Digital Commons Network^™

Just Do It: The Value Of Being A Doer In Wilkie Collins’S And Charles Dickens’S The Perils Of Certain English Prisoners, Kori Anne Dryer

Student Works

In Wilkie Collins’s and Charles Dickens’s 1857 novella The Perils of Certain English Prisoners and Their Treasure in Women, Children, Silver, and Jewels, the inhabitants of Silver-Store are presented with a unique definition of worth and value. The text discusses many types of value: intellectual value, physical value, productive value, etc. The collaborating authors present a pattern of having the white-male characters’ worth on the island of Silver-Store as action-based: that the doers of the society are seen as more valuable than those that are passive in the society. Gillian Ray-Barruel extrapolates on this unequal idea of social value …

Does Transparency Mobilize Citizens And Decrease Corruption?, Neal Bangerter, Brigham Daniels

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Transparency in government is widely considered to have a positive impact on governance, by equipping citizens with the ability to monitor governmental processes. Using a randomized control trial (RCT), we experimentally test the effect of community monitoring on the success of public programs by passing information from local citizens to the proper government officials tasked with oversight. This was done with the intention of promoting accountability for results and limiting corruption.

Emotional Inferencing In Children With Language Impairment, Allison Barney, Bonnie Brinton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Children with language impairment (LI) present with “a significant impairment in the acquisition and use of language across modalities” (ASHA, 1993). LI is a prevalent disorder affecting 7% of kindergarteners (Tomblin et al, 1997). LI limits a child’s ability to acquire language, to establish relationships with others, and to succeed in school. In addition, children with LI experience a range of social problems including withdrawal, exclusion, and peer victimization (Fujiki & Brinton, 2017). Recent research has indicated that children with LI have particular difficulty with emotion understanding (Brinton & Fujiki, 2014; Spackman, Fujiki, & Brinton, 2006). That is, they struggle …

Populism And Emotions, Allison Adams, Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In November 2016, the United States elected a strongly populist candidate, Donald Trump, as President. This seems to be a part of a larger wave, one that includes the Brexit vote and parties that have come to power in Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Italy. Populism can have positive and negative effects on democratic institutions and social unity. Because of this, social scientists are trying to understand the reasons why populist parties win elections, especially how populist candidates win the support of individual voters.

Destined To Dominate? Exploring The Link Between Prenatal Androgens And Dominance Rank In Rhesus Monkeys, Alexander Baxter, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prenatally, androgens are responsible for masculinizing the developing male fetus. Prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) also shapes male brain functioning and organization, and is the main underlying influence underlying sexually dimorphism, to a certain extent even in adulthood. Through its effect on the brain, PAE can influence personality and behavior, likely contributing to gross sex differences in these traits, as well as within-sex variation (see Manning, 2011). One of the most commonly used biomarkers used to study PAE is the second-to-fourth-finger length ratio (2D:4D ratio). In humans, males tend to have a longer ring finger and shorter pointer finger (i.e., a …

University And College Counseling Centers: Collegiate Athletes Shifting Changes In Mental Health Risk, Lilly Bautista, Rachelle Clayson, Jared Klundt, Davey Erekson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within the college population, student athletes are often considered a unique population for mental health concerns. There are more student athletes than ever before, with over 460,000 students participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, 2016). Student athletes have access to more resources than the typical student, but the amount of utilization and extent of these resources can vary greatly. Specifically, the utilization of university and college counseling centers.

Dual Task Effects On Story Retell For Participants With Moderate, Mild, Or No Aphasia: Quantitative And Qualitative Findings, Tyson G. Harmon, Adam Jacks, Katarina L. Haley, Antoine Bailliard

Faculty Publications

Purpose: To determine dual task effects on content accuracy, delivery speed, and perceived effort during narrative discourse in people with moderate, mild, or no aphasia and to explore subjective reactions to retelling a story with a concurrent task.

Method: Two studies (one quantitative and one qualitative) were conducted. In study 1, participants with mild or moderate aphasia and neurotypical controls retold short stories in isolation and while simultaneously distinguishing between high and low tones. Story retell accuracy (speech productivity and efficiency), speed (speech rate, repetitions, and pauses), and perceived effort were measured and compared. In study 2, participants completed semi-structured …

Cytochrome Oxidase I Sequences From Northern And Southern California Suggest Cryptic Baetis (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) Species, Natalie J. Stauffer-Olsen, Patrick M. O'Grady, Vincent H. Resh

Western North American Naturalist

The geographically widespread mayfly genus Baetis occurs from the subarctic to tropical regions of the world. Many of the 20 described Baetis species in North America are known to show cryptic species diversity. However, studies of Baetis that have examined morphology and genetic diversity have found mixed results in terms of cryptic species, with some studies indicating a complex of related species and others suggesting a single widespread species. We used Bayesian analyses, intra- and interspecific genetic diversity values, and median-joining haplotype networks to compare cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences from Baetis specimens from parts of northern and southern California …

