Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Feedback Conversations: An Activity To Initiate Instructor-Student Dialogues About Writing Development, Sarah M. Lacy

Journal of Response to Writing

In this essay I discuss the pedagogical implications of a classroom activity in which students work reflectively with instructor feedback provided to their writing. Using the comments feature in Google Docs, these “Feedback Conversations” create a dialogue between student and instructor using feedback as the exigence for collaboration in developing a student’s writing process. This activity addresses the work of Anthony Edgington (2020) and Pamela Gay (1998), by offering an exercise which allows instructors to remain reflective on their feedback practices, while also instigating a “conversation” between student and instructor. By offering a virtual space to house this conversational exercise, …

Crafting A Writing Response Community Through Contract Grading, Sarah Klotz, Kristina Reardon

Journal of Response to Writing

As labor-based grading contracts gain momentum in first year writing classrooms, new kinds of response to writing take center stage. We explore how session notes composed by embedded peer tutors and students become rich tools in a writing process and create a gateway to the writing center for first-year students. By reading session notes in conversation with students’ reflective writing, we put forward three key findings: students articulate a relationship between building confidence in their writing and their willingness to seek, receive, and value feedback; students discuss how the labor required for an ‘A’ pushed them to access and learn …

Feedback Practices In Hybrid Writing Courses: Instructor Choices About Modality And Timing, Ariel M. Goldenthal, Jessica Matthews, Courtney Adams Wooten, Brian Fitzpatrick, Lourdes Fernandez

Journal of Response to Writing

Despite a wealth of research on feedback practices in synchronous and asynchronous courses, little has been done to investigate such practices in hybrid writing pedagogy. How do instructors make choices about providing feedback when both instructional modes are operating in a course?

A qualitative study conducted with fourteen instructors who teach hybrid writing courses at a large state university reveals how they navigate a series of choices about providing feedback on student writing. This study shows that instructional modality, use of the LMS, and labor conditions influence the decisions instructors make about how and when to provide feedback, especially on …

Using Lessons From Collaboratively Processing Written Corrective Feedback, Nicholas Carr

Journal of Response to Writing

This case study investigates how two English language learners use knowledge co-constructed while collaboratively processing written corrective feedback (WCF) on jointly produced texts. It does so through the lens of sociocultural theory (SCT). This study extends the extant literature by investigating how co-constructed knowledge emerging from their interactions was manifested in subsequent individual writing and speaking tasks which were similar—but not identical—to the original collaborative writing tasks. Data were collected from video recordings of participants’ interactions as they collaboratively processed WCF; individual retrospective interviews, during which participants watched the video recordings and identified what they learned; and observation of individual …

Editorial Introduction, Kat O'Meara, Betsy Gilliland

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Ascat Wind Estimation At 2.5 Km Resolution Supported By Machine Learning Rain Detection, Joshua Benjamin Kjar

Theses and Dissertations

The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) is a C-band scatterometer designed to be less sensitive to rain contamination than other higher frequency scatterometers. However, the radar backscatter is still affected by rain which increases error during wind estimation. The error can be reduced in rainy conditions by combining a rain backscatter model with the existing wind only (WO) backscatter model to perform simultaneous wind and rain (SWR) estimation. I derive and test several 2.5 km resolution rain backscatter models for ASCAT data which are used with the WO model to estimate the near surface winds. Various rain models optimal for different purposes …

Character First: Defining And Methodizing Character Depth, Jeff Mason

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

This paper explores the definition of "depth" in characters and provides a radical new definition, supplemented by an applicable model. By looking into significant literary theory, contemporary works of story, and even elements of mathematics, this paper advances our understanding of characters and how they create meaning in stories.

The Applicability Of Joint Source-Channel Coding Systems To Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry Data, Jesse Richmond

Theses and Dissertations

Broadcast spectrum restrictions require greater efficiency from wireless transmission systems, particularly in applications where sections of spectrum previously reserved for military purposes have been sold to private interests. A joint source-channel coding system, in tandem with smart data selection techniques, is proposed as a potential solution to this problem. The workings of this joint source-channel coding system are detailed, with particular attention given to the decoding process.

