Digital Commons Network^™

Derivative Propagation Through Vortex Particle Method Simulation, Eric Green, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Automatic differentiation (AD) is a powerful tool for evaluating numerical derivatives. In particular, reverse-mode AD provides numerical gradients in a way that is insensitive to the number of input variables. This makes reverse-mode AD well-suited for solving large optimization problems. However, reverse-mode AD has a particularly large associated memory cost because most intermediate values in operations need to be cached. This is problematic for large problems such as aerodynamics simulations, though, since the memory requirements can quickly become impractical. The solution implemented in this work is to provide analytic pullback expressions for functions for which many of the intermediate values …

Trajectory Optimization Of Evtol And Conventional Aircraft: A Comparative Analysis Of Vortex Particle Method And Vortex Lattice + Blade Element Momentum Theory, Andrew Tagg, Ryan Anderson, Cibin Joseph, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Trajectory optimization of aircraft transition maneuvers can significantly influence the design of these systems, particularly when making decisions about aircraft geometry, propulsion sizing, and control system design. This paper presents the trajectory optimization of air vehicles including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) as well as conventional aircraft. The study evaluates the influence of fidelity in trajectory design by comparing the use of two aerodynamic methods in the context of trajectory optimization. The mid-fidelity method utilizes a vortex lattice method (VLM) to model lifting surfaces while employing blade element momentum theory (BEMT) to model rudimentary rotor-wing interactions. The high-fidelity approach …

Persevering Through Communication Challenges: A Qualitative Descriptive Exploration Of Communication Experiences In Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Camille Williams, Garrett Cardon, William S. Evans

Faculty Publications

Background

People with aphasia often experience activity limitations and participation restrictions despite wanting to engage in communication activities that are satisfying and meaningful. Communication partner support, the complexity of the communication environment, and the thoughts and feelings of people with aphasia have important implications for both language processing and communicative participation. The perspectives of PWA about the role that environmental and personal factors (e.g. thoughts and feelings) play in their communication experiences could inform clinical practice.

Aims

To qualitatively explore the communication experiences of people with aphasia and how environmental demands and personal factors (especially emotional responses) affect these experiences. …

Cultivating A Digital Environment To Support Primary Source Instruction, Lindsey Memory, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Abby Beazer, Gregory K. Seppi

Faculty Publications

Primary source literacy continues to be a priority for academic institutions. A growing subtopic is digital primary sources and their unique role in pedagogy. Digital primary sources have the capacity to represent more diverse voices, and their digital nature provides greater accessibility to new and existing user populations who cannot always come to the reading room. Digital primary sources can better meet a variety of needs through ADA-compliant transcription, 24/7 access, portability, and extensibility. With that vision in mind, these projects and materials present their own challenges to archivists, librarians, and other instructors seeking to expand these items’ curricular use. …

Full Issue: Artificial Intelligence And Data For Nonprofit Organizations, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Authorship In The Age Of Algorithms: Adapting Copyright Law For Ai-Generated Content, Sydney Thomas

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

In the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the relationship between technological advancement and legal protection for human creators has become increasingly critical. From Stephen Hawking's admonition of the potential risks of unregulated AI to Sam Altman's advocacy for proactive regulation, this paper navigates the evolving landscape of AI innovation and copyright law. By examining the challenges posed by AI-generated content, including issues of intellectual property infringement and privacy concerns, it highlights the need for adaptive legal frameworks. Strategic enhancements to copyright law must be developed, such as bolstering fair use doctrine and expanding creator rights, to ensure the protection of …

Addressing Social Inequalities Using Ai, Big Data, And Machine Learning, Erica L. Jensen, Lakell Archer, Sumaya Ali

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Research Summaries: Artificial Intelligence And Data For Nonprofits, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Trust In Information, Preparation, And Resource Adequacy In Coastal Louisiana, Elizabeth Long-Meek, Michael R. Cope, Scott Sanders, Carol Ward

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Natural disasters pose significant challenges to communities, affecting lives, properties, and infrastructure unpredictably. Coastal regions, like those in southern Louisiana, are particularly vulnerable due to their exposure to hurricanes, coastal erosion, and other chronic environmental hazards exacerbated by climate change. This study investigates the relationship between trust in government and social entities and perceptions of disaster preparedness among residents of Plaquemines and Lafourche parishes, Louisiana. Drawing on data collected via a multi-mode survey, including measures of trust and perceived preparedness, logistic regression models reveal that trust in information from federal, state, and local governments, as well as from community networks …

Regional Variations In Nabataean Jewelry, Emily Marie Yankura

Theses and Dissertations

The use of jewelry is just one of many avenues for individual self-expression, but even in the most individualistic society it is also a reflection of certain cultural norms, values, and expectations. This thesis is an analysis of Nabataean jewelry in burial contexts from the three main regions of the ancient kingdom - Medina Selah, the Negev, and Petra – with the aim of reaching a better understanding of Nabataean culture through their jewelry. The types of jewelry, materials used in their construction, and many other variables are compared and reveal unique regional variations within an overall Hellenistic style.

