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The Communicative Effects Of Anonymity Online: A Natural Language Analysis Of The Faceless, Caleb Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

An ever-increasing number of Americans have an active social media

presence online. As of March 2020, an estimated 79% of Americans were active

monthly users of some sort. Many of these online platforms allow users to

operate anonymously which could potentially lead to shifts in communicative

behavior. I first discuss my compilation process of the Twitter Anonymity

Dataset (TAD), a human-classified dataset of 100,000 Twitter accounts that are

categorized by their level of identifiability to their real-world agent. Next, I

investigate some of the structural differences between the classification levels

and employ a variety of Natural Language Processing models and …

Modeling Ash Deposit Growth Rates For A Wide Range Of Solid Fuels In A 100 Kw Combustor, Seyedhassan Fakourian, Zachary Mcallister, Andrew R. Fry, Yueming Wang, Xiaolong Li, Jost O.L. Wendt, Jinze Dai

Faculty Publications

This work details a model for evaluating the relative ash deposition propensity of various solid fuels without the complicated spatial considerations included in CFD modeling. Four deposition mechanisms are included, namely: inertial impaction, thermophoresis, condensation, and eddy impaction. This model has been validated and shown to effectively predict ash deposit rates for a wide range of solid fuels including coal, biomass, and their blends, burned in a 100 kW rated downflow combustor. Specifically, this work presents and compares two separate models for the sticking efficiency of impacting ash particles on a coupon surface: the melt fraction stickiness …

Coarse-Grained Simulation Of Pegylated And Tethered Protein Devices At All Experimentally Accessible Surface Residues On Β-Lactamase For Stability Analysis And Comparison, Addison K. Smith, Mehran Sultani, Joshua Wilkerson, Brandon Timmerman, Emily Long Zhao, Bradley C. Bundy, Thomas A. Knotts

Faculty Publications

PEGylated and surface-tethered proteins are used in a variety of biotechnological applications, but traditional methods offer little control over the placement of the functionalization sites on the protein. Fortunately, recent experimental methods functionalize the protein at any location on the amino acid sequence, so the question becomes one of selecting the site that will result in the best protein function. This work shows how molecular simulation can be used to screen potential attachment sites for surface tethering or PEGylation. Previous simulation work has shown promise in this regard for a model protein, but these studies are limited to screening only …

Mean Square Displacement For A Discrete Centroid Model Of Cell Motion And A Mathematical Analysis Of Focal Adhesion Lifetimes And Their Effect On Cell Motility, Mary Ellen Furner Rosen

Theses and Dissertations

One of the characteristics that distinguishes living things from non-living things is motility. On the cellular level, the motility or non-motility of different types of cells can be life building, life-saving or life-threatening. A thorough study of cell motion is needed to help understand the underlying mechanisms that enhance or prohibit cell motion. We introduce a discrete centroid model of cell motion in the context of a generalized random walk. We find an approximation for the theoretical mean square displacement (MSD) that uses a subset of the state space to estimate the MSD for the entire space. We give some …

Sp2 Bonded Carbon For Soft X-Ray Detector Windows, Joseph T. Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) is a technique used to analyze materials to determine their elemental makeup. This technique is used extensively in the semiconductor industry, metallurgical industry, biology, chemistry, materials science, and other fields. EDS detectors are often attached to scanning electron microscopes (SEM) or transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and are actively cooled by liquid nitrogen or Peltier devices. A thin membrane, or window, is fitted to the front of the detector which allows for an airtight seal as well as transmission of x-rays. The challenge for these windows is maximizing the transmission of x-rays while maintaining mechanical integrity. …

The "What"-"Where" Network: A Tool For One-Shot Image Recognition And Localization, Daniel Hurlburt

Theses and Dissertations

One common shortcoming of modern computer vision is the inability of most models to generalize to new classes—one/few shot image recognition. We propose a new problem formulation for this task and present a network architecture and training methodology to solve this task. Further, we provide insights into how careful focus on how not just the data, but the way data presented to the model can have significant impact on performance. Using these method, we achieve high accuracy in few-shot image recognition tasks.

The Nabataean Façade Monuments Of Petra, Jordan: An Assessment Of The Façade Monuments And Their Geological Environment., Josie M. Newbold

Theses and Dissertations

The Nabataean people controlled the Petra region of modern-day Jordan from sometime before 300 BCE until the Roman Annexation of the Nabataean kingdom in 106 CE. The Nabataeans are known for the monumental façades carved into the sandstone cliffs surrounding their capital city. The first survey of the façade monuments was undertaken by Brünnow and Domaszewski in 1904. They created a typology that has only been slightly modified by subsequent authors including Judith McKenzie (1990). This typology does not account for all of the variations in façade types in Petra, thus creating a need for a new typology proposed in …

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Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Beyond Calculation: A Review Of Robert J. Sawyer’S Calculating God, Jeff Lindsay

