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Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

2 Insights, November 1999 Farms Through The Years, Part 1: A Conversation With John Welch And John Sorenson

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

FARMS's 20th anniversary this month gives reason to reflect on the Foundation's past progress and future promise. The following article begins a three-part series, each installment featuring comments from two people who figure prominently in the history and ongoing work of FARMS. John W. (Jack) Welch and John L. Sorenson were involved with FARMS since its inception, Stephen D. Ricks and Noel B. Reynolds were administrative officers during the organization's middle years, and Daniel C. Peterson and Daniel Oswald are current administrative officers at FARMS. This first segment presents responses from separate interviews conducted by Don Brugger, managing editor of …

The "Missionary Voice": Bona Fide Sociolect Or Figment Of The Mormon Linguistic Imagination?, Joshua Stevenson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Can members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consistently identify the so-called “missionary voice”? That is, when presented with a series of unidentified speech samples that are a mix of currently serving young missionaries and their college-aged peers, how accurate will they be at selecting missionaries from the lineup? Additionally, what features (prosodic and otherwise) make the missionary voice distinct? That is, which characteristics of missionary speech most strongly index it as such? In this paper, I seek to answer both of these questions through a sociolinguistic lens (and, in part, via the tools of perceptual dialectology). …

Cloning A Fusion Gene For The Identification Of The Proteins Contained In Ubiquitin-Rich Condensates, Grace M. Whitehead

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cellular liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a mechanism by which membraneless organelles such as polyubiquitinated condensates form and function. A non-receptor tyrosine kinase, Tnk1, binds to the polyubiquitin of polyubiquitinated condensates that are labeled for the proteasome for autophagy through its ubiquitin association (UBA) domain. This tyrosine kinase has links to a subset of hematological cancers, so identifying the protein contents within polyubiquitinated condensates is essential for understanding their significance in cancer pathways and to eventually identify potential therapeutic targets. This honors thesis focuses on the cloning of a fusion gene, pcDNA3.1 mNeonGreen–V5–UBA, as well as its deactivated L36D variant, …

Islamophobia: The Effect Of Personal Interaction And The Media On Arab Prejudice In Spain, Isabelle Stoddard

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the western world, prejudice toward Arabs continues to be a significant issue. As the migration of Arabs into Spain continues, it is important to understand the various influences on Arab prejudice. The purpose of this thesis is to examine and analyze the influence of personal interactions and media consumption on Arab prejudice in Spain. To do so, I address several questions: does personal contact significantly change attitudes and language sentiments toward Arabs in Spain? Does the type of media consumption significantly change attitudes and language sentiments toward Arabs? To what extent do personal contact and media consumption jointly affect …

Overcoming Ethical Obstacles, Mckenzie Rees

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Ethical decision-making, negotiations, gender issues at work

The Astronomy Animated Gif Lab, Darin Ragozzine

BYU Research Development Office Research Networking Conference

Astrophysics, Education

Civilizational Security: Why The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Shows That ‘National Security’ Is Not Enough To Understand Geopolitics, Greg (Grzegorz) Lewicki

Comparative Civilizations Review

This paper argues that the idea of “national security” is sometimes overwritten by “civilizational security” in security-related considerations. Civilizational security, as understood in this paper, refers to a country's security stemming from its belonging to a cultural zone or a civilization. The author clarifies the terms “a civilization,” “civilizational identity,” and “civilizational security.” Citing the examples of Poland, Ukraine, and Russia when considering the parameter of civilizational security allows us to better analyze and predict some processes, including geopolitical dilemmas and civilizational trends. It is argued that prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia misunderstood its own civilizational security …

The Economic Regions Of Chinese Civilization: A Gis-Based Analysis Of Grain Markets In China, 1736-1842, Karl Ryavec, Mark Henderson, Rocco Bowman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Possibility Of A Global Civilization, Robert Elliott Allinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article inquires into the question of what is civilization. It considers that a sine qua non of a civilization is a non-violent culture. It investigates the concept of violence and extends the concept to cover examples of citizens who live in conditions of poverty, ill health, lack of food, lack of education, lack of adequate housing, and inadequate living conditions. The argument in the article is that a civilization that allows such conditions to exist perpetrates violence upon its citizens and therefore does not deserve the appellation, ‘civilization.’ Those citizens who do not protest against such violence are not …

Monitoring Wise Civilization By Creating An Index, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The Wise Civilization Index will assess how wise we are in developing and living in a sustainable civilization.

