Digital Commons Network^™

Improving Human Recognition Of Deepfakes, Jeremy Mumford

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is focused on deepfakes, a new term given to fake videos and images generated by deep learning algorithms and models. Deepfakes pose a considerable threat to society by raising the bar for quality in misinformation while also lowering the amount of skill and effort required. Deepfakes threaten to undermine democratic societies by swaying public opinion through misinformation. While many researchers are working hard to develop automated tools to combat deepfakes, this thesis used a 10-item IRB approved survey to examine whether two separate interventions could successfully improve an individual’s ability to recognize deepfakes. Demographic differences in recognizing deepfakes …

Gt-Ches And Dycon: Improved Classification For Human Evolutionary Systems, Joseph S. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to rethink the process of learning in human evolutionary systems. We take a sober look at how game theory, network theory, and chaos theory pertain specifically to the modeling, data, and training components of generalization in human systems. The value of our research is three-fold. First, our work is a direct approach to align machine learning generalization with core behavioral theories. We made our best effort to directly reconcile the axioms of these heretofore incompatible disciplines -- rather than moving from AI/ML towards the behavioral theories while building exclusively on AI/ML intuition. Second, this …

Development Of N-H N-Heterocyclic Carbene Pd Catalysts For Cross-Coupling Reactions In Organic Synthesis, Rachel Nicole Owens

Theses and Dissertations

The use of N-H N heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHC's) in organometallic chemistry has become a field of interest due to their unique properties that lead to new and interesting reactivity. The hydrogen on the nitrogen of the NHC can be deprotonated, creating an anionic species, or it can participate in hydrogen-bonding with different substrates. In this work we will explore the unique reactivity of N-H NHC palladium complexes in different cross coupling reactions, including the Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck reactions. Our work demonstrates that N-H NHC complexes of palladium can be accessed from 2-phosphinoimidazole ligands via non-oxidative insertion of the palladium …

A Comparison Of Ptychography Programs For Lens-Less Imaging With A High Harmonic Generation Source, Aaron Redd

Undergraduate Honors Theses

High Harmonic Generation provides a coherent source of extreme ultraviolet photons. Tuned to the correct energies, these photons can be resonant with electrons associated with the magnetic moment of many magnetic materials. This thesis provides an investigation into performing ptychographic imaging with a high harmonic source as a step towards performing high resolution imaging of magnetic domains. Three ptychography codes (Ptychodactyl, PyNX, and tike), are compared for image reconstruction quality and ease of use. Tike and Ptychodactyl prove more successful than PyNX. These first two programs reconstruct data from a simple helium-neon laser setup with great success, and tike demonstrates …

Tractor Beams And Disease: Probing Repeat Rna Structure Through Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy, Joshua Webster-Ford

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Huntington’s Disease is characterized by an extended (CAG)n repeat found in the huntingtin (Htt) gene. While the typical human contains 6-20 CAG repeats, people with over 36 repeats manifest symptoms of the disease. The extended CAG repeats allow the Htt pre-mRNA transcript to form a hairpin loop structure which can sequester certain vital proteins such as Muscleblind like protein 1 (MBNL1), hindering their functional role. Further understanding the structure of the MBNL1-RNA complex is possible through force spectroscopy, or “optical tweezers”, applied on the single molecule level. Force spectroscopy generates force versus distance plots for individual RNA molecules, revealing the …

Development Of Bifunctional Peptides As Scaffolds For Bifunctional Catalysis And A Novel Method Of Peptide Stapling Using Squaric Esters, Adam X. Wayment

Theses and Dissertations

Enzymes are some of nature's most powerful tools in chemical processes. However, their molecular complexity makes them difficult to synthesize and complicates their application in traditional organic synthesis. Peptides, a building block of enzymes, can be rapidly synthesized and have been used as a possible alternative in achieving enzyme-like catalysis. However, most peptide-based catalysts are limited in reaction-scope and are unable to incorporate traditional organic catalysts. We have designed a helical peptide scaffold capable of being functionalized with a wide variety of organocatalysts as well as transition-metal based catalysts. In order to understand how the peptide structure effects reactivity and …

Michael Boym: The Polish Marco Polo, Agnieszka Couderq

Comparative Civilizations Review

The following is a selection drawn from Ms. Couderq’s written proposal for a television series based on the book she has published. It offers a summation of the life of this remarkable cross-civilizational traveler.

