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Apotheosis Of The State And The Decline Of Civilization: A Systems Approach, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Humanity is undergoing a second Axial Age. The first, as described by Karl Jaspers, brought transcendence into the vision and self-understanding of humans and the world. The rise of secularism and “Death of God” is dissolving and fragmenting that transcendence — a vital subsystem of the civilization system. Economy, knowledge and government comprise three additional subsystems and have coalesced to form the modern sovereign state, diminishing the traditional place of religion, art and philosophy in civilizations. An example of a state lacking common institutions of transcendence was the Mongol empire. Ruling Russia for a quarter millennium, its state form was …

President's Message, Lynn Rhodes

Comparative Civilizations Review

Throughout 2023 and into 2024, the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations has been extremely busy in the furtherance of our vision. Here are some of the highlights.

From Compromise To Confrontation: The American Secretary Of State James F. Byrnes And His Attempts To Mitigate Disagreements With The Soviet Union As The Cold War Began, John Karl

Comparative Civilizations Review

James F. Byrnes as United States Secretary of State pursued a policy based on compromise with the Soviet Union during the first year following the end of the Second World War. He was determined to use his political skill for engineering compromise in order to bring about an agreement with the Soviet Union which would lead to an era of peace. While the crucial question facing American policymakers in the wake of World War II was the creation of a new world order, a most important part of this question was the future of American-Soviet relations, the two nations that …

End Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Danes In Argentina: The Emigration Story Of The Ambrosius Family, Inge Ambrosius

The Bridge

I have had a box of newspaper clippings, letters, pictures, books, and other materials about Danish immigrants in Argentina for many years. Many of my relatives live in Argentina, and the material was assembled by my grandmother and my father. When I retired from teaching high school history and geography, I finally had the time to look at the material. Among other things, the box contained the memoirs of my great-grandfather’s younger brother, Niels Jensen Ambrosius, “Memories of my life and whereabouts in Argentina.” They were written in 1951 when Niels was eighty-four years old. Reading them made me curious, …

Lists Of Selected Full-Text Databases By Subscription In East Asian Studies, Dongyun Ni, Michiko Ito, Ellie Kim, Anlin Yang

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Teaching To Impact: Embedding Wikipedia Editing In An Asian Studies Curriculum, Angie Chau, Ying Liu

Journal of East Asian Libraries

The use of A.I. tools in learning and research introduces significant challenges to conventional essay assignments in Humanities, necessitating the exploration of alternative teaching and evaluation methods.

In many academic libraries, subject Librarians are often invited by instructors to teach one-shot library research skills workshops as guest speakers. The one-shot library instruction model is “not sufficient to convey the depth and breadth of information literacy concepts to students”, however, it remains in use “in part because of the sheer practicum of the model.”

In response to the identified need for change, the instructor and the librarian undertook a case study …

The Belonging Process: How Low-Income, Bipoc & First-Generation Students On Byu Campus Experience Belonging, Josephine Zenger

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This mixed-methods study employed the Experience Sampling Method (ESM; Csíkszentmihályi; Larson, 1984; Zirkel et al., 2015) to document the feelings and experiences of belonging for 22 low-income, BIPOC, first generation college students and a comparison group of 15 White, middle-upper class students at Brigham Young University (BYU), a predominantly White, middle class, religious university. Due to, among other things, these demographic realities, BYU grapples with structures and cultures that marginalize minority students on campus. Data analysis from ESM surveys, interviews, and focus groups reveal that regardless of background (i.e, including White middle-class students), participants experienced a sense of exclusion at …

Children In The Workplace: An Exploration In Library Policy Making, Sharolyn Swenson, Marissa Anne Bischoff, Ryan Lee

Faculty Publications

Children in the workplace are becoming a more common discussion in various work environments, including libraries. Since the university has no policy addressing this issue, a task force was charged to draft a recommended policy for the university library regarding bringing children to the workplace. The task force reviewed existing policies and conducted a survey and interviews with library employees. The resulting policy provided guidelines for employees and their supervisors without being overly prescriptive. This article provides a case study of how the task force used assessment methods and tools to create an appropriate and inclusive policy. While the specific …

