Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Purkinje Cell Modulation Of The Vor: An Optogenetic Study, Ben Davis, D Garcia, B Haack, J Lewis, J Jackson, C Worthington, Trace Stay

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is coordinated eye movement to maintain a stable gaze during head rotation. This reflex can be adapted in behavioral training by using repeated head movements and shifting visual stimuli.

Previous research (Kimpo et al., 2014) implicates cerebellar output as critical to VOR adaptation, but it is unclear whether Purkinje cell (PC) output paired with a vestibular or visual stimulus is sufficient for driving reflex adaptation.

We hypothesize that PC output is sufficient for driving gain up behavioral VOR adaptation when paired with peak ipsiversive head movement in mice. Stimuli include a rotating vestibular environment or visual …

Population Monitoring Of Packera Castoreus, Autumn Gudmundsen, Madison Huie, Steve Flinders, Loreen Allphin

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Packera castoreus is a rare flowering plant, endemic to high elevations in the Belknap volcanic substrates of the Tushar Mountains of Utah (fig.1 & 2).

• The species has been classified as high priority for monitoring and conservation by the Utah Native Plant Society.1

There have been conservation concerns for rare alpine species recently due to increased threats, primarily:

• Grazing from large ungulates (mountain goats, deer, & elk)2
• Human impacts (especially hiking)1
• Climate change1

To better understand the impacts of these various threats on P. castoreus, we monitored populations from 2018-2022 and assessed plant morphology, community composition, and population …

Practical Faith For The Real World Reading As If, Believing As If, Kylie Turley

BYU Studies

A few years ago, I was talking with some friends about the Book of Mormon. Actually, if you know me much at all, then you know that those last five words are unnecessary. Of course I was talking about the Book of Mormon. My children have been known to complain that the Book of Mormon is all I talk about. But let’s continue the story: One of my friends indicated that we “cannot read the Book of Mormon down to the word level.” She insisted that it was just not possible to read it “as if individual words are meaningful.”

The Heyday Of The Mia Latter-Day Saint Youth Programs In The Postwar Era, Lisa Olsen Tait, Amber C. Taylor

BYU Studies

On Saturday, June 16, 1956, a crowd of twenty thousand spectators filled the University of Utah football stadium, nestled against the foothills to the east of Salt Lake City, to witness the Mutual Improvement Association (MIA) Dance-Drama Festival of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hopes were high that the weather would hold, since Friday night’s performance had been canceled because of rain. The weather did cooperate, and for over two hours, a massive procession of brightly costumed young women and men, representing almost every stake in the Church, presented a spectacular program of intricately choreographed dances and …

Using A Reconciliation Approach To Teach Evolution May Help Religious Students Remain Faithful, Danny Ferguson, Ethan Tolman, Spencer Shumway, Cassidy Shively

BYU Studies

Many religious people struggle to accept the theory of evolution, and about 40 percent of Americans reject the theory outright, preferring a literalist, creationist account that confirms a young earth.1 As Latter-day Saints ourselves, we understand the trepidation surrounding the idea that perhaps evolution contradicts our belief of an earth created by a loving Father and Savior. People may feel that the scientific theory of evolution implies that there is no need for a God or that our existence is simply an accident. As college-age youth, we are familiar with the struggles that students face as they confront evolution in …

Front Matter

Inscape

No abstract provided.

Autoimmune, Jodi Balas

Inscape

Jodi Balas is a neurodivergent poet from Northeast Pennsylvania. A lover of words (salacious, being a favorite – it just rolls off the tongue), her poetry has been accepted in Hole in the Head Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, Wild Roof Journal, and elsewhere. Jodi’s poem, “His mouth, mine” was selected as a finalist for the 2023 River Heron Review poetry prize and her poem, “Bone Density” won the 2023 Comstock Review Muriel Craft Bailey Award judged by Danusha Lameris. Jodi is in the process of developing her first Chapbook to market to the poetry world. You could follow her musings …

Girl And Dragon, Irina Novikova

Inscape

Irina Tall (Novikova) is an artist, graphic artist, illustrator. She graduated from the State Academy of Slavic Cultures with a degree in art, and also has a bachelor’s degree in design. The first personal exhibition “My soul is like a wild hawk” (2002) was held in the museum of Maxim Bagdanovich. In her works, she raises themes of ecology, in 2005 she devoted a series of works to the Chernobyl disaster, draws on anti-war topics. The first big series she drew was The Red Book, dedicated to rare and endangered species of animals and birds. Writes fairy tales and poems, …

Interview With David Lawrence Morse, Hannah Peterson

Inscape

David Lawrence Morse is a professional writer of short stories and plays. His first collection of stories, The Book of Disbelieving, won the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. His stories evoke motifs reminiscent of folklore and classic fables.