Christiaan Huygens' Wave Theory Of Light: A Major Contribution To Seventeenth Century Science, Cari Petersen

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The phenomena of light have been subject to much speculation and controversy throughout history. The ancient Hebrews believed that light was formed by God's command on the first day of creation. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun, the source of light, and called it Ra; the Persians worshipped the sun as Mithras. By the fifth century B.C. the Greek's quest to comprehend light came under natural investigation instead of a supernatural mysticism. Through logic, the ancient Greek philosopher, Empedocles, reasoned that light must have a measurable speed since it takes time for light to get from one place to another. …

Raw Nmr Data For Tripeptides, David J. Michaelis, Scott R. Burt, Mariur Rodriguez Moreno, Nye C. Johnson, Christopher B. Stewart, Mary L. Setelin, Adam X. Wayment, Braxton M. Felix

ScholarsArchive Data

This data set contains primary data for 50 tripeptides that were generated as part of an advanced undergraduate laboratory experience in solid phase peptide synthesis. The raw data can be processed sing NMR interpretation software and can be used as problems for exams and quizzes or as supplementary materials for a laboratory experience

Historical Analysis Of Urban Dust Generated By The Great Salt Lake Playa, Callum Flowerday, Jaron C. Hansen, Rebekah Stanley, Kaitlyn Brewster

ScholarsArchive Data

Historical PM10 filters, provided by the Utah Division of Air Quality, were analyzed for elemental composition of various metals. This was done using ICP-MS.

Also included, EPA PM10 historical data and bathymetry data provided by the Utah USGS.

An Observational Framework For Constructing Ozone Isopleths From Long-Term Monitoring Data: Demonstration In Salt Lake City, Utah, Callum Flowerday, Isaac Sudweeks, Brad Adams, Jaron C. Hansen

ScholarsArchive Data

EPA quality assured data, collected by the Utah Division of Air Quality, was used for this analysis.

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, And Resources That Influence Implementation Of Principles Learned In Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program, Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses and Dissertations

Research in mathematics education shows that new mathematics teachers struggle to implement reform teaching practices that they learned in their teacher preparation programs. In this study, the researcher observed and interviewed three new mathematics teachers (within five years of graduation) to further explore the question of why new teachers use or do not use what they learned in their teacher preparation program. The study uses an expanded version of Schoenfeld's decision-making theory of Orientations, Goals, and Resources. This theory proved useful in the analysis of the research data, providing a framework to incorporate and organize the numerous reasons suggested by …

Usability-Driven Security Enhancements In Person-To-Person Communication, Tarun Kumar Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

In the contemporary digital landscape, ensuring secure communication amid widespread data exchange is imperative. This dissertation focuses on enhancing the security and privacy of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) applications while maintaining or improving usability. The dissertation first investigates and proposes improvements in two areas of existing E2EE applications: countering man-in-the-middle and impersonation attacks through automated key verification and studying user perceptions of cryptographic deniability. Insights from privacy-conscious users reveal concerns about the lack of E2EE support, app siloing, and data accessibility by client apps. To address these issues, we propose an innovative user-controlled encryption system, enabling encryption before data reaches the …

Using Deep Learning Techniques To Find The 4d Slice Genus Of A Knot, Dylan Skinner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has proven to be exceptionally effective in addressing challenges related to pattern recognition and problem-solving, particularly in domains where human intuition faces limitations. Within the field of knot theory, a significant obstacle lies in the construction of minimal-genus slice surfaces for knots of varying complexity. This thesis presents a new approach harnessing the capabilities of DRL to address this challenging problem. By employing braid representations of knots, our methodology involves training reinforcement learning agents to generate minimal-genus slice surfaces. The agents achieve this by identifying optimal sequences of braid transformations with respect to a defined objective …

Model Predictive Control Of A Lab-Scale Thermal Energy Storage System In Relap5-3d, Jaron Wallace, Daniel Hill, David Thurston, John Hedengren, Matthew Memmott