Stacking And Intersecting Nutrient 4rs On Potato, Samuel Hamilton Stapley

Theses and Dissertations

The 4Rs of nutrient management is a global agronomic initiative with an aim to improve the sustainability of major cropping systems and the environment. The objective for this project is to evaluate individual and stacked 4R management practices and how they intersect. A field trial near Grace, Idaho was conducted on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in 2020 and 2023. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer treatments included all combinations of two sources [urea or polymer coated urea (PCU)], two rates (82 or 100% of the recommended rate), and/or two timing/placements (all applied at emergence or 84% at emergence + 16% fertigation simulation) compared …

High-Yield And Rapid Isolation Of Extracellular Vesicles By Flocculation Via Orbital Acoustic Trapping: Float, Joseph Rufo, Peiran Zhang, Zeyu Wang, Yuyang Gu, Kaichun Yang, Joseph Rich, Chuyi Chen, Ruoyu Zhong, Ke Jin, Je He, Jianping Xia, Ke Li, Jiarong Wu, Yingshi Ouyang, Yoel Sadovsky, Luke P. Lee, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as promising biomarkers for the noninvasive diagnosis of various diseases. However, challenges in separating EVs from soluble proteins have resulted in variable EV recovery rates and low purities. Here, we report a high-yield ( > 90%) and rapid ( <  10 min) EV isolation method called FLocculation via Orbital Acoustic Trapping (FLOAT). The FLOAT approach utilizes an acoustofluidic droplet centrifuge to rotate and controllably heat liquid droplets. By adding a thermoresponsive polymer flocculant, nanoparticles as small as 20 nm can be rapidly and selectively concentrated at the center of the droplet. We demonstrate the ability of FLOAT to separate urinary EVs from the highly abundant Tamm-Horsfall protein, addressing a significant obstacle in the development of EV-based liquid biopsies. Due to its high-yield nature, FLOAT reduces biofluid starting volume requirements by a factor of 100 (from 20 mL to 200 µL), demonstrating its promising potential in point-of-care diagnostics.

Book Review: Gallant, Jessica Ashurst

The Utah English Journal

Orphaned and unwanted, Olivia Prior lives at Merilance Academy. Mute, misunderstood, and mistreated by the others, Olivia craves a home, but all she has left of her family is her mother’s journal. Often, Olivia turns back to the journal’s words and paintings as she tries to understand the world around her. Home is a choice, her mother wrote. You will be safe as long as you stay away from Gallant.

Book Review: Iveliz Explains It All, Pamela Fetzer Hawker

The Utah English Journal

The voice of the child becoming a woman played through my head as I read Iveliz Explains It All, Andrea Beatriz Arango’s debut novel. The poetry flows from page to page explaining the world of Iveliz, filled with second chances, 7th grade, a journal, Spanish, sightings of her dead dad, Mami (her mother), and Mimi (her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s). Iveliz is faced with an In School Behavior Intervention (ISBI) because she messed up her second chance. In ISBI, she has time to write her Seventh-Grade Goals: An Official List, which modulates and changes throughout the book.

Book Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea, Annika Nielson

The Utah English Journal

When faced with two paths and two destinies, Mina makes a bold, irreversible choice: She will sacrifice herself to be the Sea God’s bride and go below the ocean to the City of Ghosts. By doing so, she takes the fated place of Shim Cheong, the girl that Mina’s brother Joon loves with his whole heart. This decision, born out of a place of sisterly love, sets the tone for the entirety of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, since Mina’s mission after she’s pulled under the waves is to find the Sea God and end …

Book Review: All My Rage, Marci Nelson Ozer

The Utah English Journal

Sabaa Tahir, in her National Book Award winning novel All My Rage, weaves a tale that spans from Lahore, Pakistan to the fictional town of Juniper, California as told through the voices of three characters in alternating chapters.

