Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Brigham Young University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 2281 - 2310 of 3777

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Ascents And Descents: Personal Pilgrimage In Hieronymus Bosch's The Haywain, Alison Daines Dec 2009

Ascents And Descents: Personal Pilgrimage In Hieronymus Bosch's The Haywain, Alison Daines

Theses and Dissertations

At the end of the fifteenth century, Hieronymus Bosch provided the foremost expression of the strict religious piety embodied by the Devotio Moderna and the impending embrace of secular humanism. As a result, Bosch's seemingly complex images provided viewers with positive messages concerning the journey of life through the use of binary symbolism. He utilized the pilgrimage motif as a guide throughout his paintings and in relation to the liminal spaces surrounding his works. This article will examine his important triptych, The Haywain, (c.1495-1516) as an example of spiritual paths taken simultaneously by both religious and contemporary figures, along …

Go to article

The Impact Of Opencourseware On Paid Enrollment In Distance Learning Courses, Justin K. Johansen Dec 2009

The Impact Of Opencourseware On Paid Enrollment In Distance Learning Courses, Justin K. Johansen

Theses and Dissertations

Since MIT launched the first OpenCourseWare (OCW) initiative in 2002, responses from the academic community have ranged from exuberance to angst. Some institutions have been reluctant to adopt a program of open publishing because of concerns about long-term funding and possible adverse effects on paid enrollment. Money is an issue, forcing some organizations that initially created OCW programs to furlough them due to funding challenges. This study examined the cost of converting online distance learning courses to OCW, the impact of opening these courses on paid enrollments, and the long-term sustainability of OCW through the generation of new paid enrollments. …

Go to article

Improving Accuracy In Microwave Radiometry Via Probability And Inverse Problem Theory, Derek Lavell Hudson Nov 2009

Improving Accuracy In Microwave Radiometry Via Probability And Inverse Problem Theory, Derek Lavell Hudson

Theses and Dissertations

Three problems at the forefront of microwave radiometry are solved using probability theory and inverse problem formulations which are heavily based in probability theory. Probability theory is able to capture information about random phenomena, while inverse problem theory processes that information. The use of these theories results in more accurate estimates and assessments of estimate error than is possible with previous, non-probabilistic approaches. The benefits of probabilistic approaches are expounded and demonstrated. The first problem to be solved is a derivation of the error that remains after using a method which corrects radiometric measurements for polarization rotation. Yueh [1] proposed …

Go to article

Revisiting The Desert Sublime: Billy's Ecotheological Journey In Cormac Mccarthy's The Crossing, Michael J. Riding Nov 2009

Revisiting The Desert Sublime: Billy's Ecotheological Journey In Cormac Mccarthy's The Crossing, Michael J. Riding

Theses and Dissertations

While McCarthy studies have emphasized elements of the sacred in his writing, this thesis adds a new historical perspective and synthesis to reading paradigms of Cormac McCarthy. The Crossing combines the patterns of the ancient pre-Hebraic genre of the desert sublime with the basic formula of the American Western genre to interrogate McCarthy's question of whether in the postmodern moment one can still divest oneself in the desert and find access to the sublime. In an era of an invisible or absent God where post-humanist thought erases the anthropocentric supremacy of human over animal and the earth itself, the one …

Go to article

Predictive Modeling Of Sulfur Flower Buckwheat (Erigonum Umbellatum Torrey) Using Non-Parametric Multiplicative Regression Analysis, David B. Davis Nov 2009

Predictive Modeling Of Sulfur Flower Buckwheat (Erigonum Umbellatum Torrey) Using Non-Parametric Multiplicative Regression Analysis, David B. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Impacts of humans on ecosystems in western United States have necessitated ecological restoration, which includes the development of native seed that can be used for revegetation efforts. Development of such seed sources are costly and time consuming. This study describes the use of non-parametric multiplicative regression analysis (NPMR) to develop a predictive model for occurrence of sulfur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum Torrey) population seed collection. This perennial forb species is of interest for seed source development in the western United States. Presence and absence data for E. umbellatum was taken from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Range …