Somebody To Lean On: The Moderating Effect Of Relationships On Links Between Social Withdrawal And Self-Worth, Brandon N. Clifford, Larry J. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Previous research has discovered different subtypes of social withdrawal based on motivations to approach or avoid social interactions. Each of these motivations are uniquely related to indices of maladjustment during emerging adulthood, including aspects of the self. However, research has yet to investigate whether or not relationship quality moderates these associations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether relationship quality with best friends, romantic partners, mothers, and fathers, respectively, serve as protective factors in the negative links between shyness and avoidance and self-worth. The participants included 519 college students (Mage = 19.87, SD= 1.99, 61% female) from four …

Association Between Exposure To Air Pollution And Hippocampal Volume In Adults In The Uk Biobank, Dawson W. Hedges, Lance D. Erickson, Jackie Kunzelman, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale

Faculty Publications

Background: The hippocampus is important for memory processing. Several neuropsychiatric diseases including Alzheimer’s disease are associated with reduced hippocampal volume, and further the hippocampus appears vulnerable to environmental insult. Air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular disease, abnormal brain structure, and cognitive deficits.

Objective: Because of hippocampal vulnerability to environmental insults and based on the association between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function and brain structure, we evaluated the association between exposure to toxins in air pollution and left and right hippocampal volume using brain-imaging and air-pollution data from the UK Biobank, a large community-based dataset.

Methods …

Achieving Tiered Model Quality In 3d Structure From Motion Models Using A Multi-Scale View-Planning Algorithm For Automated Targeted Inspection, Trent Okeson, Benjamin Barrett, Samuel Arce, Cory Vernon, Kevin W. Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This study presents a novel multi-scale view-planning algorithm for automated targeted inspection using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In industrial inspection, it is important to collect the most relevant data to keep processing demands, both human and computational, to a minimum. This study investigates the viability of automated targeted multi-scale image acquisition for Structure from Motion (SfM)-based infrastructure modeling. A traditional view-planning approach for SfM is extended to a multi-scale approach, planning for targeted regions of high, medium, and low priority. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can traverse the entire aerial space and facilitates collection of an optimized set of views, …

Cardiovascular Factors Moderate The Association Of Infection Burden With Cognitive Function In Young To Middle-Aged U.S. Adults, Bruce L. Brown, Shawn D. Gale, Lance D. Erickson, Dawson W. Hedges, Andrew N. Berrett, Evan L. Thacker

Faculty Publications

Background: Infectious diseases might affect cognitive aging and dementia risk, possibly via neuroinflammation. Similarly, risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are associated with cognitive function and dementia. We hypothesized that cardiovascular risk factors moderate the association of exposure to infectious diseases with cognitive function.

Methods: We studied 5662 participants aged 20 to 59 years from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994) in the United States. We used linear regression to investigate whether the Framingham general cardiovascular risk index moderated the association of infection burden based on exposure to eight different infectious diseases with cognitive functioning as …

Discrimination, Coping, And Social Exclusion Among African Immigrants In The United States: A Moderation Analysis, Sherinah K. Saasa

Faculty Publications

This cross-sectional study examined coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between perceived discrimination and social exclusion among African immigrants in the United States (N = 409). Moderation models using path analyses were conducted to examine the moderating effects of three coping strategies (active coping, use of instrumental support, and religious coping) on the relationship between discrimination and four dimensions of social exclusion: (1) material deprivation, (2) limited access to basic social rights, (3) limited social participation, and (4) insufficient cultural integration. Increases in perceived discrimination were associated with increased social exclusion on all four dimensions. Increased use of active …

The Longest-Lasting Relationship: Patterns Of Contact And Well-Being Among Mid- To Later-Life Siblings, Alexander C. Jensen, Makayla K. Nielson, Jeremy B. Yorgason

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Adults in mid to later life experience shrinking social networks, which may hinder well-being. Siblings may be important sources of social contact. Yet, little is known about adults’ patterns of contact with siblings and how contact is linked to well-being.

Method: Participants included 491 adults from across the United States (M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female) recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk; they reported on their contact with their sibling in person, over the phone, via email, texting, and social media.

