Digital Commons Network^™

The Transformation Of The Information Wave Into Virtual Civilization And The Ethical Questions It Raises, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The purpose of this investigation is to define the main contents and issues of the impact of informing systems on the rise and development of Virtual Civilization. The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary big-picture view of the elements of development of virtual civilization and their interdependency. Among the findings are the following: Virtual Civilization has infrastructural characteristics, a world-wide unlimited, socially constructed work and leisure space in cyberspace, and it can last centuries/millennia—as long as informing systems are operational. Practical implications: The mission of Virtual Civilization is to control the public policies of real civilizations in order to secure …

Civilizational Analysis And Paths Not Taken, Part Ii: The Great Divergence, Toby Huff

Comparative Civilizations Review

The current president of the Association and noted scholar in the foundations of modern science discusses the evolution of distinct civilization with stress on Islamic and Chinese civilizations. The article covers three encounters that have occurred in history between different civilizations. The first encounter was between Byzantium and the Islamic World in the 9th and 10th century; the second was the interaction between the West and Islam in the 12th century, and the third was between European missionaries and China after 1400. His conclusion is that despite cross-pollination in various areas, the basic features of the Islamic and Chines cultures …

Workplace Bullying In The United States And Canada: Organizational Accountability Required In Higher Education, Leah P. Hollis

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article is a comparative study of bullying in the workplace in Canada and the United States. It examines the effect of laws, productivity, and organization culture upon this practice. It uses current and recent data to address the issue.

Little Blue Truck, Ariel Woodbury

Children's Book and Media Review

Little Blue Truck passes by many of his animal friends and beeps a greeting to them. They moo, oink, and peep back to the friendly truck. Then a loud dump truck rudely drives by Blue going very fast. He has important things to do and does not have time to talk. Dump drives around a corner too fast and gets stuck in the mud! He calls for help, but since he was rude to all the animals he passed, they do not come to help him. Blue goes to Dump's assistance even though Dump was not very friendly and gets …

Scholastic Discover More: Rainforest, Aylea Stephens

Children's Book and Media Review

Even though most people don’t live close to a rainforest, these areas are important to the way everyone lives. This book explores rainforests by continent so that readers can compare the plants and animals of India, Africa, and South America. It details how people survive in these areas, how rainforest products are used in daily life, recently discovered species in these areas, and what will happen to the Earth if the rainforests are destroyed. Each page has multiple high-color photographs to help showcase what happens in these places. A glossary at the end can be used for vocabulary words that …

The Mixed-Up Chameleon, Kristie Hinckley

Children's Book and Media Review

If you enjoyed The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, you will love Eric Carle’s The Mixed-Up Chameleon. The text is repetitive and the illustrations give children enough clues to be able to join in with adults in reading it or even filling in the blanks! Everyone dreams of being someone or something they’re not. It’s the chameleon’s turn in this picture book. He dreams of being a polar bear, or a flamingo, but with those traits, he can’t do what chameleons do best! Eric Carle uses paper collage to create the illustrations his …

The Stars: A New Way To See Them, Ariel Woodbury

Children's Book and Media Review

We all look up and see the stars regularly, and yet most of us know very little about the stars and the constellations they form. Author H.A. Rey discusses why knowing the constellations and being able to read the night sky is useful. All 88 constellations are shown in star charts, a few at a time, with accompanying explanations. While the main point of the book is to make constellations more accessible, Rey also includes a chapter that discusses the whys and hows of the night sky for more curious readers. in the chapter he explains why we see certain …

The Midnight Library, Cynthia Phillips

Children's Book and Media Review

Somewhere there is a library that opens only at night. Animals from all over town come to the library and the little librarian and three assistant owls help them find books to read. It is a very busy place. There are squirrels needing help finding the right music for their next concert, a wolf needing comfort, and a tortoise that needs more time to finish his book. The little librarian knows just what to do to make the library a fun and peaceful place. Libraries everywhere will find this book to be a must have. The little librarian introduces her …

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?, Liz Kazandzhy

Children's Book and Media Review

Duck has a problem: he has lost his new blue socks! They’re not in his box, the fox doesn’t know where they might be, but the ox suggests he looks down by the rocks. There he finds socks indeed, unfortunately just not his new blue ones. So he goes to the peacocks to ask for their help, and they help the poor little duck finally find his socks—on his very own feet! Reminiscent of P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother? this story follows the main character in his inquisitive journey to solve a simple problem. It’s an intriguing enough storyline …