Go to article

Monkey Pots: Inferring Meaning Through Time And Space From Function, Decoration, And Context, Benjamin Jacob Skousen Nov 2009

Monkey Pots: Inferring Meaning Through Time And Space From Function, Decoration, And Context, Benjamin Jacob Skousen

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I interpret the meaning of “monkey pots,” a pottery vessel found throughout the Maya world. This study looks at three kinds of monkey pots recovered from the Mirador Basin. Carmelita Incised and Zacatal Polychrome monkey pots date to the Late Classic period (AD 680-800) and were manufactured in the Basin; Telchac Composite monkey pots date to the Terminal Classic period (AD 780-830) and were made in the Usumacinta River region. These monkey pots are described, followed by an analysis and comparison of the function, the monkey genus on the vessels, and the contexts from which the vessels …

Go to article

Intraspecific Phylogeography Of Cycladenia Humilis (Apocynaceae), Mariana P. Last Nov 2009

Intraspecific Phylogeography Of Cycladenia Humilis (Apocynaceae), Mariana P. Last

Theses and Dissertations

Cycladenia humilis (Apocynaceae) is a rare perennial herb native to western North America and has a fragmented distribution in California, Utah, and Arizona. Populations in Utah and Arizona are federally listed as threatened, while there is no conservation status applied to California populations. Using genetic (three chloroplast and two nuclear DNA loci) and morphological characters, intraspecific variation between populations of C. humilis and current taxonomic conventions were assessed. Nested Clade Phylogeographic Analysis and Bayesian phylogenies were used to assess patterns within C. humilis and supported three main population groupings: a northern California, southern California, and Colorado Plateau group. The northern …

Go to article

Facets Of The History Of New Bern, Michael Hill, Ansley Wegner Nov 2009

Facets Of The History Of New Bern, Michael Hill, Ansley Wegner

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The affable climate and geography of the coastal plain of North Carolina made it an attractive settlement point for incoming Europeans. The land is relatively flat, and the rich soils are ideal for agriculture. The mild climate allowed for longer growing seasons, and a number of wide, slow-moving rivers provided both navigation and a food source. Indeed, John Lawson, the British naturalist and explorer, described North Carolina as "a country, whose inhabitants may enjoy a life of the greatest ease and satisfaction, and pass away their hours in solid contentment."

Go to article

Distribution Records And Comments On Mammals In Western South Dakota, Steven G. Platt, Zannita Fast Horse, Thomas R. Rainwater, Stanlee M. Miller Oct 2009

Distribution Records And Comments On Mammals In Western South Dakota, Steven G. Platt, Zannita Fast Horse, Thomas R. Rainwater, Stanlee M. Miller

Western North American Naturalist

The mammal fauna of western South Dakota is imperfectly known; in particular there is a notable paucity of data from Indian reservations in the region. We collected mammals from January 2003 through May 2006 using a variety of standard methodologies, including trapping with snap-traps and Macabee traps, shooting, and salvaging road- and hunter-killed animals. Herein we provide 23 specimen-based county records representing 17 species of mammals. In addition, a photo record constitutes the first report of Dasypus novemcinctus from South Dakota and the northernmost record in the United States. The possible local extirpation of Marmota flaviventris in the southern Black …

Go to article

New Record And Southern Range Extension For The Mearn's Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys Arenicola Mearns, 1896) In Veracruz, Mexico, Alvar González-Christen, Christian Alejandro Delfín-Alfonso, Alberto González-Romero Oct 2009

New Record And Southern Range Extension For The Mearn's Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys Arenicola Mearns, 1896) In Veracruz, Mexico, Alvar González-Christen, Christian Alejandro Delfín-Alfonso, Alberto González-Romero

Western North American Naturalist

Mearn's grasshopper mouse (Onychomys arenicola) in Mexico is found primarily in the central and northern states. This is the first report of the genus Onychomys in the state of Veracruz, based on 7 captured specimens (3 collected). This finding extends the species' known distribution by approximately 470 km east-southeast. In addition, this record increases the alpha diversity of terrestrial mammals for the state of Veracruz to 192 species.

