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The Economic Regions Of Chinese Civilization: A Gis-Based Analysis Of Grain Markets In China, 1736-1842, Karl Ryavec, Mark Henderson, Rocco Bowman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

End Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Is Civilization A Good Thing?, David Wilkinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

How do we feel about “Civilization”? What emotions does the idea of “civilization” evoke from us? Why are these emotions attached to that idea? In more technical terms, what are the “connotations” of “civilization”? Laudatory or derogatory? And why do we feel the way we feel about it? What makes us welcome civilization, fear it, praise it or shun it?

The Possibility Of A Global Civilization, Robert Elliott Allinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article inquires into the question of what is civilization. It considers that a sine qua non of a civilization is a non-violent culture. It investigates the concept of violence and extends the concept to cover examples of citizens who live in conditions of poverty, ill health, lack of food, lack of education, lack of adequate housing, and inadequate living conditions. The argument in the article is that a civilization that allows such conditions to exist perpetrates violence upon its citizens and therefore does not deserve the appellation, ‘civilization.’ Those citizens who do not protest against such violence are not …

Monitoring Wise Civilization By Creating An Index, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The Wise Civilization Index will assess how wise we are in developing and living in a sustainable civilization.

Recently, people have started to worry about the state of the climate. This has been reflected in the finding that the climate temperature should be kept to a growth of below two degrees Celsius by 2100 to save our species from a slow death (The Paris Agreement of 2015). After all, raising the human body temperature by two degrees threatens illness and even death by four degrees. The same (relatively) can be done with Earth. However, apart from the climate, the problem …

Book Review: Erich S. Gruen. Cultural Identity In The Ancient Mediterranean, John Berteaux

Comparative Civilizations Review

Erich S. Gruen’s edited collection Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean first appeared in 2011. I feel the significance of this collection is that it teases out and asks us to assess unreflective assumptions that inform not only our vision of the past, but also our grasp of present-day collective identities. Early on Gruen reports that while moderns tend to focus on difference, dissimilarity, or contrast when distinguishing cultures, in the eight sections of this text scholars identify and investigate complex connections that resulted in the cultural identities we associate with the ancient Mediterranean world. The essence of Gruen’s argument …

Buber The Radical Egalitarian And Buber And Psychology, Kenneth Feigenbaum

Comparative Civilizations Review

My first iteration for this paper was to present Martin Buber in the context of radical politics in Germany and to focus upon his relationship to the anarchist Gustav Landauer. After a brief search, I found too few sources that were easily accessible from here in the United States, so as part of this presentation I situate Buber in the radical politics extant mostly during his time in Germany and in Berlin. I focus here on Buber’s psychology but include several intellectual side trips visiting aspects of Buber’s philosophy and his politics. I cannot separate them in discussing Buber and …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

“Early Covid” Changes In Parenting, Education, And Work On Parental Stress: A Gendered Comparison Of Canadian Parents, Holly Harris

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In May 2020, data were collected through survey as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding and still in its “early” months. The sample N=1,208 is of Canadian parents in a residential romantic relationship, who live with a residential child under the age of eighteen years old, who have access to the internet, and speak English or French. I examine how disruptions to child’s education/daycare, work, and parental childcare activities predicted parental stress through regression models. Findings indicate that fathers and mothers stress since the onset of COVID-19 were the same and that gender was not a moderator to parental stress. A …

What Are Our Unenumerated Rights As Americans? An Analysis Of The Ninth Amendment And The Fourteenth Amendment’S Privileges Or Immunities Clause Using Original Intent Originalism, Bryan Habashi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research aims to determine what the author believes is the original intent of the Ninth Amendment and the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The author plans to do this through a variation of original intent originalism, the philosophy that the original meaning of the text should be what the framers (and secondarily the ratifiers) said the text means. The author believes that original intent originalism is the correct method to interpret the Constitution. This thesis will begin with a defense of this philosophy. Then the author will use this philosophy to determine the original intent of …

Western Pearlshell (Margaritifera Falcata) Extirpation In The Smith River, Montana, With A Possible Link To Warming Water Temperatures, David M. Stagliano

