Digital Commons Network^™

The Turning Tide Of Animation, Jamie Titera, Brent Adams, Kelli Loosli

Journal of Undergraduate Research

After researching the topic and after listening to the many voices of experience a few things became readily apparent. Perhaps most important was the perspective of my project. I approached the project with the intent of trying to isolate traditional animation from 3D animation and find out the future of both. After attending the annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference in San Antonio, speaking with many people in the industry, and becoming more involved myself it is clear that things are not as black and white as they first appeared to me. Mark Thomas, president, Right Hemisphere, “ I think the …

Revealing Identity Through Artifacts, Paul Reed Stavast, Dr. Marti Lu Allen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The first research objective was to study how personal, community, and culture area identities are portrayed through artifacts originating from Mesoamerica. The second objective was to integrate the research done on identity as a sub-theme into an exhibition at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. The exhibition would include four other cultures areas from around the world.

The Turning Tide Of Animation, Jamie Titera, Brent Adams, Kelli Loosli

Journal of Undergraduate Research

After researching the topic and after listening to the many voices of experience a few things became readily apparent. Perhaps most important was the perspective of my project. I approached the project with the intent of trying to isolate traditional animation from 3D animation and find out the future of both. After attending the annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics conference in San Antonio, speaking with many people in the industry, and becoming more involved myself it is clear that things are not as black and white as they first appeared to me. Mark Thomas, president, Right Hemisphere, “ I think the …

Tracking Change Patterns For Severely And Persistently Mentally Ill (Spmi) Patients: An Analysis Of The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Expanded (Bprs-E), Elizabeth Richardson, Dr. Gary Burlingame

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study was conducted to determine differential item sensitivity of The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Expanded (BPRS-E) with an SPMI population. Using item sensitivity information, we tested different factor solutions of the BPRS-E to assess how predictive these are of patient improvement. Although I originally planned to compare BPRS-E scores with scores from the Life Status Questionnaire (LSQ) in this report, I will focus on item sensitivity only. As observed by Vermeersch, Lambert, & Burlingame (2000), while it is important to achieve high levels of reliability when constructing a measure of psychological traits, measures designed to assess patient change need …

Seasonality Studies And Research Questions For Faunal Remains At The Coombs Village Archaeological Site In Boulder, Utah., Jennifer Taylor, Dr. Joel C. Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“The goal of zooarchaeology is to gain a better understanding of the relationship between humans…and other animal populations” (Reitz and Wing 1999:1).

With this in mind, I set out for the Coombs Village archaeological site at Anasazi State Park in Boulder, Utah during the Olympic Break of February 2002. Animal bone, often the only surviving evidence of animals found in the archaeological record, tells a limited story of faunal life in and around areas inhabited by prehistoric humans. Just the species of animal found in an archaeological site offers understanding of the human/animal relationship. Specialized areas of zooarchaeology take further …

Animated Short Of The Children’S Story Ballet Is Not For Girls!, Merrilee Allred Liddiard, Kelly Loosli

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The opportunities within the world of art, particularly animation and illustration are wonderfully endless. Truly there is no limit to how far one can take an idea, character or story. This marvelous principle is one that I personally discovered while working on the making of the animated short, “Ballet is NOT for Girls!”

“A Spooky Evening” Chinese Film Project, Randy Astle, Dr. Darl Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Chinese folklore has been a rich mine for artistic production for hundreds of years, and continues to be so today. For example, Chinese ghost stories, such as in the medieval compilation of dozens of ghost stories in the work Strange Tales of Liao Zhai, have inspired artists for centuries. Many modern filmmakers have exhibited interest in this particular subgenre, giving it both serious and comical treatment. In particular, the New Wave in Hong Kong cinema that began in the 1980’s initiated the creation of innumerable films, usually slightly comic, that dealt in some way or other with magicians, vampires, ghosts, …

The Accurate Productions Of Emotion Words During A Social Communication Intervention In Children With Language Impairment, Emily Marie Gibbons