Go to article

Purpose Driven Progress: Korean Studies Librarianship In North America, 1990-2009, Joy Kim Oct 2009

Purpose Driven Progress: Korean Studies Librarianship In North America, 1990-2009, Joy Kim

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Go to article

He Is Our Friend: Thomas L. Kane And The Mormons In Exodus, 1846–1850, Richard E. Bennett Oct 2009

He Is Our Friend: Thomas L. Kane And The Mormons In Exodus, 1846–1850, Richard E. Bennett

BYU Studies

This article, originally a lecture given at Brigham Young University in 2009, was published as part of a special issue of BYU Studies featuring Thomas L. Kane. Although Kane was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was an advocate for the Mormon cause and a trusted friend of Mormon leaders for almost forty years. Bennett shows how documents from the Kane collection at Brigham Young University enhance, correct, or confirm our knowledge of the following: first, the attitudes of President James K. Polk and his cabinet and others close to him toward the …

Go to article

Touring Polygamous Utah With Elizabeth W. Kane, Winter 1872–1873, Lowell C. Bennion, Thomas R. Carter Oct 2009

Touring Polygamous Utah With Elizabeth W. Kane, Winter 1872–1873, Lowell C. Bennion, Thomas R. Carter

BYU Studies

This article, originally a lecture given at Brigham Young University in 2009, was published as part of a special issue of BYU Studies featuring Thomas L. Kane. Although Kane was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was an advocate for the Mormon cause and a trusted friend of Mormon leaders for almost forty years. Bennion and Carter consider the ideas presented by Elizabeth Kane, Thomas's wife, who expressed her dismay with plural marriage in her writings about her visit to Utah in 1872–73. The authors combine Elizabeth's views with their interest in Mormon …

Go to article

The University Of Nauvoo, 1841-45, Susan Easton Black Sep 2009

The University Of Nauvoo, 1841-45, Susan Easton Black

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence Of Ancient Maya Agriculture At Tikal, Guatemala, Richard Lee Burnett Aug 2009

Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence Of Ancient Maya Agriculture At Tikal, Guatemala, Richard Lee Burnett

Theses and Dissertations

Stable carbon isotope analyses of the humin fraction of the soil organic matter were conducted on more than 160 soil profiles from Tikal, Guatemala. The profiles were collected from near areas associated with the earthworks of Tikal; an ancient ditch and parapet construction hypothesized to have formed ancient boundaries of the polity. In addition to the isotope analyses, the physical and chemical characteristics of the horizons were determined. Maize, a C4 plant, formed an integral part of the ancient Maya diet and is the only known C4 plant cultivated by the Maya. Prior to and subsequent to the ancient Maya …

Go to article

Map, Manuscript, And Memory: The Emergence Of An Anglo-Saxon Identity Between Origins And Apocalypse, Juliana Marie Chapman Aug 2009

Map, Manuscript, And Memory: The Emergence Of An Anglo-Saxon Identity Between Origins And Apocalypse, Juliana Marie Chapman

Theses and Dissertations

As the only extant detailed world map of the Anglo-Saxon period, the Anglo-Saxon map, c. 1025, presents a unique opportunity to explore a sense of Anglo-Saxon social identity as evidenced in this graphic worldview. The Anglo-Saxon map has most often been dismissed as an ill-fitting illustration when viewed solely in its manuscript context or an equally poor navigational tool when considered in the context of modern cartography. The purpose of this thesis is to present the argument that the Anglo-Saxon world map is neither simply a bad illustration nor a poorly rendered map intended for travel, but is rather a …

Go to article

Active Human Power Generation: As A New Portion Of The Energy Supply, Robert J. Mccleary Ii Aug 2009

Active Human Power Generation: As A New Portion Of The Energy Supply, Robert J. Mccleary Ii

Library Research Grants

The discovery and use of energy has revolutionized society for more then two hundred years. With it we have witnessed an explosion of knowledge and technology unparallel in history. Unfortunately our main sources of energy are in limited supply. In order to continue to enjoy the progress made during these last few centuries it is necessary to know both when our supply will run out and to find alternative sources.

