Digital Commons Network^™

Optimization Of Solar-Coal Hybridization For Low Solar Augmentation, Aaron T. Bame

Theses and Dissertations

One approach to enabling a larger penetration of renewable sources of energy is the implementation of hybrid power plants. This work presents a process to determine the preliminary optimal configuration of a concentrating solar power-coal hybrid power plant with low solar augmentation, and is demonstrated on a coal power plant in Castle Dale, UT. A representative model is developed and validated against published data for a coal power plant of a different configuration than Hunter Unit 3. The simplifications within the representative model include combining multiple feedwater heaters, combining turbines that operate across the same boundary states, and the mass-average …

Non-Anogenital And Anogenital Injuries Of Females Following Sexual Assault: A Retrospective, Descriptive Study From 5,464 Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Examination (Safme) Reports, Atalie M. Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this retrospective, descriptive study is to describe non-anogenital and anogenital injuries documented in over 5,000 sexual assault forensic medical examination (SAFME) reports of female patients. The study findings expand understanding of injuries documented following sexual assault by exploring associations between injuries and a multitude of variables: patient demographics (age, race, gender); time between assault and examination; patient-perpetrator relationship; perpetrator actions (strangulation, hit, verbally threatened/coerced, use of restraints, grabbed/held); number of assaultive acts; multiple-perpetrators; suspected drug-facilitated assaults; patient and perpetrator use of alcohol and drugs; and physically or mentally impaired patients. The various types and locations of injuries …

You Do Math Like A Girl: How Women Reason Mathematically Outside Of Formal And School Mathematics Contexts, Katelyn C. Pyfer

Theses and Dissertations

Females continue to have negative dispositions towards mathematics even though the performance gap between females and males has all but disappeared. While there are many hypotheses for why these negative dispositions exist among females towards mathematics, this paper explores the possibility that the field of mathematics could favor more masculine ways of reasoning at the exclusion of valid, non-masculine mathematical thought. To research this idea, the day-to-day, non-formal, non-school mathematical activities of two women were identified and analyzed. The analysis uncovered complex mathematical processes among both women that were fundamentally different from the mathematical processes common in the mathematics field. …

Relational And Mental Health Outcomes Of Trauma And Disaster: The Medicating Role Of Grit, Lacey A. Bagley

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature focusing on those exposed to disaster includes calls for more studies with populations who have regular exposure to extreme weather events. The current study reported on a secondary data analysis with a sample of 240 heterosexual couples living in or near coastal regions in the southeast US, who were at risk of experiencing disaster events during the 2019 hurricane season (June-December). An actor-partner interdependence model was fit to the dyadic data via path analysis to test the mediating effect of grit on the relationship dyadic coping (mental health and attachment behaviors) and disaster-related losses, accounting for trauma history. …

Spatial Resolution Of Quantitative Electroencephalography And Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging During Phoneme Discrimination Tasks: An Abbreviated Meta-Analysis, Emily Jean Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations

Phonological processing, the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of one's native language, is an essential linguistic skill. Deficits in this skill may lead to decreased social, educational, and financial success (Kraus & White-Schwoch, 2019). Additionally, phonological disorders have been shown to be highly variable and individualized (Bellon-Harn & Cradeur-Pampolina, 2016) and therefore difficult to treat effectively. A better understanding of the neural underpinnings of phonological processing, including the underlying skill of phonemic discrimination, could lead to the development of more individualized and effective intervention. Several studies, some using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and others using functional magnetic resonance imaging …

Effect Of Ported Shroud Casing Treatment Modifications On Operational Range And Limits In A Centrifugal Compressor, Alexander A. Newell

Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of a ported shroud casing treatment is often used to extend the operating range of a centrifugal compressor. This work utilizes the STAR-CCM+ CFD package to analyze steady-state, single-passage simulations of a centrifugal compressor with and without a ported shroud to better understand how a ported shroud affects compressor flow physics. Verification and validation of simulations were conducted by comparison of results with a time-accurate full-annulus simulation and experimental data. Four different ported shroud revisions were considered and modeled along the full range of their stable operation, with emphasis placed on the flow limits of choke and stall. …

Experiential Education In The Writing Classroom: Developing Habits For Citizenship, Anika Shumway

Theses and Dissertations

As political polarity and social divisiveness increase in the United States, more organizations and scholars are calling on institutions of higher education to rise to the occasion and incorporate into their objectives the development of competent citizenship (The National Task Force). Writing classrooms are particularly suited to these kinds of objectives as writing already proposes relationships between rhetor and audience that have ethical dimensions and require mutual honesty, accountability, and respect (Duffy, "The Good Writer"). Additionally, the Framework for Success, a document that has become central to shaping the goals of writing classrooms, articulates habits of mind, like openness and …