Full Issue

Inscape

No abstract provided.

A Prophetic Priority A Vital Voice, Shauna Seamons

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Prophets today are inviting women to use their voices and are prioritizing the importance and inclusion of women’s voices and their contributions in the kingdom of God—both those from scripture and history as well as those in our religious education classes. As religious educators we must be aware of this priority, and we have a responsibility to create environments that generate greater gender equality in religious education classrooms. This article will address three obstacles to embracing women’s voices and provide suggested solutions to that end.

Come, Follow Me And Life Preparation, Denise Mccubbins

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This paper explores foundational principles for effective gospel teaching in seminary: being Christ-centered, learner-focused, and scripture-based. It highlights the integration of Come, Follow Me and Life Preparation lessons to address students’ spiritual and practical needs. Teachers are encouraged to balance exegesis (understanding scripture’s original intent) and eisegesis (personal application) for meaningful, doctrinally accurate lessons. Through creative and purposeful scripture study, educators can align lesson objectives with students’ lives, fostering deeper conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Second Shift, Eve, Nick Fife

Inscape

Nick Fife is a Deaf Studies major at UVU. They feel too much too often, so they sometimes dance it out or try to put it all on paper. Nick has a particular fondness for science fiction and calico and gray tabby cats (though a bowl of Thai curry is always welcome).

The Ever-Present Nature Of Christ In The Title Of Jehovah, Dan Belnap

Faculty Publications

In January 2000 the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bore testimony to the world of the reality, humanity, and divinity of Jesus Christ in a document titled “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.” Among its many truths was the following: “He [Christ] was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.”1 Though this was not the first time Church leadership had declared Christ to be Jehovah, the pronouncement does reemphasize this teaching. It also emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the Old Testament. In fact, the …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Review: Out Of The Mouths Of Babes: Infant Voices In Medieval French Literature, Alani Hicks-Bartlett

Quidditas

Voicing a stirring call for readers to reconsider the silence and lacunae that are traditionally attributed to infancy, in her latest monograph, Julie Singer situates infancy as both an essential critical framework and an instructive, illuminative methodology through which a gaping archival silence can be rectified-that silence being literary representations of the medieval child, and specifically, the spoken life of the medieval child. As Singer argues, infancy and childhood entwine rather indiscernibly with each other in accordance with the medieval attribution of a longue dureé to infancy (Isidore of Seville, for instance, posited infancy as a stage lasting for about …

Chapter 3: Metals And Metallurgy, Matthew Roper

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Joseph Smith’s use of a seer stone and hat in producing the Book of Mormon has been a point of confusion, dismay, and even embarrassment among some believers. These feelings may reflect a lack of understanding of the functions of these objects in enabling Joseph to receive divine revelation. As the term was used in the Bible and commonly used in Joseph Smith’s day, a seer was a “seer” of visions. Accordingly, a seer stone was a stone used for seeing visions. Joseph was reported to have used seer stones to receive the translation of the Book of Mormon in …

Spiritual Implications Of The Timing Of The Death Of Jesus Christ, C. Thomas Black

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Centuries-long speculation continues regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of the Savior. Whether he died sooner than would have been expected, as some scholars believe, or lived longer than expected, statements from the scriptures and modern-day prophets indicate that the Lord died at the exact moment of his choice. According to the Gospels and historical accounts, that moment coincided with the sacrifice of the later of the two daily tamid sacrifices. The tamid had been instituted by Jehovah and symbolized the future atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Each of the other offerings throughout the sacrificial day between the two tamid …