Western North American Naturalist

Western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) populations are in decline across the species’ range in western North America. In 2008, Montana categorized the western pearlshell as an imperiled species of concern (S2) based on reduced detections at historically occupied sites and few viable populations. Between 2004 and 2014, we surveyed 24 Smith River reaches (61 total sites in the watershed) for the presence of western pearlshell populations. Despite historical and anecdotal descriptions of abundant western pearlshell in the Smith River, intensive structured surveys between 2004 and 2007 documented only 4 sections with low-density, nonviable western pearlshell populations (<10 individuals, large size classes [average total length = 70 mm], with no signs of recruitment). In 2014, we revisited these occupied sites to repeat surveys (expending significantly more search time) and observed no live individuals. This was surprising given that, although those populations would certainly die out without recruitment, older individuals can oftentimes persist for decades. Therefore, we consider the western pearlshell mussel extirpated from the Smith River watershed. We reviewed long-term USGS gage discharge and temperature data near the western pearlshell populations to evaluate the potential causal factors for, and timing of, the extirpation. From 3 July to 3 August 2007, water temperatures were at or above the thermal stress levels of the western pearlshell (>25 °C, …

Party Contacting, Group Identity, And Covid-19: An Analysis Of Asian American Voter Turnout, Suzy Yi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many scholars have focused on what affects voter turnout rates among Black and Latinx voters, with some emphasis on party contacting. However, questions about what affects voter turnout in Asian Americans remain, especially when considering Asian American voter turnout peaked in 2020 despite being consistently low in previous elections. In this paper, I use ANES data from 2016 and 2020 to study the impact of party contacting and racial group identity on Asian American voter turnout. I conduct a series of logit regressions on self-reported voter turnout with party contacting and measures of racial group identity. I find that Asian …

Playing To Play: A Critical Analysis Of Masaaki Yuasa's Ping Pong: The Animation., W. Ranse Gale

Theses and Dissertations

Masaaki Yuasa's 2014 series Ping Pong: The Animation approaches the ideas of play, competition, and victory in unique ways, especially when compared to other series in the sports anime genre. Through the protagonist Smile, Yuasa encourages viewers to engage with play in a childlike, empathetic and naïve way, as opposed to focusing on victory. By analyzing the series using De Koven's ways to approach play, scholars and fans can better understand the variety of ways in which the characters approach play, and how each of them eventually learns to play well. Analyzing this series through the perspective of metamodernism as …

Empowering The Heroes Of Tomorrow: A Literary Analysis Of Portrayals Of Protagonists' Agency In Award-Winning Fantasy Novels And Its Educational Implications, Kelly Dickson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Given the need for upper elementary students to develop a sense of their own agency, this research explored depictions of the agentic behavior of protagonists within the five most recent Newbery-awarded texts from the fantasy genre. Included is a reflexive thematic analysis of the agentic behavior of protagonists in the texts, an exploration of ways the constructed themes of agency may positively impact young readers’ agentic development, and potential implications for educators. The thematic analysis describes different types of agentic behavior in which the protagonists engage and how transacting with these textual examples can help students develop their own senses …

Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon

Theses and Dissertations

Past research suggests that adoptees face a higher risk of insecure attachment and encounter more challenges related to trust and commitment in their romantic relationships compared to nonadopted individuals. This study examines the association between adoption status and marital security among newly married couples, with a focus on the potential moderating role of gender. Using data from a representative sample of newly married couples in the United States (n = 2,110), the relationship between adoption status and multiple measures of marital security were measured using OLS regression. Findings indicate that, during the early stages of marriage, adult adoptees exhibited comparable …

Practicing Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives Of Public Records In Their Classrooms, Sini Nicole White Graff

Theses and Dissertations

While media displays exist in every mathematics classroom, these displays may have been taken for granted by teachers and researchers in terms of their potential use and impact on learning. This study looks at how three practicing mathematics teachers with differing teaching styles and experience levels view and use these media displays in their classrooms. This research shows how the relationship between a teachers' perceptions of media displays for showing mathematics are closely tied to their own beliefs regarding teaching and learning. Findings for this study can provide researchers with a starting place to see how teachers perceive and talk …

