were discussed in light of limitations and future directions.doctoral, D.Ed., Movement & Leisure Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-1
Securing Remedial Action Schemes Under Data Measurement Cyber Threats
No full textIn this thesis, different methods for power grid vulnerability assessment under cyber threats are developed and utilized. A new combined method is developed for better susceptibility analysis. Critical lines are identified using several different methods and remedial action schemes are examined on these critical lines to observe the reliability and resiliency improvement of the system. Furthermore, a new method to detect and fix false measurements on inputs to remedial action schemes is presented. With this false measurement detection method, this type of attack is more difficult as the malicious party needs to compromise a large number of meters in order to inject a manipulated measurement. As a result, actions by remedial action schemes are taken based on more reliable data and at the same time the true state of the local system is estimated. The required logic to correctly detect and fix the measurements are tested using the 118 bus IEEE test system. The thesis concludes by presenting a novel approach to detect and fix false measurements developed in this project to ensure proper automatic action by remedial action schemes. It can be further developed and extended to provide an alternative way to improve system resiliency.masters, M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2018-0