Building Software Compliant Multidimensional Datasets Through Programmatic Solutions, Jon Enoch Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Meteorological and other multidimensional, georeferenced data is used extensively in science and engineering. These datasets are produced, shared, and used by organizations all over the world. Conventions have been developed specifying the metadata and format of these datasets in an effort to standardize the data and make it compatible with current and future software and web services. By necessity, the conventions are complex and difficult to implement correctly, resulting in useful datasets that are unusable in many applications due to lack of compliance with the conventions. By programmatically assigning metadata and guiding the dataset creator through the dataset creation process, …

Full Issue

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

The Only Way Out Is Through: Community, Death, And The Desacralization Of Trauma In George Saunders’ Lincoln In The Bardo, Josey Gardner

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

The arrival of George Saunders’ novel Lincoln in the Bardo as yet another trauma narrative is not surprising. What began as a desire for representation of trauma in media and literature has morphed into an obsession in which trauma is the gold standard. Upon becoming so, trauma is inevitably placed upon a pedestal—the shining object that all other decisions are measured against and based upon. Its placement on this pedestal marks the “sacralization” of trauma. However, Lincoln in the Bardo fills a unique niche in the current portrayals of trauma found in popular media by seeking to minimize its importance …

Reservoir Computing Solutions For Streamflow Modeling And Prediction In Real World Scenarios, Paden Allsup

Undergraduate Honors Theses

With severe drought continuing in the western United States and the effects of climate change becoming more apparent across the world, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to predict the impact of extreme weather events like storms, droughts, and fires on streamflow dynamics. This includes flow regime as well as biogeochemical behavior of river systems and their watersheds. This project explores the use of Echo State Networks (ESN), a subset of Reservoir Computing, on modeling and predicting streamflow variability with a focus on biogeochemical patterns. In this project ESNs are tested and compared in the hope of creating …

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

Farms Book Of Mormon Research Highlighted

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

During a recent meeting of the FARMS Development Council, four principal investigators on Book of Mormon–related projects reviewed the status of their ongoing work. The reports clarified each project’s goals, highlighted new findings, noted future directions, and expressed appreciation for the crucial support of generous donors, many of whom were in attendance. A summary of the presentations follows.

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

Ancient Exegesis And The Study Of Scripture, Cory Daniel Crawford

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

Attention to exegesis in and of the Hebrew Bible has much to offer Latter-day Saint students of scripture in their efforts to understand the biblical text.*Exegesis is the explanation or interpretation of a text. The word is derived from Greek, meaning literally “to lead out (of).” The general study of biblical exegesis has come to incorporate at least three subdivisions, each having direct relevance for Latter-day Saints: inner-biblical allusion, biblical and postbiblical exegesis, and scribal comments and corrections.

Herculaneum Papyri Project Catalyzes New Oxford Society

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

Brigham Young University’s Herculaneum papyri project continues to gain support among American and European scholars. The project’s director, Roger T. Macfarlane, an associate professor of classics at BYU, was invited to serve on the organizing board of the nascent Herculaneum Society, which was inaugurated in Oxford, England, on 3 July 2004. The society promotes inter-national attention on scholarship and fund-raising related to the ancient town of Herculaneum and its Villa of the Papyri. Together with David Arm-strong, a classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Macfarlane will direct the North American division of the Herculaneum Society. “There is …

The Pleading Bar Of God, Royal Skousen

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

Near the end of his life, the prophet Nephi referred to the day of judgment and declared that we, the readers of the Book of Mormon, will stand face to face with him before the bar of Christ (2 Nephi 33:11). Similarly, the prophets Jacob and Moroni referred to meeting us when we appear before “the pleasing bar” of God to be judged.

Farms Review Offers Wide Coverage, Thoughtful Analysis

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

At nearly 500 pages, the latest issue of the FARMS Review (vol. 16, no. 1) continues its pattern of offering wide-ranging coverage and in-depth analysis aimed at encouraging reliable scholarship and helping readers make informed judgments about recent publications in the field of Mormon studies.

Restoring The Original Text Of The Book Of Mormon

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

Elegantly produced and weighing in at 652 pages, the first part of volume 4 in Professor Royal Skousen’s ongoing Book of Mormon critical text project has just come from the press. Volumes 1 and 2, containing transcripts of the original manuscript and the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon, were published by FARMS in 2001. Volume 3, which will describe the history of the Book of Mormon text from Joseph Smith’s original dictation through the current standard editions, will appear after all parts of volume 4 have been published. Volume 3 will include a complete analysis of the grammatical …

The Development Of A Genomic Toolbox For Studying The Evolutionary Genetics Of Reptilian Lungs Using The Chicken Model, Logan Thomas Edvalson

Theses and Dissertations

There is a vast diversity in tetrapod lung branching morphology. Phylogenetically, much of the pulmonary diversity among vertebrates appears to arise from the way epithelial tubes branch or form saccular (cyst) structures. Fgf10 activity has been shown to play a critical role in regulating branch versus cyst morphology. We hypothesize that the species-specific differences in lung morphology may be primarily due to species-specific differences in Fgf10 expression. To test this hypothesis, we have performed bioinformatic analyses on the Fgf10 locus and have identified a conserved 11 kb noncoding region that potentially contains the Fgf10 lung enhancer. We are taking a …