Biggest, Baddest Book Of Sea Creatures, Sydnee Burr

Children's Book and Media Review

Extremely educational, Schoeller presents a visually appealing book for young learners. Relying heavily on graphics and colors, Biggest, Baddest Book of Sea Creatures is sure the catch the casual wandering eye in the library. This book takes its readers through all things ocean. Tiny animals, large animals, funny looking animals, scary sea animals, and everything in between. Each pictured animal has one fact attached to their name. In this simple yet knowledgeable piece, young readers can spark a new interest in the ocean and the creatures that live under the sea. Due to the short, flashy nature of this book …

A Boy And A Jaguar, Aylea Stephens

Children's Book and Media Review

Alan has a stutter that makes it hard for him to talk to humans, but when he talks to animals he can speak just fine. One day when he goes to the Bronx Zoo, he is sad because of how barren the jaguar exhibit is. At school, he is put in a class for disturbed children. The school thinks he is broken, but at home he can sing and talk to all of his pets. After years of hard work, he learns how to talk without a stutter but he still feels broken instead. When he goes to the jungle …

Daytime Nighttime, Liz Kazandzhy

Children's Book and Media Review

This delightful book is presented in two parts, each preceded by a question: “What do you see in the daytime?” and “What do you see in the nighttime?” A variety of animals are presented after each question such as butterflies, red-tailed hawks, and puppies in the daytime; and fireflies, owls, and raccoons in the nighttime. Nothing specific is described about these animals, but their names are simply written on the page in large clear letters and accompanied by full-length two-page illustrations. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to nature as well as the differences between day and …

I Love Cats!, Charlotte Esplin

Children's Book and Media Review

I Love Cats is a cute book explaining what to expect when you own a cat. A reader is taught about teaching a cat to use a litter boxes, how to correctly brush a cat, what a scratch post is, and how often to feed your cat. Included is a list of cat supplies, as well as a glossary of terms to help even the youngest reader appreciate this book. Photographs of every topic take up every other page of the book adding visual clarity to what the author is teaching about. There is also a lot of color used …

Thermal Characterization Of Natural And Synthetic Spider Silks By Both The 3Ω And Transient Electrothermal Methods, Troy Munro, Changhu Xing, Heng Ban, Cameron G. Copeland, Randolph V. Lewis, Colby Jensen

Faculty Publications

Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and volumetric heat capacity of three spider silks are measured in this paper as a benchmark for further studies. These silks include the major and minor ampullate silks of the Nephila clavipes spider, and a synthetic spider silk fiber made from recombinant dragline silk proteins purified from transgenic goats’ milk. Two complementary measurement techniques are employed in the thermal characterization of these microscale single fibers for self-verification. One is the transient electrothermal technique (TET) and the other is the 3ω method. Experimental measurements indicate that thermal properties of the dragline silk are very close to those …

Investigation Of Synthetic Spider Silk Crystallinity And Alignment Via Electrothermal, Pyroelectric, Literature Xrd, And Tensile Techniques, Troy Munro, Tristan Putzeys, Michael Wubbenhorst, Christ Glorieux, Cameron G. Copeland, Randolph V. Lewis, Changhu Xing, Heng Ban

Faculty Publications

The processes used to create synthetic spider silk greatly affect the properties of the produced fibers. This paper investigates the effect of process variations during artificial spinning on the thermal and mechanical properties of the produced silk. Property values are also compared to the ones of the natural dragline silk of the N. clavipes spider, and to unprocessed (as-spun) synthetic silk. Structural characterization by scanning pyroelectric microscopy is employed to provide insight into the axial orientation of the crystalline regions of the fiber and is supported by XRD data. The results show that stretching and passage through liquid baths induce …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

“The Intent For Which It Was Given”: How The Book Of Mormon Teaches The Value Of Scripture And Revelation, Nicholas J. Frederick

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The book of Jarom is a short chapter, consisting of only fifteen verses, that nonetheless manages to summarize the affairs of the Nephites over an approximately forty-year period. In the midst of his outline of the current Nephite status quo, Jarom makes mention of the religious climate of the time: “Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he …