Application And Development Of Ceragenins In Medical Device Coatings For Clinical Settings, Elliot E. Sherren

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) pose a significant and increasing threat to global health. One primary cause of this threat is increasing antibiotic resistance. As traditional antibiotics continue to grow less effective, there is an urgent need for novel antimicrobial strategies. This work explores the potential of ceragenins, also known as cationic steroid antimicrobials (CSAs), as a promising alternative to combat HAIs. Specifically, we investigated potential roles that CSAs can play in the context of multiple medical device coatings in healthcare settings. Ceragenins are synthetic mimic of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against many common pathogens that have been …

Evaluating The Effects Of Cheatgrass On Western Burrowing Owls, Kaylee R. Draughon

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a global decline of specialist species observed in recent decades due to the impacts of climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss. Habitat loss and degradation may lead to a mismatch between habitat attractiveness and actual quality, otherwise known as an ecological trap. Ecological traps occur when an organism is constrained by its evolutionary past to select for cues that no longer accurately predict habitat quality. Specialist species are more susceptible to ecological traps due to greater reliance on and fidelity to historic sites and resources. The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), a specialist bird species adapted to …

Exploring Seizure Signal Processing And Methods To Characterize Seizure-Like Activity In Mouse Brains, Benjamin Kearsley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Status Epilepticus (SE) is a dangerous type of seizure that is difficult to treat and can have permanent or fatal consequences. Developing methods to properly process and classify SE in Local Field Potential (LFP) signals are important steps towards being able to predict SE in clinic and save lives. This thesis explores methods for the seizure data processing LFP data with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of the effect of brain region and tissue preparation paradigm on power output in specific frequency ranges. The brain regions compared are the neocortex and hippocampus, and the preparation paradigms are 4AP …

Women Gaze Back: Affect And Apparatic Disintegration In Funeral Parade Of Roses And Perfect Blue, Jessi Ivie

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how films Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) by Toshio Matsumoto and Perfect Blue (1997) by Satoshi Kon subvert the male gaze of the camera by having the female main characters look back at the audience. The characters Mima (Perfect Blue) and Eddie (Funeral Parade) take control of the camera to subvert the hierarchical relationship between apparatus, audience, and characters. Through the lenses of apparatus and affect theory, these films show how the world of film includes the audience instead of precluding them. Experimental editing and heightened emotional situations unsettle the audience's voyeuristic position, bringing them closer to …

Spatial Patterns In Anthropomorphic Fremont Rock Imagery Of Central Utah, Alyssa Pitts Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Rock imagery from the late Fremont period (1000-1300 AD) has captivated the interest of both professional and avocational researchers for the past century. In this thesis, I apply a highly systematized method of cataloguing and analysis to 482 anthropomorphs from Clear Creek Canyon (CCC) and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM). The primary theoretical assumption in this thesis is that the shapes used in anthropomorphic imagery convey ideas about how the Fremont saw people. I therefore recorded the head and body morphology and presence of arms, legs, and genitalia of each anthropomorph. By observing the data spatially, I discovered both …

"Vampire Plastics": An Investigation Of Poly(Olefin Sulfone) Depolymerization And Its Dust Mitigation Abilities, Alexandra Kathryn Kanani Gallion Stapley

Theses and Dissertations

The ubiquity of particulate contamination requires dust mitigation techniques to provide low-scatter surfaces and edges on sensitive optical devices in space. Poly(olefin sulfone)s have been shown to photodegrade with the assistance of a photobase generator when exposed to UV light (254 nm) and heat (120 °C). These polymers may be useful for minimizing dust on optical surfaces for space applications. However, their behavior in vacuum has not been fully characterized. We synthesized poly(2-methyl-1-pentene sulfone) (PMPS) and poly(1-hexene sulfone) (PHS) with and without a photobase generator. We studied the photodegradation (172 nm or 254 nm) of thin films in vacuum. Spectroscopic …