The question of when the fossil fuels will run out has been on the minds of many scientists for more than fifty years. In 1956 Dr. M. King Hubbert developed …

Go to article

Phytogeography And Floristics Of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands In Northern Arizona, Kyle Christie Jul 2009

Phytogeography And Floristics Of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands In Northern Arizona, Kyle Christie

Western North American Naturalist

This study assesses the floristic diversity and affinities of pinyon-juniper (PJ) woodlands in northern Arizona at 2 different scales: regionally within the context of North American floristic patterns and locally within the 2500-m elevation gradient of the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF). An analysis based upon 245 North American floras indicates that the PJ woodlands of the SFVF share strong affinities with the adjacent Colorado Plateau and Apachian floristic elements but also show high floristic similarity to the Great Plains. Data suggest that mid-elevation woodlands of the Colorado Plateau share floristic affinities with the Great Plains that are as strong …

Go to article

Bats Along The Republican River And Its Tributaries In Southwestern Nebraska: Distribution, Abundance, And Reproduction, Matthew R. Serbousek, Keith Geluso Jul 2009

Bats Along The Republican River And Its Tributaries In Southwestern Nebraska: Distribution, Abundance, And Reproduction, Matthew R. Serbousek, Keith Geluso

Western North American Naturalist

Thirteen species of bats occur in Nebraska, but limited information is available on those inhabiting southwestern parts of the state. We investigated the distribution, abundance, and reproductive activity of bats in 5 counties in extreme southwestern Nebraska (Chase, Hays, Dundy, Hitchcock, and Red Willow). From April 2007 to April 2008, we deployed mist nets on 15 occasions at 8 localities over the Republican River and its tributaries. We captured 100 individuals representing 5 species, including the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), big brown bat (Eptesicus …

Go to article

Postfire Recovery Of Two Shrubs In The Interiors Of Large Burns In The Intermountain West, Usa, Lori L. Ziegenhagen, Richard F. Miller Jul 2009

Postfire Recovery Of Two Shrubs In The Interiors Of Large Burns In The Intermountain West, Usa, Lori L. Ziegenhagen, Richard F. Miller

Western North American Naturalist

Shrub canopy cover can take between 10 and >50 years to recover to predisturbance levels following fire in sagebrush communities. The high degree of unpredictability of shrub recovery following prescribed fires and wildfires makes it difficult to prioritize restoration efforts and develop long-term plans for restoring or maintaining the integrity of sagebrush communities. Our overall goal was to develop a hypothesis based on descriptive data that describes the temporal pattern of recruitment for 2 important shrubs, Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle and Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC., in the interiors of large burns where little seed input from surviving …

Go to article

Historical Fire Frequency On Contrasting Slope Facets Along The Mckenzie River, Western Oregon Cascades, Peter J. Weisberg Jul 2009

Historical Fire Frequency On Contrasting Slope Facets Along The Mckenzie River, Western Oregon Cascades, Peter J. Weisberg

Western North American Naturalist

Fire has been a critical influence on forest dynamics over much of western North America, and knowledge of historical fire regimes provides a valuable reference point for guiding ecosystem management. Spatial and temporal variations in historical (1550–1997) fire frequency were quantified for a 145-km2 area straddling the McKenzie River in the central western Cascades of Oregon. Fire-scar and tree-origin years estimated from cut stumps in 63 clearcut sites were used to approximately date fires. The estimated natural fire rotation was 162 years for the presettlement period (1550–1849). Natural fire rotation varied considerably over the period of record, ranging from …

Go to article

Genetics Of Allopatric Populations Of The Montane Vole (Microtus Montanus) And Mogollon Vole (Microtus Mogollonensis) In The American Southwest, Jennifer K. Frey Jul 2009

Genetics Of Allopatric Populations Of The Montane Vole (Microtus Montanus) And Mogollon Vole (Microtus Mogollonensis) In The American Southwest, Jennifer K. Frey

Western North American Naturalist

Variation at 21 allozyme loci and 10 restriction enzymes within the mitochondrial DNA control region was assessed among 3 allopatric populations of montane vole (Microtus montanus) in the American Southwest. Among populations of M. montanus, the population from the White Mountains, Arizona, was most genetically divergent. Genetic and biogeographic evidence supported recognition of the White Mountains population as a distinct subspecies, M. m. arizonensis. Results also supported recognition of the Mogollon vole (Microtus mogollonensis) as distinct from the Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus).