Lake Powell Food Web Structure: Predicting Effects Of Quagga Mussel, Joshua A. Verde

Theses and Dissertations

Food webs in aquatic ecosystems can be dramatically altered by invasive species. Quagga mussels are prevalent invaders that compete with existing species and disrupt nutrient cycling. In 2012, the Quagga Mussel (Dreissena rostriformus bugensis) was introduced into Lake Powell and is expected to move throughout the reservoir in the near future. Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for characterizing food webs and trophic interactions. To predict the long-term effects of Quagga Mussels, we used stable isotope analysis of primary producers, primary consumers, prey fish species, and predator fish species in Lake Powell to determine food web structure. …

The Return Of The King, Larry Y. Wilson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

From a Brigham Young University devotional address on 1 December 2015.

Today I would like to talk about some of the big issues of our time through the lens of history and literature as well as the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in a day of technological and scientific marvels. It is also a time of uncertainty—one in which many question whether or not faith and religion have a place in their lives or in the public square. You too will have to decide whether faith has an enduring place in your own life.

The Systematic Neglect Of Inmates Suffering From Substance-Use Disorder In The American Prison Systems, J Lyons

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

While the problem of crime and its perpetuation is multifactorial and inherently complex, the mental and physical health of criminals falls under the legal oversight of the penal system. Prisoners have a legal right to quality medical care—a right that is often forgotten and neglected by society at large and, more specifically, the court system itself.

Effects Of Gm Disclosure Statements On Consumer Perceptions Of Selected Food Products In Survey And Sensory Panel Settings, Ellyn Margaret Newcomb

Theses and Dissertations

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (PL 114-216) will require nearly all foods sold in the U.S. to bear a statement disclosing whether they contain genetically modified (GM) material. Past studies suggest the presence of such a statement could have profound effects on consumers; however, research comparing consumer response towards different GM-disclosure statements is scarce. PL 114-216 states that GM foods shall not be considered more or less safe than their non-bioengineered counterparts, nevertheless it would benefit regulators and food manufacturers to be aware of the possible effects such disclosures might have on consumers. In a nationwide survey, multiple disclosure …

Burial Plots: Finding Theatre In The Thanatology Of Colonial North Coast Peru, Connie Ericksen

Theses and Dissertations

Spain's invasion of the Andes initiated a social drama unprecedented in the experience of the Andean natives. Spanish and Spanish-conscripted native chroniclers wrote extensively about Inca pageantry, spectacle, and ritual, and hastily attributed pagan belief to performances they witnessed or heard about. With equal haste, the Spanish appropriated performance as means of introducing and enforcing Christianity. In this thesis, I treat performance as the central feature of Andean Colonial transition. Performance may be viewed as an ephemeral feature of the Andean transition but fortunately, in mortuary performances (dealing with death and treatment of the body); there are many theatrical elements …

Ecological And Genetic Variation Among Populations Of Boechera Caeruleamontana Sp. Nov. (Brassicaceae) From Blue Mountain And Dinosaur National Monumentin Eastern Utah And Western Colorado, Melissa Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

Boechera is a large genus of flowering plants whose taxa are found primarily in North America. Boechera vivariensis (S.L. Welsh) W.A. Weber (the Park rockcress) is restricted to the Uintah Basin on Weber sandstone substrates in the vicinity of Dinosaur National Monument and Blue Mountain. The nomenclature of Park rockcress is significantly impacted by the discovery that the type collections of the taxon represent a rare, apomictic diploid resulting from the hybridization between B. thompsonii and an undescribed sexual diploid (to be called Boechera caeruleamontana sp. nov. Allphin and Windham). As a result, greater information is needed regarding how B. …

Decellularization And Recellularization Processes For Whole Porcine Kidneys, Nafiseh Poornejad

Theses and Dissertations

Concern over kidney disease has increased dramatically in recent years within the medical community. It is estimated that approximately one in fifteen Americans, nearly 20 million people, experience chronic kidney disease with most of those diagnosed progressing to kidney failure. The ultimate treatment available for end stage renal failure is whole kidney transplantation. However, there are very few kidneys available for patients to receive and those patients who are fortunate enough to receive an organ must remain on immunosuppressive medication for the remainder of their lives. The United States Department of Health & Human Services have reported that 18 people …