"Being Therefore Perfect" Matthew 5:48 In Modern Restoration And Ancient Jewish Contexts, Trevan G. Hatch, Gerrit Van Dyk

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Matthew 5:48 (“Be ye therefore perfect . . . ”) is a salient passage of scripture for Latter-day Saints because of its seeming focus on becoming like God, a key doctrine of the Latter-day Saints faith. But what insights do we gain from analyzing its ancient Jewish context by comparing it to a parallel verse in Luke 6, by examining the verses immediately preceding it, and by considering the Greek grammar of the passage and the ancient meaning of the word translated as perfect in its various contexts? This essay explores these interpretive angles as well as survey show this …

What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate …

Show Me Nagara, Tell Me Shinji:, George Dibble

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Evangelion is widely regarded by fans and critics as a masterpiece, with its final episodes often described as transformative and perfect (Shinseiki Evangerion, 1995-1996; Erter; Azuma). With its release, Evangelion “entered among the most widely discussed TV series in anime history” (Solomon). However, this profound impact invites a critical examination of its narrative conclusions. In Dr. Mick Broderick’s article “Anime's Apocalypse: Neon Genesis Evangelion as Millennarian Mecha,” he writes that the anime’s protagonist, Ikari Shinji, “learns to break free from his self-absorption, the anomie of selfpity and hatred that has prevented true interaction with family, friends and colleagues.” Yet I …

Review: Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies By Grant Underwood William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2025, John G. Turner

BYU Studies

Grant Underwood’s Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies is a project born out of hope. Underwood, a former Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University, has spent years in dialogue with other Christians. In particular, he was part of a “Mormon-Evangelical Dialogue” that met at least once a year for more than two decades. (Full disclosure: I attended two sessions.) Underwood didn’t only talk with other Christians. He read their theology—a lot of their theology.

Categorical Perception Of The Index Finger As An American Sign Language Phonological Construct, Lareina Hingson, Jeffrey Jack Green, Brooklyn Lorenc

Faculty Publications

In American Sign Language, specific handshapes found in the manual alphabet and/or numbering system (such as the pointed index finger—the number “1”—and its bent counterpart—the letter “x”) are assumed to be phonologically distinct under the rationale that bentness of the finger(s) constitutes a phonemic distinctive feature. This study investigates this notion, building on previous behavioral studies of American Sign Language categorical perception of bentness of the index finger. We examined varying levels of bentness between 180◦ and 90◦ using a scale ranging from the signs BLACK and SUMMER in the standard dialect. Experiment 1 found that when presented with all …

Front Matter Fall 24

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

“Whilst In The Walrus Suit, You Must Be A Walrus”: Human-To-Animal Transformation Through Body Modification And Performance In Kevin Smith’S Tusk, Ahmet Ergün

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

Mastering Russian Case: Learning Challenges, Current Textbook Approaches, And New Perspectives, Olesya Kisselev, Angelina Rubina

Russian Language Journal

Russian case morphology is recognized as a persistent challenge to second (L2) and heritage language (HL) speakers of Russian by researchers and practitioners alike. However, little classroom-based and pedagogy-oriented literature exists on the matter. In this paper, we address this research gap. First, we present a review of the literature that attempts to explain the challenging nature of mastering Russian grammatical cases from the cognitive linguistic, structural, and psycholinguistic perspectives. We then describe the general approaches to teaching and learning Russian cases found in the most commonly used Russian language textbooks in the United States. Finally, we discuss a pedagogical …

The Ghostly Angel In The Haunted Home: The Haunted House As A Metaphor For A Woman's Body In Crimson Peak, Andrea I. Amado-Fajardo

Theses and Dissertations

Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro), often overshadowed by del Toro's more critically acclaimed filmography, deserves to be acknowledged for its central trauma metaphor and its nuanced approach to gender. Far from being merely a horror movie fueled by disturbing sequences such as those found in contemporary supernatural horror films, Crimson Peak slowly unravels how Allerdale Hall parallels the film's female leads as they house and live with ghosts, revenants of a traumatic past. This essay explores the personification of the haunted house as a metaphor for the personified trauma that resides in a woman's body using Crimson Peak …