Deploying And Analyzing Air Quality Sensors In Mongolian Gers, Lehi Sttenio Alcantara

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop best practices for deploying air quality sensors in a remote location such as Mongolia. I discussed the architecture and design constraints when collecting remote air quality sensors data, the challenges that emerge while implementing a sensor-based network in a remote location such as Mongolia. The tradeoffs of using different architectures are described. I observed the usage of electrical heaters in modified gers in remote locations and conclude how effective they are in reducing PM2.5 levels by analyzing air quality data and go through the process of cleaning up the data and removing …

Going For Gold: Point Of Care Bio-Diagnostics And Gold Nanoparticles Treating Disease, Trevor M. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations

Correct diagnosis of disease is essential in the effort to save and improve lives. Point of care (POC) diagnostics are in-vitro tests that assist in patient diagnosis and can be used at the location of patient care. POC diagnostics are easy to use and provide near-instant readouts allowing medical providers and patients to make rapid decisions about treatment. Increased access to POC testing is especially beneficial to low-income and low resource areas that cannot afford expensive lab testing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined at least 113 diseases for which POC diagnostics are needed. Because of this, developing effective, …

Talking To Your Patients About Antibiotics: What Nurse Practitioners Need To Know, Danae M. Titensor, Katreena Collette-Merrill

Student Works

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to our current ways of treating infections. The overuse of antibiotics is a major contributor to this threat, especially with the prevalence of unnecessary prescriptions written for upper respiratory infections (URIs). Better education tools are needed for providers and patients regarding antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this project was to use evidence-based practice to produce an educational video about antibiotic resistance. Following a review of the literature, a 6-minute video was made using Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning. A convenience sample of 15 family nurse practitioner (FNP) students, from one master’s program, participated …

Perceptions Of The Physically Disabled Influenced By Media Portrayals, Jessica Parcell

Theses and Dissertations

Using a quantitative coding method, the current study analyzed cinematic productions between the years 1989 and 2019 (N = 79) for presence of supercrip and victim stereotypes among portrayals of the physically disabled. A series of One-way ANOVA - Bonferonni and Bivariate Correlation tests were performed, and results indicated that while negative and supercrip stereotypes of the physically disabled have decreased over this 30-year period, simultaneously, very positive and victim stereotypes have risen. Results showed negative (F = 3.215, p = .046) portrayals decreased over time, but that simultaneously victim (F = 8.044, p = .001) and very positive (F …

Effects Of Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Growth On The Biocompatibility Of 316l Stainless Steel, Sterling Charles Voss

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify the effects of the carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotube (CICNT) growth process on the material properties of 316L stainless steel, particularly those properties which are essential for biocompatibility. Physically altering the micro-topography of a surface can dramatically affect its capacity to support or prevent biofilm growth. Growing CICNTs on biomedical materials is one approach which has demonstrated success at preventing biofilm growth. Unfortunately, the high temperature and carbon-rich gas exposure required for this procedure has proven to have deleterious effects. Rusting has been observed on samples that have been coated with CICNTs and then …

A Review Of Fitness Tracker Game Elements And A Novel Game Approach For The Design Space, Aatish Neupane

Theses and Dissertations

Physical activities like walking have proven health benefits. People are adopting fitness trackers to track physical activity, but they often stop using them after a relatively short time. Many apps and games exist in the app markets that use gamification to tackle this problem of motivation. In this thesis, we examined these existing gamified fitness tracker apps from app markets and looked at the usage of different game elements within these apps. We conducted a systematic review of existing fitness Tracker Apps from Google Play Store and Apple App Store and used a mixed-method approach to identify apps, categorize them …

Domestic Violence Victims, A Nuisance To Society?: Moving Toward A More Equitable System In Protecting Vulnerable Women, Elizabeth Haderlie, Layla Shaaban

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Recent conversations about racial biases that exist towards the black community have required many of us to rethink systems and laws that unconsciously perpetuate racial discrimination. This article uses state, federal, and local lawsuits to argue the case against nuisance ordinances and the negative effects they can have on victims of domestic abuse, namely black women. We dive into the histories and statistics of domestic violence and nuisance ordinances. We provide evidence that indicates a correlation between domestic violence victim’s fear of reaching out for help, and nuisance ordinances being in place. Finally, we urge the federal government to amend …