Recently, people have started to worry about the state of the climate. This has been reflected in the finding that the climate temperature should be kept to a growth of below two degrees Celsius by 2100 to save our species from a slow death (The Paris Agreement of 2015). After all, raising the human body temperature by two degrees threatens illness and even death by four degrees. The same (relatively) can be done with Earth. However, apart from the climate, the problem …

Buber The Radical Egalitarian And Buber And Psychology, Kenneth Feigenbaum

Comparative Civilizations Review

My first iteration for this paper was to present Martin Buber in the context of radical politics in Germany and to focus upon his relationship to the anarchist Gustav Landauer. After a brief search, I found too few sources that were easily accessible from here in the United States, so as part of this presentation I situate Buber in the radical politics extant mostly during his time in Germany and in Berlin. I focus here on Buber’s psychology but include several intellectual side trips visiting aspects of Buber’s philosophy and his politics. I cannot separate them in discussing Buber and …

“Early Covid” Changes In Parenting, Education, And Work On Parental Stress: A Gendered Comparison Of Canadian Parents, Holly Harris

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In May 2020, data were collected through survey as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding and still in its “early” months. The sample N=1,208 is of Canadian parents in a residential romantic relationship, who live with a residential child under the age of eighteen years old, who have access to the internet, and speak English or French. I examine how disruptions to child’s education/daycare, work, and parental childcare activities predicted parental stress through regression models. Findings indicate that fathers and mothers stress since the onset of COVID-19 were the same and that gender was not a moderator to parental stress. A …

That Ye Might Feel And See: Touch In The First Day Of Christ's Ministry, Dan L. Belnap

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Playing To Play: A Critical Analysis Of Masaaki Yuasa's Ping Pong: The Animation., W. Ranse Gale

Theses and Dissertations

Masaaki Yuasa's 2014 series Ping Pong: The Animation approaches the ideas of play, competition, and victory in unique ways, especially when compared to other series in the sports anime genre. Through the protagonist Smile, Yuasa encourages viewers to engage with play in a childlike, empathetic and naïve way, as opposed to focusing on victory. By analyzing the series using De Koven's ways to approach play, scholars and fans can better understand the variety of ways in which the characters approach play, and how each of them eventually learns to play well. Analyzing this series through the perspective of metamodernism as …

Analyzing The Continuum Of Control And Freedom In Intimate Relationships: A Grounded Theory, Daniel Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Although research identifying and addressing extreme forms of control exists, all relationships experience some amount of control and some amount of the opposite of control, which is freedom. Large gaps in prevalence estimates and varied definitions of control suggest a need to better define the spectrum of control from mild to extreme forms, including looking at non-physically violent forms of coercive control. The purpose of this study was to expand knowledge of control in intimate relationships by examining the continuum of mild and extreme experiences of both control and freedom. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, the two categories of control …

Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon

Theses and Dissertations

Past research suggests that adoptees face a higher risk of insecure attachment and encounter more challenges related to trust and commitment in their romantic relationships compared to nonadopted individuals. This study examines the association between adoption status and marital security among newly married couples, with a focus on the potential moderating role of gender. Using data from a representative sample of newly married couples in the United States (n = 2,110), the relationship between adoption status and multiple measures of marital security were measured using OLS regression. Findings indicate that, during the early stages of marriage, adult adoptees exhibited comparable …

Practicing Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives Of Public Records In Their Classrooms, Sini Nicole White Graff