Book Review: Maizy Chen’S Last Chance, Ashley Hauber

The Utah English Journal

In Lisa Yee’s latest novel, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, eleven year old Maizy joins her mom for a summer helping at her grandparents’ Chinese restaurant in the tiny little town of Last Chance, Minnesota. While Grandma and Mom run the restaurant, Maizy keeps Grandpa company as he tends to his health and regales her with thrilling stories of their ancestors’ journey from China to a new life in America. When a racist note attempts to blackmail the family restaurant, Maizy leans on the strength and resilience she’s learned from her grandpa’s stories to speak up and fight back against the …

Annual Reports Of The Swiss American Historical Society, Thomas Quinn Marabello

Swiss American Historical Society Review

• Meeting began just after 9:30 AM Central Time.

• Officers present: Fred Gillespie, President; Tom Marabello, Vice President; Ernie Thurston, Treasurer & Membership Secretary; Richard Hacken, Webmaster

• Welcomed by Beth Zurbuchen, President and Board Chair John Etter, Swiss Center of North America, our hosts.

• John Etter said SAHS and the Swiss Center are connected by a desire to connect Swiss culture, heritage and rich history!

• Meeting began with President Fred Gillespie – proved naysayers wrong that people wouldn’t come to a non-East Coast location for the annual meeting.

• Should SAHS raise dues? Dues were last …

Chronic Pain Interventions: Considering Hypnotherapy As A Viable Treatment Option, Madelyn Isom

Student Works

Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition, demanding advancements in current interventions. Conventional medical paradigms have traditionally treated the mind and body separately, but advancement has advocated shifts toward more integrated mind-body approaches to address holistic health. Despite prevailing skepticism and friction within patient-doctor relationships surrounding hypnosis, there is substantial support for its use as a pain management tool (Declercq, 2023; Thompson et al., 2019). This analysis explores the potential of hypnosis as a viable treatment for chronic pain, highlighting its merits and addressing current research limitations. Noteworthy findings underscore hypnosis’ distinctive influence on the physical body through mental …

Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams In Middle School Classrooms With English Language Learners: Effects And Perceptions, Emily Joy Warburton

Theses and Dissertations

English language learners (ELL) and Latinx students are at an increased risk of difficulties that can lead to problem behaviors at school. Effective classroom management strategies may help these students remain on task despite these challenges, but teachers often feel they lack training in classroom management strategies. Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams in Middle School (CW-FIT MS) is a research-based classroom management intervention that has helped teachers increase their students' on-task behavior through group contingency, reward, and praise. We investigated the efficacy of CW-FIT MS in classrooms with high proportions of Latinx ELL students. One middle school English teacher and her …

Positive Effects Of Conservative Religion On The Mental Health Of Sexual Minorities, Jaxon Jessup

Student Works

Sexual minorities often struggle to navigate their sexuality and conservative religious beliefs. Conservative religion is often thought to be toxic for sexual minorities because of the emphasis on traditional marriage (Anderton et al., 2012), and often, the LGBT community will reject sexual minorities that choose to remain in religion (O'Brien, 2007). Conservative religion, however, provides many resources that could benefit sexual (and other) minorities. Religion can help create a sense of identity through teachings and community involvement that may strengthen positive self-perception; it may also create a sense of belonging within a supportive community, especially when individuals are raised among …

Upi Guide Ii, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization

This book guides you to apply the principles of the UPI (Chigen-iku) method into your performance improvement projects.

Upi Guide I, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Spiritual Proficiency

This book guides you to understand the basic theoretical foundation of this method (UPI or Chigen-iku).

Educational Funding Inequality In Southern Us High Schools, Emma Madeux

Ballard Brief

Educational funding budgets and sources vary from state to state, but in the southern United States, inequality in educational funding is a prevalent issue, especially in rural districts. The South’s economy has been historically behind when compared with other regions of the US; the South’s economic issues carry over into school funding and negatively affect students and teachers. Government policies concerning public school funding, systematic racial inequality, and economic inequality in the southern region contribute excessively to the problem of funding inequality. As a result, students in underfunded schools suffer a lack of access to much-needed mental health resources, higher …

Drop-Out Rates Among First-Generation Undergraduate Students In The United States, Rachel Alger