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines a social communication intervention that targets the emotional competence of children with language impairment (LI). Three elementary school-aged children with LI received twenty, 20-minute intervention sessions over four months. Each intervention session involved a combination of activities targeting emotion recognition and emotion inferencing. The emotion-based word productions were counted and analyzed. Categorized words belonged to the emotional categories of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust. The percentage of appropriate usage was calculated to represent how often the participants used each emotion-based word in a semantically correct manner. Emotion word productions that did not match the intended …

Compositing 3d Computer Generated Images And Live Footage, Ryan Jensen, Cameron Earle, Dr. Brent Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

3D imagery is used to enhance traditional film footage in all areas of the film and video industry. In order to be prepared for industry, it is necessary for students to be familiar with the process of putting live and computer generated images together in a believable fashion. Because of the recent beginning of the Animation majors at BYU, this technique has not been sufficiently taught to students. We were able to learn and use this technique in our research. We hope to be able to use our findings and experiences to teach others in the animation programs. BYU possesses …

Lake Powell 1971–1983, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This work catalogs the author’s experiences collecting plants and surveying the area around Lake Powell as part of a long-term environmental study of the Navajo-Kaiparowits region, which was approved through BYU and funded by a consortium of power companies. Data collected included plant and animal inventories, population demographics of small mammals, and weather. The account details several incidents of the type bound to occur in field research and mentions by name many students involved in the project. Numerous photographs are included. Seventeen new plant species are listed, which were named from specimens acquired in the area. The appendix lists …

My Observations Of Danish Innovation In Doing Science, Learning New Things, And Living An Interesting Life, Eugene S. Takle

The Bridge

I have had the very good fortune to interact with a number of Danish scientists and scholars over my career, and much of the scientific success I have enjoyed is directly related to these interactions. My career has taken me to Denmark several times for a variety of personal as well as professional reasons. Although my contacts have been, in some cases, somewhat episodic and mostly professionally driven, it has been my experience that once strong connections with Danish people are made they persist and do not diminish in spite of the lack of continuous tending.

God's Motivational Interview With Moses, Mark H. Butler, Matthew L. Call

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Daily Life In Denmark In The 19th Century, Sofie Krogh Nielsen

The Bridge

The 19th century entailed a lot of change in Denmark. For instance, industrialization broke through and changed the landscape, society, and conditions of life; the 1849 Constitution abolished absolute monarchy so that the political scene was changed. The 19th century was also the century where nationalism started to blossom and the idea of one nation with one people and one language developed. Moreover, Denmark was reduced from a great power to a small state with the loss of Norway in 1814 and the duchies of Slesvig, Holstein, and Lauenburg in 1864. Finally, it was also a century of emigration, especially …

"I Long To Hear From You": The Hardship Of Civil War Soldiering On Danish Immigrant Families, Anders Bo Rasmussen

The Bridge

In 1917 the Danish American minister and immigrant historian Peter S0rensen Vig published Danske i krig i og for Amerika (Danes Fighting in and for America). Vig had taken it upon himself to take a deeper look into the Danish Civil War experience, at a time when Norwegian American immigrants had already published several books about their war service. Vig, however, discovered that the information available was not quite as substantial as he had assumed when writing Danske i Amerika (Danes in America) back in 1907, nor was it "compiled in one place." Vig's Danske i Kamp i og for …

Why Bible Translations Differ: A Guide For The Perplexed, Ben Spackman

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Questioning The Comma In Verse 13 Of The Word Of Wisdom, A. Jane Birch

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

The 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants included an additional comma, which was inserted after the word “used” in D&C 89:13: “And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” Later authors have speculated that the addition of the comma was a mistake that fundamentally changed the meaning of the verse. This article examines this “errant comma theory” and demonstrates why this particular interpretation of D&C 89:13 is without merit.