Theses and Dissertations

While media displays exist in every mathematics classroom, these displays may have been taken for granted by teachers and researchers in terms of their potential use and impact on learning. This study looks at how three practicing mathematics teachers with differing teaching styles and experience levels view and use these media displays in their classrooms. This research shows how the relationship between a teachers' perceptions of media displays for showing mathematics are closely tied to their own beliefs regarding teaching and learning. Findings for this study can provide researchers with a starting place to see how teachers perceive and talk …

Comparison Of Compact Very High Frequency (Vhf) Antennas For Small Airborne Ground Penetrating Radar, Tayler Austen Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

UHF bands because more penetration can be achieved at low frequencies. Consequently, large antennas are required, which limits their use for small airborne applications. This thesis explores various GPR antenna designs for a bi-static system that are at least operational from 225 MHz to 255 MHz and suitable for small airborne applications. The 3D electromagnetic simulation software Ansys high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) was used to simulate various sizes of strip dipole, triangular bowtie, half elliptical bowtie, and elliptical bowtie antennas. Several physical models were constructed to validate the return loss simulation results. Additionally, simulation data is included for a wire …

Presenting Issue Agreement And The Therapeutic Alliance In Family Therapy, Emilee Oldroyd

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown a positive association between the therapeutic alliance and family therapy outcome. Theory and preliminary research suggest that parent and adolescent agreement on the presenting problem would be a significant predictor of the therapeutic alliance in family therapy. This study used de-identified data from the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network. The presenting problem was assessed at the first session, and agreement in presenting problems was determined by matching the responses between the parents and adolescents. The within-system alliance item of the Intersession Alliance Measures-Family (IAM-F), assessed at the fourth session, was used to measure the …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Couple Relationship Quality Across Eight Sessions: A Dyadic Analysis With Latent Growth Curve Modeling, Min Xu

Theses and Dissertations

While previous studies have demonstrated significant associations between partners' emotion regulation and overall well-being, few studies provide knowledge on emotion regulation in clinical couples, especially across couple therapy sessions. With 168 heterosexual couples who attended at least the initial eight sessions of couple therapy, the current study was designed to examine the intra- and inter-personal effects of emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., lack of awareness, nonacceptance, limited strategies, and impulsivity) on the development of relationship quality over the course of couple therapy. The results of the current study provide a few important findings. First, gender differences exist in emotion regulation and …

Are Shrubs A Necessary Component Of The Habitat For Ammospermophilus Nelsoni In The San Joaquin Desert?, David J. Germano, Larry R. Saslaw

Western North American Naturalist

The San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni; SJAS) is a state-listed Threatened species in California that evolved in the shrublands of the San Joaquin Desert. Due to livestock overgrazing and fires, much of the desert has lost its shrub cover, which would be a conservation concern if shrubs are a necessary component of the habitat for squirrels. We established two 64-trap plots on the Lokern area of Kern County, California: one covered by saltbush scrub (Atriplex spp.) and another nearby without shrubs. We trapped quarterly starting in January 2019 and ending in November 2021 (12 trap sessions). …

Mexican Gartersnakes (Thamnophis Eques) Along The Gila River In Southwestern New Mexico, Keith Geluso

Western North American Naturalist

The Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques) is a federally threatened species in the United States, with only a few isolated populations remaining in Arizona and New Mexico. For some populations, only limited knowledge exists regarding their status and natural history; thus, all observations are noteworthy. Along the Gila River in New Mexico, for example, only 2 observations of this species have been published, one in 1883 and one in 1973. Herein, I report on 6 additional observations of Mexican gartersnakes from along the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico. Five individuals were documented in riparian habitats close to or …

A Possession For All Time: Athenian Democracy And Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, J. Hollis Pueblo

Theses and Dissertations

Video game adaptations of the classical world are becoming increasingly intricate, and the study of video games as artifacts of classical reception and adaptation is likewise becoming increasingly important for the field of historiography. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, set during the Peloponnesian War, recreates, among other aspects of the Greek world of the period, the political setting of Periklean Athens. This thesis examines instances of Athenian political representation within the game which depart from the typical image of Athens' politics as informed by primary source accounts, knowledge of sociocultural practices, and archaeological finds. It argues that the game depicts the Athenian …