Balancing Technical And User Objectives In The Design Of Improved Biomass Cookstoves For Developing Regions Of The World, Kendall Steven Thacker

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade a large amount of research has been dedicated in academic literature to improving the technical capabilities of improved cookstoves; primarily the performance efficiency and reduction of emissions. Unfortunately, as published literature has highlighted, the trade-offs that result from placing such a concentrated emphasis on these technical objectives is that improved cookstoves lack the same level of usability as traditional cookstoves. Thus, users often return to using their traditional stoves and the potential impact of the improved cookstoves is never fully realized. In order for improved cookstoves to have greater impact, there must be better balance between …

Solitary-Pretend Play In Children With Language Impairment And Their Typically-Developing Peers, Mallory Paige Scofield

Theses and Dissertations

Children with language impairment (LI) are more likely to be socially withdrawn than their typically-developing peers. This withdrawal can lead to negative outcomes later in life. This study focuses on a subtype of withdrawal labeled as solitary-pretend play, which involves parallel play and solitary-dramatizing. The effectiveness of the Teacher Behavior Rating Scale (TBRS) to measure the construct of solitary-pretend play was considered in a group of 256 children. First, confirmatory factor analysis was used on the entire sample to assess the TBRS questions. The TBRS ratings of 128 children with LI and 128 typically developing peers were then compared, with …

Comparison Of Early Literacy Ipad Applications: Children's Engagement, Shawnii Lyman

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of digital mobile applications (apps) designed to promote early literacy skills has surged in the last few years. This study explored children's affect and engagement as they interacted with three apps: Endless Reader, Hideout: Early Reader, and Preschool Matching Game: Rhyming Words. The study consisted of 12 children, age 4 to 5, who interacted in pairs with each of the apps while their classroom teacher facilitated the experience. The researchers examined videos and transcripts of the children's actions and nonverbal expressions as they encountered the apps. Transcripts included verbal and nonverbal information with codes assigned …

A Perpetually Interrupted Interbasin Water Transfer As A Modern Greek Drama: Assessing The Acheloos To Pinios Interbasin Water Transfer In The Context Of Integrated Water Resources Management, Hristos Tyralis, Tegos Aristoteles, Anastasia Delichatsiou, Nikos Mamassis, Demetris Koutsoyiannis

Open Water Journal

Interbasin water transfer is a primary instrument of water resources management directly related with the integrated development of the economy, society and environment. Here we assess the project of the interbasin water transfer from the river Acheloos to the river Pinios basin which has intrigued the Greek society, the politicians and scientists for decades. The set of criteria we apply originate from a previous study reviewing four interbasin water transfers and assessing whether an interbasin water transfer is compatible with the concept of integrated water resources management. In this respect, we assess which of the principles of the integrated water …

Myobservatory - An Information Management System For Supporting Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships, Yoram Rubin, Christopher Michaelis

Open Water Journal

This paper provides an overview of myObservatory (myO), a free (for non-profit use) web-based information management system that specializes in multi-stakeholder, geospatial projects. myO important features include rich graphic and interactive data display, multiple data entry modes, user-access control tools, project-management tools, built-in and user-defined quality assurance tools, thorough and comprehensive documentation, and flexibility in customizing the system (e.g., by embedding user-defined algorithms) to meet special project needs.

Subterranean Caching Of Domestic Cow (Bos Taurus) Carcasses By American Badgers (Taxidea Taxus) In The Great Basin Desert, Utah, Ethan H. Frehner, Evan R. Buechley, Tara Christensen, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu

Western North American Naturalist

Camera traps documented 2 solitary American badgers (Taxidea taxus) independently caching juvenile domestic cow (Bos taurus) carcasses during late winter 2016 in the Great Basin Desert of Utah. One carcass was partially buried and the other was entirely buried. Both badgers constructed dens alongside their cache, where they slept, fed, and spent up to 11 days continuously underground. They abandoned the sites 41 and 52 days after initial discovery. While badgers are known to scavenge and to cache small food items underground, this is the first evidence of an American badger caching an animal carcass larger …