Tool Life Characterization In Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding, Ruth Guadalupe Belnap

Theses and Dissertations

As light-weighting becomes a priority for the automotive industry, refill friction stir spot welding emerges with enormous potential to supplement or replace conventional spot joining processes. This thesis addresses the limitations of current tooling options by examining materials beyond steel for use in RFSSW. Contained herein is an analysis of weld quality as a function of tool material, a production evaluation of RFSSW using various tool materials, and an assessment of long-term performance of a tungsten carbide tool. Over the course of this research, tungsten carbide emerged as a viable candidate for long-lasting RFSSW tooling.

Communication Between Young Adults And Their Siblings With Autism, Shane Morgan Petersen

Theses and Dissertations

As adolescents transition into young adults, many changes take place within family relationships as young adults move away from home. Young adults may be living away from parents and siblings for the first time and will establish communication patterns that can affect the rest of their life (citation). Relationships largely rely on communication in which young adults and their siblings with autism may experience changes in communication patterns as they move away from home. This study examined six young adults who all have a sibling with autism with whom they are no longer living. An examination of how close these …

The Voice As Identity: How Opera Has Influenced Dubbing In Italy And The United States, Brynn Allison Staker

Theses and Dissertations

An enduring Italian tradition of celebrating the voice and the Italian language as seen by the Italian perception and interest in opera has created an environment of celebration for Italian dubbers. The long-established history of opera in Italy, as well as the modern reception of Italian opera, have effectively placed the voice at the forefront of the Italian entertainment industry. This can be seen through an examination of the careers of Italian dubbers and the success that they saw in their industry. The United States did not have a longstanding operatic tradition, and when opera was introduced it was under …

Ip&T 372 Redesign, Christan Hatch-Garcia

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

The original proposal for this project was to work with BYU faculty to redesign IP&T 372: Integrating K-12 Educational Technology 2. When my project proposal was approved, IP&T 372 was a fully online course, the second of a three course undergraduate series for pre-service teachers. These courses were designed to prepare students to “effectively use and think with technology to meet current and emergent needs” in elementary and secondary education (Leary 2022). The purposes of the redesign of IP&T 372 were to (1) align the course with IP&T department goals, (2) bring the Canvas design in-line with the most current …

Characterizing The Potential For Failure In Environment Testing Due To Bolted-Joint Friction Nonlinearity And Bilinearity, Brennen Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Nonlinear behavior in systems complicates the analysis and design of many systems in engineering. In vibration engineering, typical methods such as modal analysis fail or require significant adjustment in the presence of nonlinearity. Understanding and modeling nonlinear behavior is becoming more important in many modern engineering applications. One area that is relatively unexplored is how nonlinearity affects environment testing. This can cover a wide variety of subtopics, but this thesis focuses on failures that can occur in a system which are not predicted by corresponding linearized systems. To further limit the scope of this work, and to provide a context …

Parent Involvement Programs And Latinx Families: An Evaluation Of The Parents + Schools = Successful Children Program, Katherine Woods Hancey

Theses and Dissertations

Parent's active involvement in their children's educational experience has been shown to have a positive impact on student outcomes, including academic achievement, attitude toward school, and improved skill-development. There is limited research, however, that explores how best to help parents become more involved in their children's schooling, especially across cultural groups. Currently, there are more than 14.4 million Latinx students in public elementary and secondary schools. Due to the recent increase in Latinx students within the U.S., there is a need to better understand and support Latinx parent involvement in schools. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Parents + …

Procedural Pre-Training For Visual Recognition, Connor S. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning models can perform many tasks very capably, provided they are trained correctly. Usually, this requires a large amount of data. Pre-training refers to a process of creating a strong initial model by first training it on a large-scale dataset. Such a model can then be adapted to many different tasks, while only requiring a comparatively small amount of task-specific training data. Pre-training is the standard approach in most computer vision scenarios, but it's not without drawbacks. Aside from the cost and effort involved in collecting large pre-training datasets, such data may also contain unwanted biases, violations of privacy, …

Byu Library Digital Content Exploratory Committee Final Report, Lindsey Memory, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Cory L. Nimer, Dainan Skeem, David Brownell, Jamie E. Wiser, Nicole Lewis, Paul K.J. Robbins, Trevor Alvord, Tyler Thorsted