Necrotic Lesions And Associated Mites Of The Pinnae Of Free-Living Bats Artibeus Jamaicensis And Sturnira Hondurensis From Mexico, Silvia S. Zalapa, Sergio Guerrero-Vázquez, Cornelio Sánchez-Hernández, Juan B. Morales-Malacara, Gabriela Castaño-Meneses, José L. Navarrete-Heredia, David Ávila-Figueroa, Francisco Javier Padilla-Ramírez

Western North American Naturalist

Lesions of the pinnae of captive bats are common, but there are few reports for free-living bats. In those reports, causal agents of the lesions were attributed to mites, fungus, or a combination of factors, but specific information regarding pinna lesions is generally lacking. This is the first report in Mexico of pinna lesions, associated mites, and histopathological findings for 2 species of free-living bats: the Jamaican fruit-eating bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) and the Honduran yellow-shouldered bat (Sturnira hondurensis).


Reportes de lesiones en las pinas de murciélagos en cautiverio son comunes, pero hay pocos para murciélagos de …

The History Of Cougars In Yellowstone National Park, William J. Ripple Phd, Robert L. Beschta, Luke E. Painter

Western North American Naturalist

We synthesize reports of cougar (Puma concolor) killings, sightings, and related information in Yellowstone National Park from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Cougars were common before the park was established in 1872 but were heavily persecuted in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the park attempted extirpation. Despite being greatly reduced, cougars may have persisted, at least intermittently, in the park and vicinity at low levels from the 1920s through the 1950s, at numbers that were likely functionally irrelevant from an ecological perspective. More recently, in field studies conducted during periods between 1987 and 2017, cougar …

Modeling Of High-Pressure Entrained-Flow Char Oxidation, Daniel Gundersen

Theses and Dissertations

Coal plays a significant role in electricity production worldwide and will into the foreseeable future. Technologies that improve efficiency and lower emissions are becoming more popular. High pressure reactors and oxyfuel combustion can offer these benefits. Designing new reactors effectively requires accurate single particle modeling. This work models a high-pressure, high-temperature, high-heating rate, entrained-flow, char oxidation data set to generate kinetic parameters. Different modeling methods were explored and a sensitivity analysis on char burnout was performed by varying parameters such as total pressure, O2 partial pressure, O2 and CO2 mole fractions, gas temperature, diameter, and pre-exponential factor. Pressure effects on …

Moral Foundations In Bunkerville And Malheur, David Keith Frey

Theses and Dissertations

The events of the Bunkerville standoff and the Malheur wildlife refuge occupation were both important confrontations with the government by the western land rights movement. Participants in and responders to the events engage in distinct moral judgments and rationales. Utilizing cultural schema analysis and moral foundations theory (MFT), I explored the differences in rationales and judgments made by participants and responders in their explicit, public moral discourses of both events. My analysis indicates that responders and participants defined and utilized the same moral foundations, but in distinct ways. Participants were more diverse in their invocation of moral foundations while responders …

Landscape Genetics Of The Camas Pocket Gopher (Thomomys Bulbivorus), An Endemic Mammal Of Oregon’S Willamette Valley, Luke E. Painter, Matthew J. Weldy, Rachel S. Crowhurst, Leslie N. Carraway, Clinton W. Epps

Western North American Naturalist

Animal species living in small populations with small ranges may be particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. We investigated genetic population structure of the camas pocket gopher (Thomomys bulbivorus), a species endemic to the Willamette Valley, Oregon, an area strongly affected by human development. Pocket gophers collected across much of the range of the species were analyzed for genetic structure, diversity, and influences of landscape on gene flow using microsatellite markers identified in closely related gopher species. We used k-means clustering to group individuals into genetically similar clusters based on their locations along principal component axes, and …

Erratum: "A Molecular Taxonomy Of Cottus In Western North America

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing The Russian Of A Heritage Speaker, Aaron Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a linguistic profile of a heritage speaker of Russian and recounts the efforts to revitalize his Russian after he had nearly stopped speaking it. The study was conducted over the course of almost two years, starting when the subject was twelve years old and ending when he was fourteen. Although this study found that the subject displayed many of the linguistic features typical of heritage speakers, the subject's Russian had suffered less attrition than is common for heritage speakers of Russian in the United States. This study presents its linguistic findings under the rubrics of phonology, morphosyntax, …

Arabs: A 3,000 Year History Of Peoples, Tribes, And Empires By Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Garrett Maxwell

Studia Antiqua

No abstract provided.