Ballard Brief

For first-generation college students, receiving an acceptance letter to an institution of higher education is a milestone: a means to secure economic and social opportunities not afforded to their family members. However, for many first-generation students, college acceptance does not equate to a college credential or degree, with only 27.4% graduating within 4 years. These lower attrition rates stem from a lack of familial financial resources and inadequate academic preparation in high school. Additionally, a different set of rules, jargon, and expectations between home life and institutions of higher education create a 'hidden curriculum' for first-generation students, making college completion …

High Suicide Rates Among Young Adults In The United States, Glory Thomas

Ballard Brief

The United States has a much higher suicide rate than other developed countries with an average of 14.5 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people per year. By contrast, the majority of countries across Europe, South America, and Asia report substantially lower rates, typically falling below 10 deaths per 100,000 people each year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young adults in the United States. Suicide is a public health crisis and is caused by multiple factors like untreated mental illness, individual attitudes towards suicide, and socio-economic status. Suicide leads to the negative consequence of suicide copycats, or …

The Effects Of Medical Misinformation On The American Public, Jessica Ashby

Ballard Brief

Medical misinformation has always existed, but it has recently become more frequent due to the development of the internet and social media. Medical misinformation can cover a wide variety of topics, and studies show that some groups are more likely to be affected by medical misinformation than others, like those with less trust in health care, less health literacy, and a more positive attitude toward alternative medicines. Aspects of the internet, like echo chambers and algorithms, have contributed to the rise of medical misinformation, along with belief in anecdotal evidence and alternative remedies that are not backed by science. Some …

The Overconsumption Of Ultra-Processed Foods In The United States, Emily Grover

Ballard Brief

The consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in America is at an all-time high, with over 50% of daily calories eaten being sourced from UPFs. The increase of consumption of UPFs is due to the growing population, urbanization, and industrialization. UPFs lead to declines in the physical health and mental health of the US population, as those who consume higher amounts of UPFs are more likely to be depressed, overweight, and have a higher all-cause mortality risk. The production of ultra-processed foods also disrupts the health of the climate due to unsustainable farming and livestock practices. The best practices for alleviating …

The Link Between Social Media And Body Image Issues Among Youth In The United States, James Krzymowski

Ballard Brief

Social media has a pervasive impact on body image in the United States, influencing one’s mental, physical, and social health. Body image issues encompass negative feelings and experiences related to one's physical appearance and are characterized by a preoccupation with perceived physical defects. This occurrence is especially common among youth. The harmful effects of constant exposure to idealized images, unrealistic beauty standards, and the influence of social media influencers are wide-ranging and severe. This brief focuses on the United States because of the competitive culture, the high cosmetic surgery rates, and leadership in social media use. Contributing factors such as …

Obstetric Fistulas In Sub-Saharan Africa, Katie Whitcomb

Ballard Brief

An obstetric fistula is a hole in the vaginal canal, either to the bladder or the rectum. It is a childbirth complication caused by obstructed, prolonged labor. Sub-Saharan African mothers are particularly vulnerable to fistulas if they are poor, rural living, or young. Additionally, cultural barriers, distrust of Western health facilities, and birthing traditions play a role in the pervasiveness of obstetric fistulas in modernity. A hole in the bladder or rectum leads to loss of control over urination or defecation. However, there are secondary consequences, such as mental illness and social stigma, that cause just as much suffering as …

Lack Of Access To Quality Education For Rural Indigenous Communities In Chiapas, Mexico, Elizabeth Sanchez

Ballard Brief

The Mexican state of Chiapas has the highest indigenous population in the country and the least educated population of any state. The confluence of historical government neglect (in infrastructure and politics), gender inequality, language barriers, and low family income of these populations seriously hinders indigenous Chiapanecos from receiving a high-quality education—if any education at all. A history of indigenous marginalization and government unwillingness to recognize and remedy this creates a serious roadblock to any permanent change in indigenous education levels. These low levels of education lead to an increase in reproductive health illiteracy, lower occupational attainment and advancement, and decreased …