Of Broomsticks, The "Moderns;' And Self-Expression, Nathalie Zimpfer

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

Broomsticks have a history of making their way into Jonathan Swift's works. One might recall that such is the object of Peter's theologico-interpretive rantings in A Tale of a Tub, in which "after some pause the Brother so often mentioned for his Erudition, who was very skill'd in Criticisms, had found in a certain Author, which he said should be nameless, that the same Word which in the Will is called Fringe, does also signify Broom-stick." More conspicuously, said object is also at the heart of A Meditation upon a Broomstick, an amusing opuscule whose full title, A …

Concerning The Mysteries Of The Egyptians, J. V. B. M. V. St.

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

I t is a tragedy for the investigating intellect to have both its own resilience and the power to lift itself to something higher chained when it attempts to track the progress of human knowledge in the annals of the world, the shaping of the intellect, and the refinement of morals. The scholar is fettered in his desire to collect data, which contributed to the enlightenment of nations and which, so to speak, fermented the human mind so that it was able to lift itself up into higher regions and throw off prejudices. He is hindered in his work when …

The Inevitability Of Epistemology In Historiography: Theory, History, And Zombie Mormon History, Alan Goff

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

Fundamental changes have occurred in the historical profession over the past thirty years. The central revolutionary change is that workers in the historical profession can no longer ignore theory and philosophy of history. A built-in resistance to theory causes historians to abjure philosophical analysis of their discipline at a time when such analysis is recognized to be indispensable. If one doesn’t have an explicit theory, one will appropriate one uncritically, without the felt need to articulate and defend the theory. The dominant theory in history over the past century has been positivism, a conception of disciplinary work that ruled history …

The Old Testament Made Harder: Scripture Study Questions, James E. Faulconer

Maxwell Institute Publications

Latter-day Saint philosopher James E. Faulconer’s Made Harder series raises many more questions than it answers. And that is precisely the point. Faulconer wrote The Old Testament Made Harder on the premise that our scripture study is only as good as the questions we bring to the endeavor. While many books about the Old Testament provide useful shortcuts, chapter synopses, timelines, and memorizable bullet-points, this book consists almost entirely of challenging questions (with occasional commentary for clarity’s sake) because, in Faulconer’s experience, questions themselves are the key to reflective and deep scripture study. This book is intended to make reading …

Ancient Temple Worship, Matthew B. Brown, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Stephen D. Ricks, John S. Thompson

Interpreter Foundation Books

The purpose of this paper1 is to draw attention to several sets of matching themes which are found in descriptions of the ancient Israelite temple and portions of the apocalypse written by the apostle John. The information associated with these sets can be applied to the task of interpreting the respective texts where they are found and they can also be used to demonstrate a surprising way whereby the covenant people of the Old and New Testaments were interconnected.

Botanists In The Canyonlands Of The Colorado Plateau – 1950–1983 & Prior, Stanley L. Welsh, Glen Moore

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of botanical investigations in southeastern Utah, but is not so-restricted geographically. It grew out of the discovery of decades-old manuscripts on the flora of what became Canyonlands National Park in 1964, but from those typescript copies the coverage grew outward geographically and backward in time to the earliest inhabitants of what is today known as the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest. Reviewed is the account of utilization of the region and its natural resources by aboriginal inhabitants who were familiar with all of it. That early, and to an extent, continuous occupation …

Hanging Gardens Of The Colorado: Jewels In The Crown—Canyonlands Versus Zion Canyon, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

Descriptions and types of Utah’s hanging gardens. This work includes a comparison of hanging gardens in Canyonlands versus Zion Canyon, as well as the plant and animal assemblages found there. Five types of gardens and alcoves are defined and the different types found in both national parks are described. Maps of hanging garden locations and extensive photographs of the flora and fauna are provided.