Results: Latent class analysis found evidence for four patterns of contact (classes) among siblings: low, …

Extreme Longevity: Discovering Earth's Oldest Organisms, Emilee Bell

Children's Book and Media Review

Shuffle back in time with Jonathan, the 100+ year old tortoise, and witness the evolution of the automobile. Rest beneath the shade of centuries-old trees born when the glaciers melted on the American continent. Peek at the ocean organisms that roamed the earth before humans were even a thought. Kenney beguiles the reader with ancient timelines, winding the biological history of the world with the human history, tying said reader tightly and permanently with the longevity of the plants and animals of this world. Each chapter feels like an epic tale: lone organisms surviving chaos, hunters, pollution, and massive social …

They Lost Their Heads! What Happened To Washington's Teeth, Einstein's Brain, And Other Famous Body Parts, Leah Christopher

Children's Book and Media Review

Be prepared to gag a little bit as you enjoy this gruesome collection of stories about unfortunate people who lost body parts in life or death. But also be ready to amaze the people around you with little-known tales about the bodies of famous people such as Abraham Lincoln, Vincent van Gogh, Elvis Presley, Thomas Edison, and others. For example, did you know that Albert Einstein’s brain was stolen and kept in a sock drawer? Or that the first conjoined twins were connected at the abdomen but still married, had children, and lived to be 62 years old? The book …

Examining Religious Commitment, Personality, And Well-Being Among Latter-Day Saints, Kawika Allen, Ofa Hafoka, Lane Fischer

Faculty Publications

This study examined religious commitment, the big five personality traits, social interaction anxiety, and anger among 110 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Results suggest the majority of the participants are religious, score high on agreeableness and conscientiousness, and low on social interaction anxiety and anger. Agreeableness mediated the relationship between religious commitment and anger, and extraversion moderated the relationship between religious commitment and social interaction anxiety. Counseling strategies are discussed for social work providers. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Coolsculpting Or Cryolipolysis, A Guide For Primary Care Providers, Miryam Harper, Jane Lassetter

Student Works

A desire for the ideal body image has influenced development of a non-surgical body shaping procedure known as CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis. The purpose of this clinical feature is to inform nurse practitioners regarding the risks and benefits of cryolipolysis so they can educate their patients. Cryolipolysis is a safe, effective method of reducing small areas of unwanted fat. Side effects are minimal and include pain, redness, bruising, and swelling. Results are seen within twelve weeks, but long-term effects are unknown. There are contraindications, and it is relatively expensive; however, it may be a safer option than invasive surgery.

Marta, Marta, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Marta is a member of the support community for Central American refugees arriving in the southwest US. In this interview, Marta shares her own story of crossing the border at a young age with her daughter and her life in the US. Marta was self-employed for many years and later went on to serve in the US Army in Iraq. For the last 9 months, she and her husband Israel and son Josue have worked tirelessly to help make sure the current refugees arriving are cared for after they are released from detention centers and begin their lives in the …

The Impact Of Sleep Restriction On Food-Related Inhibitory Control And Food Reward In Adolescents: Physical Activity And Weight Status As Potential Moderators, Kara Mcrae Duraccio

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to evaluate associations between sleep duration and food-related inhibitory control and food reward in adolescents aged 12-18. Potential moderating effects of physical activity and weight status on the association between sleep, inhibitory control, and food reward were also examined. To evaluate these associations, the study employed a two-phase crossover design in which participants spent either 5 hours per night (restricted sleep) or 9 hours per night (habitual sleep) in bed for 5 nights. Participants completed a food-related inhibitory control task and a questionnaire assessing for food reward on the 6th day of each study phase. Repeated …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Nurse Practitioners About Antibiotic Stewardship, Robert M. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Antibiotic stewardship (ABS) is a set of strategies to optimize the use of antibiotics with the goal of reducing antibiotic resistance, improving patient outcomes and decreasing unnecessary costs. ABS affects all venues of patient care, including outpatient, inpatient, and long-term care. While many strategies for ABS exist and best practice continues to evolve, successful ABS programs utilize a multidisciplinary approach. Nurse practitioners (NPs) play an essential role in health care education and represent a valuable potential resource for ABS efforts. The purpose of this study is to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of NPs towards ABS.Methods: A convenience …

The Power Of Motherhood: Leah Widtsoe's Writings On Women's Roles, Influence, And The Priesthood, Ashley Marie Laneri

Theses and Dissertations

The Power of Motherhood: Leah Widtsoe's Writings on Women's Roles, Influence, and the Priesthood Ashley Marie Laneri Department of Religious Education, BYU Master of ArtsThis thesis analyzes Leah Widtsoe's writings in the 1930s. Her primary emphasis was on motherhood. Widtsoe encouraged women to realize the importance of their role as mothers and the positive results a good mother can have on generations to come. Each chapter examines how Widtsoe used motherhood to help women understand their role in the Church and their role in society. The first chapter outlines Widtsoe's personal life and analyzes why motherhood was a central part …

Mismatch Negativity Event Related Potential Elicited By Speech Stimuli In Geriatric Patients, Dana Lynn Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

Hearing loss, as a result of old age, has been linked to a decline in speech perception despite the use of additional listening devices. Even though the relationship between hearing loss and decreased speech perception has been well established, research in this area has often focused on the behavioral aspects of language and not on the functionality of the brain itself. In the present study, the mismatch negativity, an event related potential, was examined in order to determine the differences in speech perception between young adult participants, geriatric normal hearing participants, and geriatric hearing-impaired participants. It was hypothesized that a …