Faculty Publications

Increased renewable energy penetration of an electrical grid generally creates more supply fluctuations. Traditional base-load systems, such as nuclear power, can be retrofitted with thermal energy storage (TES) systems to meet supply demand fluctuations. These systems can store energy during low electricity demand times to allow the reactor to operate at constant power while simultaneously fluctuating electricity output. The control of these systems is of vital importance and Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a leading control mechanism for optimized production plans with forecast information. This study combines high fidelity RELAP5-3D models with MPC to control an experimental benchtop system that …

Open System Neural Networks, Bradley Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in self-supervised learning have made it possible to reuse information-rich models that have been generally pre-trained on massive amounts of data for other downstream tasks. But the pre-training process can be drastically different from the fine-tuning training process, which can lead to inefficient learning. We address this disconnect in training dynamics by structuring the learning process like an open system in thermodynamics. Open systems can achieve a steady state when low-entropy inputs are converted to high-entropy outputs. We modify the the model and the learning process to mimic this behavior, and attend more to elements of the input …

Comparison Of Empirical And Analytical Eigenfunctions As Bases For Reduced Order Methods In Heat Transfer, Jakob G. Bates, Matthew R. Jones, Christopher R. Dillon, John Tencer

Student Works

Reduced order methods using spectral representations show promise in facilitating and accelerating heat transfer analyses. This paper proposes a taxonomy for reduced order methods, classifying a method as reduced order compression, modelling, or analysis. The performance of bases formed with analytical and empirical eigenfunctions are compared for representative reduced order tasks. The Akaike Information Criterion is applied in a novel way to compare the performance of these bases. The present study finds that both bases are parsimonious for reduced order compression tasks. Empirical eigenfunctions are more robust to for reduced order modelling with variations in modelling parameters such as thermal …

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 …

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 …

Prophet Or Loss: Mosiah1/Zeniff, Benjamin/Noah, Mosiah2/Limhi And The Emergence Of The Almas, Val Larsen

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

Mormon’s overwhelmingly dominant rhetorical purpose is to testify of Christ, which he and his protagonists often directly do. But he also communicates his testimony more subtly through carefully crafted historical narratives. His use of frame narratives is especially artful. In the Book of Mosiah, Mormon frames the dispiriting account of Zeniff and Noah’s rule with the story of its aftermath: the suffering of Limhi and his people, which is recounted both before and after the central Zeniff/Noah narrative and which underscores the folly in the narrative it frames. The Limhi story is, in turn, framed by a Mosiah family narrative …

Learning From Spiritual And Secular Sources Orchestrating Inspired Discussions While Teaching In The Savior’S Way, Damon L. Bahr

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

One of the important topics of Teaching in the Savior’s Way is orchestrating gospel discussions. As teachers, leading a successful discussion is critical to helping class members “Hear Him.” This article begins by talking about two of President Nelson’s talks that describe how to integrate learning from spiritual and secular sources and show that what is learned from secular sources can inform learning from spiritual ones. Spiritual guidance for orchestrating discussions is provided, which is then augmented by some secular guidance from educational research about orchestrating classroom discussions.

Walk With Me Towards A Christ-Inspired Shepherd-Leader Apprenticeship Model Of Leadership Development, J. Gordon Daines Iii, David L. Rockwood

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This paper reviews the literature on leadership development that focuses on Jesus Christ, then introduces a Shepherd-Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) model of leadership development. The SLA model describes how Jesus Christ develops leaders. It builds on previous scholars’ work on Christ’s leadership development approach and adds the concept of situated cognition and iterative (as opposed to linear) steps. The scriptures show how Christ used this model to develop the leadership skills of his disciples who served in a variety of capacities and roles. Christ used the SLA model with a variety of individuals who felt varying degrees of comfort with their …

Relational Grace The Reciprocal And Binding Covenant Of Charis, Brent J. Schmidt

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In New Testament times, the concept of grace (Greek charis) was operative in relationships in which a person giving something of value to another could expect the recipient to provide service, thanks, or something else of much lesser value in return. When the Apostle Paul described Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice as a gift (charis), his ancient audiences understood that redemptive act as initiating a covenantal bond with expectations of devoted discipleship. Bible translators have never properly conveyed Paul’s message of active, obliging grace, an oversight that some scholars of the New Pauline Perspective are now demonstrating. During the Great Apostasy, …