Impact Of Mental Wellness Courses On Student Mental Health, Joshua W. Pinson

Theses and Dissertations

A large portion of college students have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and that number is climbing. Most of these students are not receiving treatment, and university counseling centers are unable to meet the increasing demands. The purpose of this study is to fill gaps in this literature by doing an early analysis of a larger, multi-year quasi-experimental study to assess the impact of college mental wellness courses on self-health measures and mental health resource utilization rates. The validated instruments used for evaluating self-health measures and mental health resource utilization were the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) Counseling …

The Hidden Power Of “Thank You”: Exploring Aspects, Expressions, And The Influence Of Gratitude In Religious Families, Joe M. Chelladurai, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Heather H. Kelley, David B. Allsop

Faculty Publications

Gratitude has been extensively studied over the past two decades. Among several predictors, aspects of religiosity and spirituality have been consistent predictors of gratitude. To explore the religious motivations and processes that foster the practice of gratitude, we undertook a systematic thematic analysis using interview data from a national qualitative project of 198 highly religious families. Participants (n = 476) included mothers, fathers, and children from various socioeconomic backgrounds and from diverse religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the United States of America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes. Data for this study were analyzed using a team-based …

Radar Processing Techniques For Using The Limesdr Mini As A Short-Range Lfm Radar, Jacob Scott Stratford

Theses and Dissertations

Drone-mounted ground penetrating radar (GPR) has the capability to investigate terrain that is inaccessible or hazardous to humans. A linear frequency-modulated (LFM) radar with the potential for GPR applications is described based on the LimeSDR Mini software defined radio (SDR). Challenges of the LimeSDR Mini radar include the SDR's lack of support for transmitter-receiver synchronization and high bleedthrough leakage. These issues are overcome through corrective software processing techniques including deconvolution of the SDR's system impulse response and digital feed-through nulling. Feed-through nulling is effective at reducing bleedthrough leakage, achieving a 26 dB reduction in power. Although high noise can confound …

Remembering Martyrdom: Delacroix's Massacre Of Chios As A Site Of Collective Memory, Colette Burton

Theses and Dissertations

The Massacre of Chios (1824) by Eugéne Delacroix illustrates the titular genocide from the Greek War of Independence. This genocide was a veritable razing of the entire island by Ottoman Turks in 1822. Today, a replica of Delacroix's painting resides on the island inside the entrance of the Chios Byzantine Museum, located in a converted mosque built on the ruins of a Christian church. This site is a case for the existence of non-Western temporalities, including liturgical and Aegean temporalities, as they pertain to the commemoration of the massacre through interaction with the replica. These temporalities are not causal or …

The Affirm Model For Navigating Challenges In Divergent-Interfaith And Consistent-Interfaith Marriages, Justin J. Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations

The current study utilized a qualitative approach to identify the specific processes and principles that promote stability and happiness in exemplary interfaith marriages. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 interfaith couples (N = 63) that had been recruited through purposive sampling who reported being happily married on average 20 years. Six core themes were identified through team-based systematic analysis using NVivo 12. Many couples reported several significant challenges because of their religious differences, as discussed in our first theme. We organized the five themes regarding how couples navigated religious differences into the AFFIRM model. That is, the adaptive processes and …

Did Covid Change Everything Or Nothing At All? Canadian Family Life During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carlee Guenther Dynes

Theses and Dissertations

In March of 2020, Canada, along with the rest of the world, declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency and responded with society-wide lockdowns, granting exceptions only for essential workers. Canadians across all demographic categories were significantly impacted, and many parents of children under 18 faced the difficult task of caring for their children while simultaneously meeting their work obligations. Using novel in-depth interview data from 30 Canadian parents (in 15 couples) collected between April 2022 and May 2023, I explore three main changes to family life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic: expanded family-friendly work practices, increased time with nuclear …