Characterizing The Function Of Pas Kinase In Cellular Metabolism And Neurodegenerative Disease, Jenny Adele Pape

Theses and Dissertations

The second identified substrate of PAS kinase discussed is Pbp1. The human homolog of Pbp1 is ataxin-2, mutations in which are a known risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As diet and sex have been shown to be important factors regarding PAS kinase function, they also are strong contributing factors to ALS and are extensively reviewed herein. Pbp1 is known to be sequestered by PAS kinase under glucose depravation, and it can sequester additional proteins along with it to regulate different cellular pathways. To shed light on the pathways affected by Pbp1, we performed a yeast two-hybrid assay and …

School Psychologists’ Perceptions Of Selecting Divorce-Themed Books For Elementary-Aged Children Experiencing Parental Divorce, Tarryn Elizabeth Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Divorce is a common event in the United States; an estimated 50% of marriages end in divorce. With so many divorces each year, a substantial number of children are impacted. Divorce can have negative effects socially, behaviorally, emotionally, and academically, in both the short term and the long term. Bibliotherapy is a therapeutic tool centered on the use of books and stories to assist in the understanding and expression of an event. Bibliotherapy has been shown to be effective for children who have experienced similar traumatic events such as loss. Research suggests that bibliotherapy could be a flexible, cost efficient, …

A Metagenomic Approach To Understand Stand Failure In Bromus Tectorum, Nathan Joseph Ricks

Theses and Dissertations

Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is an invasive annual grass that has colonized large portions of the Intermountain west. Cheatgrass stand failures have been observed throughout the invaded region, the cause of which may be related to the presence of several species of pathogenic fungi in the soil or surface litter. In this study, metagenomics was used to better understand and compare the fungal communities between sites that have and have not experienced stand failure. Samples were taken from the soil and surface litter in Winnemucca, Nevada and Skull Valley, Utah. Results show distinct fungal communities between Winnemucca and Skull Valley, as …

Self-Regulation In Transition: A Case Study Of Three English Language Learners At An Iep, Allison Wallace Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal qualitative research case study analyzed how international students in their first semester at an intensive English program (IEP) managed their English language learning experiences while transitioning to a new academic learning environment. Their experiences of cultural and educational transition were viewed through the lens of self-regulatory learning habits and behavior. Three linguistically and internationally diverse students who identified as highly self-regulated learners through Likert-scale questionnaire responses were interviewed at the beginning, middle, and end of their first semester at a large university-affiliated IEP in the western part of the US. The three students came from Central America (Spanish …

Cognitive Control And Context Maintenance In Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Ocd), Lindsay Morgan Fruehauf

Theses and Dissertations

Context maintenance, an aspect of cognitive control, is the internal representation and utilization of task-relevant information that helps achieve task goals. Alterations in context maintenance may be responsible for the cognitive difficulties seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We used two tasks designed to measure context maintenance: a) the cued-Stroop, a single-trial version of Golden’s Stroop test that varies the cue for each trial (color-naming or word-reading), and b) the AX-CPT task, a continuous performance task that has participants respond to an “A” only when followed by an “X,” with all other non-target trials labeled as AY, BX, and …

Latino Immigrant Children’S Perspectives On Homesickness In Bilingual Picture Books, Kelly Beus Thorpe

Theses and Dissertations

When Latino children immigrate to the United States, they encounter challenges and opportunities associated with immigration (Alba & Foner, 2015; Arbona et al., 2010). Although there were nearly 2.5 million foreign-born children living in the United States in 2016 (U.S. CensusBureau, 2016), little is known about these children’s perspectives on immigration, particularly their perspectives on homesickness. The current research study investigated Latino immigrant children’s perspectives on homesickness and bilingual picture books containing stories of homesick Latino immigrant children. The children’s experiences were compared with current theories ofacculturative stress.Through semi-structured interviews using the hermeneutic method, the researchers interviewed 12 Latino children, …

Cultivating The Skill Of Savoring: An Internet-Delivered Intervention To Promote Well-Being, So Yeon Park

Theses and Dissertations

The skill of savoring is one practice from the positive psychology literature that appears to facilitate well-being and happiness (e.g., Cazanescu, Tecuta, Candea, & Szentagotal-Tartar, 2018). Given such findings and the emerging evidence in favor of delivering positive psychology interventions via the Internet (Layous, Nelson, & Lyubomirsky, 2013), the potential feasibility of providing researched-based savoring instruction using self-directed online resources warrants empirical examination. This pilot study examined the feasibility of a self-directed online module of instruction and exercises intended to aid in cultivating individuals’ savoring abilities. The two primary aims of the present study were: 1) to examine the feasibility …