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In an entertaining and provocative science fiction novel, Calculating God, Robert J. Sawyer presents us with a likable alien scientist visiting earth to obtain more data about God’s ongoing work of creation. The alien is astounded that a human scientist does not believe in God despite the obvious evidence. Sawyer’s work introduces a variety of reasonable scientific arguments for the existence of God in a series of cleverly conceived dialogs and uses dramatic events to develop some perspectives on God. Sawyer’s purpose is not to evangelize, and the troubling concept of an utterly impersonal God who emerges in Sawyer’s interplay …

If God Does Not Exist, Is Everything Permitted?, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Can people be good without believing in God? Obviously, yes. They can. Is atheistic naturalism capable of supplying a foundation for morality? That is a separate question, to which more than a few theists have answered No. However, a relatively new book by a very prominent student of religion and society suggests otherwise. A rational morality can, it argues, be founded upon atheistic naturalism — but it will necessarily be a modest and quite limited one, lacking universal scope and without a belief in human rights as objective “moral facts.”

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Variety And Complexity In The Witnesses To The Book Of Mormon, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This paper examines the testimonies of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon— not only the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses, but many others who experienced and testified of the reality of the Book of Mormon plates. Together, these testimonies offer impressive support for the claims of Joseph Smith regarding the Book of Mormon and, thus, the Restoration. The variety and complexity of their collective testimony makes finding a single, alternative, non-divine explanation for the witness experiences challenging, indeed.

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Implications Of Some Standard Assumptions Of New Testament Scholars: Responding To A Modern Anti-Christ, John Gee

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In a recent book, Raphael Lataster correctly argues that the acceptance of the general premises of New Testament scholarship, exemplified in the writings of Bart Ehrman, brings into question whether Jesus ever existed. Latter-day Saints who are serious about their witness of Jesus Christ need to be aware that acceptance of these presuppositions undermines their witness of the reality of Jesus Christ and his atonement and makes their faith vain.

Framing The Book Of Abraham: Presumptions And Paradigms, Stephen O. Smoot

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Book of Abraham continues to undergo scrutiny in both academic and polemical publications. The latest offering of substance in the latter category, Dan Vogel’s Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique, criticizes the work of those who argue for the antiquity and inspiration of the Book of Abraham and makes a sustained argument that the book is, instead, modern pseudepigrapha written by a pious fraud (Joseph Smith) in the nineteenth century. Book of Abraham Apologetics lays out a particular naturalistic approach to this text that works best only when certain metaphysical and methodological assumptions are taken for granted. …

Reducing Wind Farm Power Variance From Wind Direction Using Wind Farm Layout Optimization, Bertelsen Gagakuma, Andrew P.J. Stanley, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

This paper investigates reducing power variance caused by different wind directions by using wind farm layout optimization. The problem was formulated as a multi-objective optimization. The ε−constraint method was used to solve the bi-objective problem in a two-step optimization framework where two sequential optimizations were performed. The first was maximizing the mean wind farm power alone and the second was minimizing the power variance with a constraint on the mean power. The results show that the variance in power estimates can be greatly reduced, by as much as 30%, without sacrificing mean plant power for the different farm sizes and …

Indices Of The Comparative Civilizations Review, No. 1-83

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

A Brief Selection Of The Intellectual Contributions Of Ross R. Maxwell To Civilizational Studies, Joseph Drew

Comparative Civilizations Review

Ross R. Maxwell was a man of immense intellectual gifts. Especially in his later years, many of these related to the theory of civilizations. His untimely death has silenced a prolific generator of incisive thoughts about this discipline.

The Mathematician’S Next Life, Amit Majmudar

Inscape

No abstract provided.

Working Out Salvation History In The Book Of Mormon Politeia With Fear And Trembling, Alan Goff

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Maxwell Institute for the Study of Religion has released another book in its series The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions. This book by James E. Faulconer more than ably engages five core elements of the book of Mosiah, exploring their theological implications. Faulconer puzzles through confusing passages and elements: why is the book rearranged so that it isn’t in chronological order? What might King Benjamin mean when he refers to the nothingness of humans? And what might Abinadi mean when he declares that Christ is both the Father and the Son? The most interesting parts of the introduction …

The Contested Works Of The Bakhtin Circle: A Stylometric Investigation, Brittany Pheiffer Noble

Russian Language Journal

Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895–1975) emerged in the last quarter of the twentieth century as one of the most important theorists of literature, language, and cultural theory in the West. The discovery of the thinker in the nearly immediate wake of his death dovetailed with late twentieth-century critiques of language, authorial authority, and questions around the ethics of reading and media consumption. Bakhtin’s biography fueled his popularity: his was a life largely lived on the margins of an oppressive regime, and he wrote prolifically while surviving famine, siege, exile, health problems, and an almost complete absence of professional recognition save for …

Using Authentic Online Resources In Russian For Stem Coursework For Novice Through Superior Level Learners, Molly Thomasy Blasing

Russian Language Journal

This article makes a case for incorporating STEM content into Russian language courses at the Novice through Superior levels of proficiency. The author presents models of asynchronous learning activities based on authentic online resources developed for a Russian for STEM pilot course taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. These lessons can be employed in online or face-to-face courses to prepare students to speak, read, write, and understand the language of STEM fields in Russian.