Go to article

Stalking The Big Bird: A Tale Of Turkeys, Biologists, And Bureaucrats By Harley Shaw, Jared B. Lee, Jerald B. Johnson Jul 2009

Stalking The Big Bird: A Tale Of Turkeys, Biologists, And Bureaucrats By Harley Shaw, Jared B. Lee, Jerald B. Johnson

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Visualizing And Modeling Mining-Induced Surface Subsidence, Marcor Gibbons Platt Jul 2009

Visualizing And Modeling Mining-Induced Surface Subsidence, Marcor Gibbons Platt

Theses and Dissertations

Ground subsidence due to underground coal mining is a complex, narrowly-understood phenomenon. Due to the complicated physical processes involved and the lack of a complete knowledge of the characteristics of overlying strata, the reliability of current prediction techniques varies widely. Furthermore, the accuracy of any given prediction technique is largely dependent upon the accuracy of field measurements and surveys which provide input data for the technique. A valuable resource available for predicting and modeling subsidence is aerial survey technology. This technology produces yearly datasets with a high density of survey points. The following study introduces a method wherein these survey …

Go to article

The Culture Of Habits And Dispositions: Associationist Psychology And Unitarian Education In Gaskell's Wives And Daughters, Lori Ann Dickson Jul 2009

The Culture Of Habits And Dispositions: Associationist Psychology And Unitarian Education In Gaskell's Wives And Daughters, Lori Ann Dickson

Theses and Dissertations

Although Victorian psychology has been the subject of much recent scholarship, Elizabeth Gaskell's work has not been considered in relation to nineteenth-century theories of mind. In this thesis, I argue that Gaskell's final novel, Wives and Daughters, deals with associationism, an early branch of psychology that played a key role in public debates over cognition that took place throughout the century. Gaskell was exposed to associationism through her Unitarian faith, and Unitarian educators in particular articulated associationist principles in their writings about cognitive development. Gaskell was preoccupied with a similar model of learning throughout her fiction, and I read …

Go to article

Images Of Corsica In France: Travel Memoirs And 19th Century Writers, James Oliver Mayo Jul 2009

Images Of Corsica In France: Travel Memoirs And 19th Century Writers, James Oliver Mayo

Theses and Dissertations

Considered an integral part of Metropolitan France, the island of Corsica is situated nonetheless on the very periphery of the modern state that claims it. Actually situated geographically closer to Italy than to any part of France, its culture and its people are likewise more closely related to their Italians neighbors than to the rest of what Corsicans term "Continental France." Following the acquisition of Corsica, both government officials and bourgeois travelers would seek to visit the island, often recording their findings and publishing these memoirs for others to know of their travels. This concept of travel memoirs, specifically those …

Go to article

Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith Jul 2009

Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research project examined the experiences of high school English language learners as they created personal weblogs and responded to queries on a class weblog. The data from the project demonstrates that blogging as a classroom writing activity is effective in helping students to obtain, process and construct the English language.

Go to article

Plausibility, Probability, And The Cumorah Question, Matthew P. Roper Jul 2009

Plausibility, Probability, And The Cumorah Question, Matthew P. Roper

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Response to Andrew Hedges's “Cumorah and the Limited Mesoamerican Theory.”

Go to article

Vol. 10 No. 2 Religious Educator, Religious Educator Jul 2009

Vol. 10 No. 2 Religious Educator, Religious Educator

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Cumorah And The Limited Mesoamerican Theory, Andrew H. Hedges Jul 2009

Cumorah And The Limited Mesoamerican Theory, Andrew H. Hedges

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

From the time the Book of Mormon was published, its readers have wondered about its geographical setting. Following is a lively debate between two thoughtful scholars. To motivate study of this topic, the Religious Educator offers their different viewpoints.

Go to article

First Prev Next Last