Harold B. Lee Library Faculty Publications

The BYU Library's cross-divisional Digital Content Exploratory Committee examined the extant personnel, systems, and workflows allocated to the care of a wide range of digital content types stewarded by the library (examples: digitized master and access derivative files, born-digital manuscript materials, born-digital scholarly materials, web archives, data, etc.). We compared our problems, standards, and staffing structures to the field at large through a literature review and an environmental scan. Our research has affirmed to us the unique and in many ways still-uncharted challenges and opportunities inherent to collecting, facilitating access to, and preserving digital content of research and historical value …

Does Suicide Prevention Knowledge Predict Suicide Prevention Behaviors Among Hope Squad Members?, Angie S. Bledsoe

Theses and Dissertations

This was one of the first studies that looked at the effect that suicide prevention knowledge acquired through suicide prevention training (QPR training and Hope Squad curriculum) may have on suicide prevention behaviors (gatekeeping behaviors) in an adolescent population (Hope Squad members). Additionally, this study looked at how Hope Squad members' intent to intervene may mediate the relationship between suicide prevention knowledge and suicide prevention behaviors. The current study found that on average Hope Squad members' suicide prevention knowledge, gatekeeping behaviors, and intent to intervene increased from prior to starting the Hope Squad program's curriculum to the end of the …

Intro To Service Design, Bennett Gustafson

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This paper outlines the creation of a 1.0 credit course, "Intro to Service Design," tailored for graduate students in the Instructional Psychology & Technology Department and undergraduate students in various design disciplines at Brigham Young University. Drawing from international experiences and industry frameworks, the course equipped students with comprehensive skills in Service Design, emphasizing human-centered and collaborative approaches. Through a series of hands-on activities, students explored the Double Diamond Framework, participatory design, and interdisciplinary collaboration, culminating in the development of portfolio-worthy projects. The paper delves into the course design, learner analysis, implementation plan, and assessment strategies, providing a holistic view …

Using Video Modeling To Improve Hygiene Practices For Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities, Allison Hovey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of instruction delivered by video to teach hygiene skills to students with significant cognitive disabilities. The independent variable in this study is personal hygiene instruction delivered by a video model. The dependent variable in this study is the ability of a participant to complete a multi-step hygiene task. The dependent variable will be measured during each data session of intervention by two scorers using the same measures and procedures across phases. Visual analysis demonstrated a functional relationship between the hygiene skill video model intervention and an increase in the percentage …

Differential Effects Of Social Media On Body Esteem: An Ecological Momentary Assessment On Weight Satisfaction And Muscularity Importance, Megan Van Alfen Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how social media use is related to body esteem (particularly weight satisfaction and muscularity importance) in adolescents. We conducted a 17-day Ecological Momentary Assessment study among 183 adolescents (12–17 years, 58% girls). Each adolescent reported on his/her social media use, weight satisfaction, and muscularity importance four times per day (68 assessments per participant; 6,863 completed in total). Using a person-specific, N=1 method of analysis (Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling), we found that at the between-person level, social media use is not associated with lower satisfaction with one’s weight and greater importance of looking masculine. At the within-person level, …

Self-Determination Towards Regular Exercise Relates To Quality Of Life In Female College Students With At Least One Child, Toby Khung Chilai Roylance

Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by one of my daughters, Rachel Tam, and her journeys through motherhood while pursuing an MBA at Brigham Young University, this study was conceived from observing her struggle to balance academic responsibilities, motherhood, being a wife, and prenatal care. Her experience highlighted the significance of self-directed physical activity (PA) for young mothers pursuing higher education in a religious institution. This study explores the dynamics of PA, motivation, and well-being among 264 college-attending mothers from Brigham Young University Provo and BYU-Pathway Worldwide. These participants were selected from an online survey pool of over 1,500 female student respondents. All mothers in …

Design And Fabrication Of Passive Microfluidic Devices For Enhancing Membrane-Based Biosensors, Tanner N. Wells

Theses and Dissertations

Microfluidic devices and systems have demonstrated wide applicability in sample processing and analysis. The ability to integrate sample processing and analysis into a single platform is a key benefit of microfluidic technologies. This dissertation describes the design and fabrication two types of microfluidic devices developed to enhance membrane-based biosensors. First is a device for collecting particles into a highly confined region, locally enhancing their concentration. Second is a device for size-based particle separation capable of separating differently sized particles into separate streams. Both types of devices are fabricated with a thin top layer, providing a platform for synthetic membrane-based technologies. …