The Russian Coordinating Conjunctions И And А: Their Meaning, Function, And Pedagogy, Mark J. Elson

Russian Language Journal

This paper is concerned with the systemic status of the coordinating conjunctions и and а in Contemporary Standard Russian. Most previous treatments of и and а have, without comment, viewed them as minimal syntactic units (i.e., words) defined, for systemic purposes, functionally—as equating or likening in the case of и but contrasting or opposing in that of а. However, these treatments, whether intentionally or unwittingly, have left unattended the possibility that и and а, although syntactic units, are more properly defined grammatically (i.e., are systemically characterized by an invariant grammatical meaning of which their functions are derivative).1 At …

Modeling Continental-Scale Outdoor Environmental Sound Levels With Limited Data, Katrina Lynn Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

Modeling outdoor acoustic environments is a challenging problem because outdoor acoustic environments are the combination of diverse sources and propagation effects, including barriers to propagation such as buildings or vegetation. Outdoor acoustic environments are most commonly modeled on small geographic scales (e.g., within a single city). Extending modeling efforts to continental scales is particularly challenging due to an increase in the variety of geographic environments. Furthermore, acoustic data on which to train and validate models are expensive to collect and therefore relatively limited. It is unclear how models trained on this limited acoustic data will perform across continental-scales, which likely …

Visualizing Temples Through Time, Litian Zhang, Geoffrey M. Draper

BYU Studies

The large number of temples dedicated in recent decades has rendered it impossible to draw a linear timeline of all temples on a standard printed page. We propose an interactive timeline that can run on mobile devices. Rather than display the entire timeline at once, our visualization renders a subset of the temples on an interactive spiral and provides controls for the user to navigate forward and backward through time. Below we will present a mobile app prototype of this visualization, called Temples Timeline, and discuss its implementation and reception.

Improving The Quality Of Survey Data: Using Answering Behavior As An Alternative Method For Detecting Biased Respondents, Manasvi Kumar, David Kim, Joseph S. Valacich, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Alan R. Dennis

Faculty Publications

Online surveys are used for collecting self-report data. Despite their prevalent use, data quality problems persist due to various response biases. Here, we demonstrate how participant answering behaviors can be used to identify biased responses. We administered an online survey where participants reported their personality dimensions of neuroticism and extraversion—two personality dimensions that have been previously shown to be correlated with a propensity to deceive—and were later presented with a scenario to exhibit deceptive behavior. We then generated models to predict deception using the neuroticism and extraversion constructs. Using respondents’ fine-grained mouse movement data when answering these questions, we generated …

Sample Size Matters When Calculating Pillai Scores, Joseph A. Stanley, Betsy Sneller

Faculty Publications

Pillai Scores

Are they good measures?

• Often supported in meta-analyses (Nycz & Hall-Lew 2013, Kelley & Tucker 2020)
• Appear to be better than Euclidean distance, mixed-effects regression, spectral overlap, SOAM, VOACH, APP, etc.
• However, Bhattacharyya’s Affinity may be better suited for vowel data since it’s robust to skewed data. (Johnson 2015)

Implications:

Mergers are probably underreported and separation is probably overreported

• It takes a lot of data (more than many studies use) to get reliably low Pillai scores
• Mergers may be more common previously reported

Statistical significance should be reported

• Reporting p -values from MANOVA tests removes the need for …

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Book Review: Leonid Grinin. Macrohistory And Globalization, Stephen T. Satkiewicz

Comparative Civilizations Review

The Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin is once quoted as saying, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” There should be a parallel statement about how some books state extraordinarily little in multiple pages, but others speak volumes in mere sentences. A good example of the latter would be Macrohistory and Globalization by another Russian: Leonid Grinin.

The World System, Regional Systems, And The Limitations Of Historical Urban Population Datasets, Karl E. Ryavec

Comparative Civilizations Review

This study presents a method for mapping and comparing the regional extents of historical city-based economies at the global scale by integrating the World-Systems Theory of Immanuel Wallerstein with the Regional Systems Theory of G. W. Skinner. The approach taken here focuses on mapping urban cores and their rural peripheries based on available disaggregated urban population estimates for 1741 cities according to six main historical periods from ca. 3700 BCE to 1900 CE. As a result, a spatial history of some regional-scale changes wrought by increasing modes of capitalism in the Modern and Industrial periods may be compared with earlier …

Social Emotional Learning And The National Core Arts Standards: A Cross-Disciplinary Analysis Of Policy And Practices, Mark Graham, Matt Omasta, Stephanie L. Milling, Elizabeth Murray, Amy Peterson Jensen, Johanna J. Siebert

Faculty Publications

Arts education advocates sometimes point to extrinsic benefits of arts learning, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This study considers if and how the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) in dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual art may align with SEL standards adopted by the state of Illinois, upon which other SEL standards have been modeled. A team of arts education experts coded 15,500 intersections of arts standards &SEL goals. They found a great deal of indirect alignment between the NCAS and SEL objectives, but direct alignment was rare. As the types and degrees of alignment varied by discipline, broad …