Liposomes For The Treatment Of Brain Cancer—A Review, Richu Raju, Waad H. Abuwatfa, William G. Pitt, Ghaleb A. Husseini

Faculty Publications

Due to their biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and surface-conjugation capabilities, liposomes are effective nanocarriers that can encapsulate chemotherapeutic drugs and facilitate targeted delivery across the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Additionally, strategies have been explored to synthesize liposomes that respond to internal and/or external stimuli to release their payload controllably. Although research into liposomes for brain cancer treatment is still in its infancy, these systems have great potential to fundamentally change the drug delivery landscape. This review paper attempts to consolidate relevant literature regarding the delivery to the brain using nanocarriers, particularly liposomes. The paper first briefly explains conventional treatment modalities for cancer, followed …

Presenting Issue Agreement And The Therapeutic Alliance In Family Therapy, Emilee Oldroyd

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown a positive association between the therapeutic alliance and family therapy outcome. Theory and preliminary research suggest that parent and adolescent agreement on the presenting problem would be a significant predictor of the therapeutic alliance in family therapy. This study used de-identified data from the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network. The presenting problem was assessed at the first session, and agreement in presenting problems was determined by matching the responses between the parents and adolescents. The within-system alliance item of the Intersession Alliance Measures-Family (IAM-F), assessed at the fourth session, was used to measure the …

A Review On Membrane Fouling Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks (Anns), Waad H. Abuwatfa, Nour Al Sawaftah, Naif Darwish, William G. Pitt, Ghaleb A. Husseini

Faculty Publications

Membrane fouling is a major hurdle to effective pressure-driven membrane processes, such as microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO). Fouling refers to the accumulation of particles, organic and inorganic matter, and microbial cells on the membrane’s external and internal surface, which reduces the permeate flux and increases the needed transmembrane pressure. Various factors affect membrane fouling, including feed water quality, membrane characteristics, operating conditions, and cleaning protocols. Several models have been developed to predict membrane fouling in pressure-driven processes. These models can be divided into traditional empirical, mechanistic, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based models. Artificial neural networks …

Are Shrubs A Necessary Component Of The Habitat For Ammospermophilus Nelsoni In The San Joaquin Desert?, David J. Germano, Larry R. Saslaw

Western North American Naturalist

The San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni; SJAS) is a state-listed Threatened species in California that evolved in the shrublands of the San Joaquin Desert. Due to livestock overgrazing and fires, much of the desert has lost its shrub cover, which would be a conservation concern if shrubs are a necessary component of the habitat for squirrels. We established two 64-trap plots on the Lokern area of Kern County, California: one covered by saltbush scrub (Atriplex spp.) and another nearby without shrubs. We trapped quarterly starting in January 2019 and ending in November 2021 (12 trap sessions). …

Heat Transfer To Rolling Or Sliding Drops On Inclined Heated Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Joseph Merkley Furner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the time resolved heat transfer to drops rolling or sliding along inclined, subcritical heated non-wetting surfaces. Results were experimentally obtained using IR imaging for a smooth hydrophobic surface and post as well as rib structured superhydrophobic surfaces of varying solid fraction (f_s = 0.06 - 0.5). Tests were performed at varying inclination angle (α = 10, 15, 20, and 25°), drop volume (12, 20, 30, and 40 μL), and surface temperature (T_w = 50, 65, and 80 °C). Rib structured superhydrophobic surfaces were explored for drops moving parallel and perpendicular to the rib structures. The findings indicate …

A Possession For All Time: Athenian Democracy And Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, J. Hollis Pueblo

Theses and Dissertations

Video game adaptations of the classical world are becoming increasingly intricate, and the study of video games as artifacts of classical reception and adaptation is likewise becoming increasingly important for the field of historiography. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, set during the Peloponnesian War, recreates, among other aspects of the Greek world of the period, the political setting of Periklean Athens. This thesis examines instances of Athenian political representation within the game which depart from the typical image of Athens' politics as informed by primary source accounts, knowledge of sociocultural practices, and archaeological finds. It argues that the game depicts the Athenian …

The Hidden Power Of “Thank You”: Exploring Aspects, Expressions, And The Influence Of Gratitude In Religious Families, Joe M. Chelladurai, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Heather H. Kelley, David B. Allsop