Innovating Institute, Ryan J. Wessel

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Seminaries and Institutes (S&I) recently began a process to innovate the institute experience. There was a general concern among the leaders of S&I that while participation in institute seemed to have a meaningful, positive impact on students’ lives, the institute experience appealed to too few of the young single adults in the Church. At the time, about half of young adults who participated in the Church enrolled in institute each year. Perhaps institute could be updated to more effectively teach the restored gospel within the context of current technological and demographic trends, and with a greater understanding of students’ circumstances …

Plea Bargains: Justice For The Wealthy And Fear For The Innocent, Emily Stauffer

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The Supreme Court has consistently recognized the hardships of the poor in the criminal justice system and has set a precedent that if a person cannot afford access to any level of the criminal justice system, the state must remove that financial barrier. Prosecutorial tactics in the plea-bargaining process coerce the poor into waiving their right to trial. The unequal access to trial between the poor and non-poor violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires that states remove any barrier that restricts the poor from the criminal justice system. The Court has left the states to decide which solutions will work …

Bostock’S Paradox: Intersections In Lgbtq Employment Rights And Private, Religious Businesses, Christopher Smith

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Thanks to the recent opinion of Bostock v. Clayton County by the United States Supreme Court regarding the protection of LGBTQ employees in the workplace, discussion has turned to how this protection relates to religious employers. Religious organizations such as churches and mosques are afforded protections thanks to an exemption found in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The role and scope of these protections in regards to private, religious (but not religion-owned) businesses has been debated as recently as 2014 in the Supreme Court. In this paper I address this issue and determine that, underneath current ruling …

A Teacher’S Plea, Tyler Johnson

BYU Studies

Modernity surges from change to change.

The last thirty years, after all, have seen the advent of the smartphone, the proliferation of the internet, the democratization of the press, the dawn of social media, the creation of eBay and Amazon, the beginning of Google, and the birth of the post-9/11 world order.

Watchman On The Tower: Ezra Taft Benson And The Making Of The Mormon Right Thunder From The Right: Ezra Taft Benson In Mormonism And Politics, Roger Terry

BYU Studies

Although I was already fairly well acquainted with the activities and rhetoric of Ezra Taft Benson, a controversial twentieth-century Apostle, what surprised me when reading these two books about him was their relevance to what is happening in the United States today. Historian Matthew L. Harris authored the biography of Benson titled Watchman on the Tower and edited the anthology Thunder from the Right. They help explain not only Benson’s life and times but also political conservatism and paranoia about government conspiracy among American Latter-day Saints today.

Preventing A Permanent Underclass: Why In-State Tuition For Daca Students Just Makes Sense, Christian Bowcutt, Eliza Allen

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

In the landmark 1982 Supreme Court Case "Plyler v. Doe", the right to a free education was guaranteed to undocumented students. One of the reasons for this was to "prevent a permanent underclass". Today, we have a similar opportunity to lift our fellow peers by passing legislation to guarantee in-state tuition to DACA recipients. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a program that grants temporary citizenship to qualifying children and youth who are brought to the United States with their parent(s) or guardian(s). Currently, the majority of states have not guaranteed this right to DACA students. With tuition rates …

Addressing Abuse In Drug Cases: Violence As A Mitigating Factor In Safety Valve Sentencing, Samantha Louise Burton

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Our current criminal justice system does not adequately consider the effects of abuse on drug crime offenders during the process of determining their sentences. Despite the fact that abuse has very real scientifically corroborated effects on a defendant’s culpability, judges sometimes misinterpret how abuse suffered by (predominantly female) defendants affects their participation in a drug crime. Furthermore, the safety valve—a provision that allows downward departure on a sentence for low-level nonviolent drug offenders who meet certain conditions—does not account for abuse at all. This paper proposes adding a qualification to the safety valve that prompts judges to consult with mental …

Left At The Borders: Addressing The Issue Of Inclusivity For Female Immigrants, Elizabeth S. Castillo, Brooklyn Bird, Abby Forrest, Editor

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The United States laws, regulations, and political discourse surrounding migration is rife with varying sensitivities. These include but are not limited to the physically, emotionally, and mentally exigent circumstances that cause women and girls of many ages and nationalities to flee their home countries for the United States. Because of the structure of American immigration law and the impactful measures taken by the Trump administration, we argue the language found in the Immigration and Nationality Act neglects to address gender-specific persecution, which renders the already difficult process of seeking asylum still more challenging for women hoping to migrate to the …

Internet Censorship In The Time Of A Global Pandemic: A Proposal For Revisions To Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act, Sarah Cheng, Harriet Norcross