Can God Truly Forget My Sins?: Christian Temporality And The Possibility Of Repentance, James E. Faulconer

BYU Studies

When we think about repentance, we face a conundrum. On one hand, we are promised new life. As Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). On the other hand, the repentant person remains the same person that he or she was. In the younger Alma’s case, he is the person who “had murdered many of [God’s] children, or rather led them away unto destruction” (Alma 36:14). How can Alma be both a new person and the person who led many …

An Examination Of The Stability Of The Remembering Self When Measuring Social Connection Derived From A Shared Leisure Experience, Camilla Hodge, Karen K. Melton, Mat D. Duerden, Mark A. Widmer, Aubrey Rushton, Alexis Kelley

Faculty Publications

Social connection has been identified as a public health priority, and is often positioned, in various forms, as an outcome of leisure experiences. In cases of assessing the hedonic quality of experiences, research has identified a relative permanence and stability in the remembering self; however, whether the same is true when measuring social connection is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether recall of social connection after a structured, shared leisure experience changed over time. We compared assessments of social connection among a sample of 68 adults immediately following four structured, shared leisure experiences and again four weeks later. …

Examining The Self-Regulation Abilities Of Students Enrolled In An Online Secondary Charter School, Karen T. Arnesen, Charles R. Graham, Heather Leary

Faculty Publications

This exploratory research addresses the state of student selfregulation (SR) in an online secondary school. Students are more likely to be successful, especially in online schools, when they are self-regulated. Understanding these students’ current SR abilities can facilitate targeted interventions. Data for this study was gathered from a student survey and interviews of students, parents, and teachers from an online secondary school. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that many students perceived their SR as being adequate to strong and that students were more aware of the help-seeking and time management dimensions of SR than of the other dimensions. This awareness …

From Three-Pillars To Three-Environments: Shifting The Paradigm Of Sustainability In Civil And Construction Engineering, Xiaomei Wang, Andrew South, Clifton Farnsworth, Brett James Hashimoto

Faculty Publications

This research explores the usage of sustainability in literature and presents ‘three environments’ for addressing sustainability in the Civil and Construction Engineering (CCE) disciplines. Scholars have increasingly studied sustainability and sustainable development across CCE disciplines as the importance of sustainability awareness and action in society has increased. However, the vastness of its conceptual breadth and depth in CCE research is difficult to holistically evaluate. As a result, CCE researchers often focus on specific aspects of sustainability applied to discrete contexts, or address sustainability in broad aspirational terms and guiding motivations. This research utilized a rigorous analytical corpus linguistics approach for …

A Corpus-Based Comparison Of Keywords And Themes From The Book Of Mormon And The Bible, Brett James Hashimoto, Joshua Cowley

Faculty Publications

The Book of Mormon has been studied for its thematic, literary, and theological content using almost exclusively qualitative methods (e.g., Turley, 2019; Morrill, 2017). However, scholars have conducted little analysis comparing it to the Bible, even though those who view it as scripture consider it directly comparable in purpose. (e.g., The Book of Mormon, 2015; McConkie, 1985). The present study applies quantitative linguistic analysis to statistically derive the distinctive language from the two volumes of scripture and identifies the key themes and language from the two books. To accomplish this, corpora of The King James Version of the Bible (66 …

Unattended In-Home Delivery Under Varying Scenarios Of Technology-Enabled Anonymity, James C. Brau, Hugo A. Decampos

Faculty Publications

Whereas many companies have explored attended in-home delivery as one solution to challenges associated with last mile delivery, few have explored unattended in-home delivery. This paper examines consumer willingness to allow unattended in-home delivery under various scenarios of anonymity. Specifically, we study how blockchain-enabled anonymity of sellers, delivery companies, and consumers can influence consumer willingness to allow unattended in-home delivery of a nutritional product in this last mile service triad. Hypotheses build on agency theory and the potential for information asymmetry and opportunism. The analyses are based on data from 784 responses to an online survey of end-consumers who were …

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