Faculty Publications

Gratitude has been extensively studied over the past two decades. Among several predictors, aspects of religiosity and spirituality have been consistent predictors of gratitude. To explore the religious motivations and processes that foster the practice of gratitude, we undertook a systematic thematic analysis using interview data from a national qualitative project of 198 highly religious families. Participants (n = 476) included mothers, fathers, and children from various socioeconomic backgrounds and from diverse religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the United States of America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes. Data for this study were analyzed using a team-based …

Impact Of Mental Wellness Courses On Student Mental Health, Joshua W. Pinson

Theses and Dissertations

A large portion of college students have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and that number is climbing. Most of these students are not receiving treatment, and university counseling centers are unable to meet the increasing demands. The purpose of this study is to fill gaps in this literature by doing an early analysis of a larger, multi-year quasi-experimental study to assess the impact of college mental wellness courses on self-health measures and mental health resource utilization rates. The validated instruments used for evaluating self-health measures and mental health resource utilization were the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) Counseling …

Remembering Martyrdom: Delacroix's Massacre Of Chios As A Site Of Collective Memory, Colette Burton

Theses and Dissertations

The Massacre of Chios (1824) by Eugéne Delacroix illustrates the titular genocide from the Greek War of Independence. This genocide was a veritable razing of the entire island by Ottoman Turks in 1822. Today, a replica of Delacroix's painting resides on the island inside the entrance of the Chios Byzantine Museum, located in a converted mosque built on the ruins of a Christian church. This site is a case for the existence of non-Western temporalities, including liturgical and Aegean temporalities, as they pertain to the commemoration of the massacre through interaction with the replica. These temporalities are not causal or …

Did Covid Change Everything Or Nothing At All? Canadian Family Life During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carlee Guenther Dynes

Theses and Dissertations

In March of 2020, Canada, along with the rest of the world, declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency and responded with society-wide lockdowns, granting exceptions only for essential workers. Canadians across all demographic categories were significantly impacted, and many parents of children under 18 faced the difficult task of caring for their children while simultaneously meeting their work obligations. Using novel in-depth interview data from 30 Canadian parents (in 15 couples) collected between April 2022 and May 2023, I explore three main changes to family life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic: expanded family-friendly work practices, increased time with nuclear …

The Effect Of Therapeutic Alliance Quality On Relationship Quality, With Latino Ethnicity As A Moderator: An Exploratory Study, Ivana Elisa Borba Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

A strong therapeutic alliance is consistently related to successful outcomes in couple therapy. However, most of the research done on therapeutic alliance has been done among non-Latino White individuals and couples, failing to account for other ethnic minorities like Latinos. Latinos tend to share certain commonalities as opposed to non-Latino clients that may alter the relationship between alliance quality and relationship quality. This exploratory study was designed to understand whether Latino clients have higher initial levels of alliance and a stronger alliance-outcome relationship in couple therapy when compared to non-Latino White couples. The sample consisted of 567 couples seeking therapy …

Student Perceptions Of Praise In L2 Written Feedback, Kate Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Providing students with meaningful written feedback is a difficult task that teachers must perform in an ESL classroom. Although many studies have looked at written feedback in terms of directness, criticism, and suggestions, very few studies have examined praise in the form of written feedback and what students' perceptions of praise are. To determine the effect that praise has on ESL students, we examined student responses to two praise types given student proficiency levels and cultural backgrounds. In this study, 109 students from an intensive English Program participated in a survey that asked for opinions on person and performance praise …

The Effects Of Ketones On Brain Metabolism And Cognition, Erin Reiko Saito

Theses and Dissertations

The brain is one of the most energetically demanding organs within the human body and is cognitively susceptible to energetic deficits such that the rise in obesity, insulin resistance, and Alzheimer’s disease in recent decades pose a substantial threat to cognitive longevity. The therapeutic efficacy of ketones are well-established in epilepsy and are currently being applied to other disease states. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by impairments in brain glucose uptake and metabolism in regions relevant to learning, memory, and cognition that progress with the disease. While brain glucose uptake is impaired, ketone uptake is unaltered, potentially enabling ketones to fuel …

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.