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

During the era of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, social media sites have justified removing inflammatory opinions pertaining to COVID-19 in attempts to protect and promote public health and safety by automatically categorizing such opinions as misinformation. While the intention of such censorship is noble, it raises the question of whether social media sites and internet service providers in general have too much power when it comes to controlling information. In an age where social media has become intrinsic to the dissemination and formation of opinion, the free exchange of ideas on the Internet is of prime importance, and any threat …

Using Geospatial Tools To Assess Changes To Marine Ecosystems In Small Island Developing States Following Hurricane Disturbances: A Case Study Of Dominica After Hurricane Maria, Ryan J. Shields

Theses and Dissertations

Seagrass meadows, like coral reefs, are in decline globally but are often neglected in marine policy and conservation despite their equally critical ecosystem services. Both habitats can be heavily impacted by wave surges, rainfall-induced earth movement and flooding, changes to water temperature, salinity, and acidity, and increased levels of turbidity—all occurring at increased rates due to a changing global climate. We demonstrate that multispectral satellite imagery, geospatial tools, and classification techniques can be used to inform management by identifying and quantifying changes in seagrass distribution and the presence of sediment-related threats. Results from Dominica indicate near-shore seagrass habitat area increased …

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Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

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Entrenching A Fundamental: Use Of The First Vision In General Conference, Ryan S. Gardner

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

When President Gordon B. Hinckley declared in the October 2002 general conference that the strength of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “rests on the validity” of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, most people in the congregation likely felt that he was only affirming a basic tenet of the Restoration—but this unique theophany was not always so prominent. Not until the mid-1960s did scholars and historians affiliated with the Church begin a more thorough exploration of the historical emergence of Joseph Smith’s 1820 theophany, now known as the First Vision, and its subsequent elevation in the spiritual consciousness and …

“Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born”: An Egyptian Context For The Election Of Abraham, Stephen O. Smoot

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Arguably the most important doctrinal contribution of the Book of Abraham is its teaching about the premortal existence of humankind. As John Gee has recognized, “The largest effect that the Book of Abraham has had on Latter-day Saint thought is its concept of the premortal existence and the purpose of life. Although other Latter-day Saint scriptures discuss the premortal existence, the Book of Abraham provides the clearest explanation of this key Latter-day Saint doctrine.” The importance of the Book of Abraham’s teaching about the premortal existence is confirmed by surveying the LDS Scripture Citation Index, which reveals that General Authorities …

Lengthy Minimum Parole Requirements: A Denial Of Hope, Heather Walker

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

Using the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, the Supreme Court has made sweeping changes to juvenile sentencing in the last fifteen years. The Court has stated that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole and life sentences without the possibility of parole for non-homicide offenders are unconstitutional. Nevertheless, there are still unanswered questions in juvenile sentencing. One under-researched aspect of this is the role that lengthy minimum parole requirements play in the constitutionality of juvenile sentencing. This type of sentencing lacks express legislative support, it does not have a legitimate penological justification, and it denies juveniles …

The Impact Of Short Sleep On Food Reward Processes In Adolescents, Kara Mcrae Duraccio, K. N. Krietsch, N. Zhang, C. Whitacre, T. Howarth, M. Pfeiffer, D. W. Beebe

Faculty Publications

Short sleep has been linked to adolescent obesity risk, but questions remain regarding the dietary mechanisms by which this occurs. We tested whether mildly shortening sleep influences how rewarding and appealing healthy adolescents find several kinds of foods. Eighty-eight healthy adolescents completed a within-subjects crossover sleep experiment comparing 5 days of Short Sleep (6.5 hour sleep opportunity) vs. 5 days of Healthy Sleep (9.5 hour sleep opportunity). Following each condition, adolescents completed measures of food appeal and reinforcing value of food across five food types: sweets/desserts, fruits/vegetables, lean meats/eggs, fast food entrees, and processed snacks. Adolescents averaged 2.2 hours/night longer …

How Many Ways Can You Vocalize Emotion? Introducing An Audio Corpus Of Acted Emotion, Logan Ricks Kowallis

Theses and Dissertations

Emotion recognition from facial expressions has been thoroughly explored and explained through decades of research, but emotion recognition from vocal expressions has yet to be fully explained. This project builds on previous experimental approaches to create a large audio corpus of acted vocal emotion. With a large enough sample size, both in number of speakers and number of recordings per speaker, new hypotheses can be explored for differentiating emotions. Recordings from 131 subjects were collected and made available in an online corpus under a Creative Commons license. Thirteen acoustic features from 120 subjects were used as dependent variables in a …