Table of Contents (abridged)

Prolog

Canyonlands Gardens

Geomorphology

Types of Gardens and Alcoves

Zion Canyon Gardens

Terrace-type Gardens

Plant Communities

Stream Courses

Geographic Affinities of Hanging Gardens

Restricted or Unusual Plants

Plant Succession

Appendix I: …

Teaching Correct Principles: The Experience Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Responding To Widespread Social Acceptance Of Elective Abortion, Lynn D. Wardle

BYU Studies

LDS official policies and the teachings of General Authorities, beginning with Joseph Smith, have consistently decried elective abortion. Since the 1970s, social values in the United States have increasingly moved toward acceptance of elective abortion. Church leaders have consistently explained the underlying theological reasons for their policy that abortion should be illegal in most but not all cases and kept their focus on the specific practice (elective abortion) that was of major concern and avoided getting diverted by peripheral issues. This consistent message has successfully passed this value to younger generations of Church members.

Causality In La Mort Le Roi Artu: Free Will, Accident, And Moral Failure, David S. King

Quidditas

The thirteenth-century French La Mort le Roi Artu indicates forthrightly how the Arthurian world comes to an end, but the text leaves less clear what motivates the disaster. Many critics attribute the cause to an external force, God or the goddess Fortune, that obliges Arthur and others to pursue their own destruction. A few offer greater insight into the nature of causality in the romance. They see the characters as exercising some degree of free will or even complete liberty. But these critics err in alienating the notion of free choice from moral concerns. In their reading, the heroes suffer …

The Intersection Of Music Philosophy, Performance And Genre In The Middle English Breton Lay Sir Orfeo, Lisa Myers

Quidditas

The Middle English romance Sir Orfeo is a dynamic and creative retelling of the classical Orpheus myth in which the wife of the English king, Orfeo, is abducted by fairies but eventually restored to her position and husband through Orfeo’s musical prowess. While any retelling of the Orpheus myth would necessarily contain references to music and would, therefore, likely use music as an important cue within the text, the poet of Sir Orfeo displays a sophisticated understanding of musical philosophy, composition and performance, as well as the Breton lay genre. The intersection of these elements all work together not only …

Book Of Mormon Minimalists And The Nhm Inscriptions: A Response To Dan Vogel, Neal Rappleye, Stephen O. Smoot

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

Biblical “minimalists” have sought to undermine or deemphasize the significance of the Tel Dan inscription attesting to the existence of the “house of David.” Similarly, those who might be called Book of Mormon “minimalists” such as Dan Vogel have marshaled evidence to try to make the nhm inscriptions from south Arabia, corresponding to the Book of Mormon Nahom, seem as irrelevant as possible. We show why the nhm inscriptions still stand as impressive evidence for the historicity of the Book of Mormon

Understanding Nephi With The Help Of Noah Webster, Loren Blake Spendlove

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

Dictionaries, especially Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, can be useful and informative resources to help us better understand the language of the Book of Mormon. This article compares definitions of words and phrases found in the book of 1 Nephi, using Webster’s 1828 dictionary and the New Oxford American Dictionary as references. By comparing these two dictionaries, we can see how word usage and meanings have changed since the original publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830. We can also gain a greater appreciation of the text of the Book of Mormon in a way …

“War Of Words And Tumult Of Opinions”: The Battle For Joseph Smith’S Words In Book Of Mormon Geography, Neal Rappleye

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

Review of John L. Lund. Joseph Smith and the Geography of the Book of Mormon. The Communications Company, 2012. 209 pp. + xviii, including index.

In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it? –Joseph Smith Jr.1

Axes Mundi: Ritual Complexes In Mesoamerica And The Book Of Mormon, Mark Alan Wright

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

Places are made sacred through manifestations of the divine or ritual activity. The occurrence of a theophany or hierophany or the performance of particular rituals can conceptually transform a place into an axis mundi, or the center of the world. A variety of such axes mundi are known from the archaeological record of Mesoamerica and the text of the Book of Mormon. I compare and contrast several distinctive types of such ritual complexes from Mesoamerica and the Book of Mormon and argue that they served functionally and ideologically similar purposes.