Digital Commons Network^™

Predicting Family Forest Owner Decision-Making, Jonathan Holt

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Family forest owners (FFO’s) play an important role in the complex interactions between development decisions and ecosystems. Determining the conditions of FFO engagement with natural systems will facilitate projections of future decision-making and subsequent ecosystem responses. We establish agent functional types (AFT’s) of landowners as a form of dimension reduction, effectively assigning individual FFO’s to a particular decision-making class, each with unique behavior rules. The objectives of this study are to (1) characterize AFT’s of New England FFO’s and (2) model AFT membership as a function of demographic and geographic data. Accomplishing (1) will establish differences in social, economic, and …

Agricultural Model Exchange Initiative (Amei), Andreas Enders, Pierre Martre, Helene Raynal, Ioannis Athanasiadis, Marcello Donatelli, Davide Fumagalli, Dean Holzworth, Claudio Stöckle, Gerrit Hoogenboom

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Model development of managed environmental systems and in particular agricultural systems is complex and driven by both biophysical and socio-economic processes. Additional complexity is created reflecting context- and scale-dependency of the main drivers. It has to offer to the scientist the possibility to create highly diverse models (modelling solutions) combining model components from different domain seamlessly. The AgMIP initiative could show it is not sufficient to run one model to estimate changes in agricultural systems.

The AMEI aims to rise to different challenges exchanging model components by

- defining standards to describe model component exchange format specifically

- developing a …

Longitudinal Change In High-Cost Prosocial Behaviors Of Defending And Including During The Transition To Adulthood, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Madison K. Memmott-Elison, Matthew G. Nielson

Faculty Publications

Despite high profile examples that are highlighted in the popular media, we know little about high-cost prosocial behaviors such as defending and including, and how these behaviors might change over time and vary by individual. Thus, this study explored defending and including behaviors across the transition to adulthood by assessing growth and profiles of these high-cost prosocial behaviors over a four-year time span. In addition the study explored gender, emotional (sympathy), cognitive (personal values), individual (self-esteem), and relational (maternal warmth) factors during adolescence that predicted profiles of defending and including during the transition to adulthood. Participants were 469 individuals (52% …

Agency In Action: Exploring User Responses And Rhetorical Choices In Interactive Data Displays, Jacob D. Rawlins, Gregory D. Wilson, Kate Crane

Faculty Publications

n 2014, Rawlins and Wilson proposed a typology of agential interactions between users and designers of interactive data displays. This article tests that typology by studying 20 users working with three different types of interactive data displays and answering questions, which were coded by verb and actor and analyzed for themes. The authors show that rhetorical agency is marked by thoughts, actions, and language. Affordances by the designer open a shared rhetorical space where user and designer are coparticipants. As interactivity increases, participants see themselves as rhetorical agents in a community of rhetorical agents rather than as conduits of information.

A Comparison Of Qualitative And Quantitative White Matter Methods In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Kacie Larae Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance imaging is used to assess white matter (WM) abnormalities including total WM volumes and WM hyperintensities (WMHs). Comparisons between several qualitative and quantitative methods to assess WM that are used in research and clinical settings are lacking in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study 1) WM methods including Scheltens ratings, manual tracings, NeuroQuant®, and FreeSurfer; (2) compared total WM volumes and WMHs to assess potentially similar reporting of WM integrity; and (3) assessed the relationship between cognitive functions (intelligence, attention, processing speed, and language) and WM in pediatric TBI.Sixty participants (65% male) between ages 8-13 years old, …

Informing Social Impact: Enabling Everyday Changemakers Through Research, Marissa Getts

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite a lack of expertise regarding social impact, laypeople make many important decisions about social good by starting or supporting organizations or social businesses, voting for or against legislation and policymakers, or spending their money and time on volunteering or service trips. Unfortunately, many people base their interventions or analysis of interventions for any given social issue on overly simplistic understanding or incorrect information regarding social impact. This keeps them from developing interventions with positive, sustainable impact. Ballard Brief is a publication based on a framework intended to inform the layperson about social issues and interventions.

This thesis is comprised …

The Price Of Praise In The Market For Virtue: A Paradox Of Rating And Recognizing Responsibility, Ben William Lewis

Faculty Publications

In this study, I investigate how organizations respond to positive social ratings. Drawing upon theoretical insights from the organizational literatures on reputation, information disclosure, and commensuration, I argue that positive social ratings that define a specific and fixed threshold for recognition can alter the market price for a signal of virtue, and thus lead high-performing organizations to reduce their subsequent social performance. To test this hypothesis, I examine how large public corporations responded to a social responsibility rating that evaluated and recognized their prior philanthropic efforts. I find that firms recognized for their generosity were more likely to reduce their …

Social Media Use And Its Impact On Relationships And Emotions, Spencer Palmer Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

A large majority of the people throughout the world own a smartphone and access social media on a daily basis. Because of this digital attachment, the author sought to understand to what extent this use has impacted the users' emotional well-being and offline interpersonal relationships. A sample size of 627 participants completed a mixed-methods survey consisting of Likert scale and short answer questions regarding social media use, emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed that the more time an individual spent on social media the more likely they were to experience a negative impact on their overall emotional well-being and …

Doing And Interpreting Lyrical Sociology: Living In Detroit, Gregory Joseph Wurm

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines, experiments with, and theorizes the value of lyrical sociology as an approach to social scientific research. A lyrical sociology, as proposed by Andrew Abbott, seeks to describe an author's emotional response to a phenomenon rather than explain it. This allows for a researcher's own experience to play a role in the research process in a way that helps the reader to connect emotionally and ethically to both the world they read about and the world they themselves are a part of. It has valuable implications for the way researchers relate to their research, their research subjects, their …

Estimating The Reliability Of Scores From A Social Network Survey Questionnaire In Light Of Actor, Alter, And Dyad Clustering Effects, Timothy Dean Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Survey instruments utilized to quantify relationships, or aspects of relationships, may introduce multiple sources of nonindependence"”clustered variance"”into scores, including from actor, alter and dyadic sources. Estimating the magnitude of actor, alter and dyad nonindependence and their impact on the reliability of scores is an important step towards assuring quality data. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis and the social relations model offer methods for quantifying the influence and estimating the reliability of multiple sources of clustered variance. The use of these methods is illustrated in the analysis of data gathered via a survey designed to quantify relational embeddedness in social network analyses.

Complimentary Medical Frameworks: Hmong Shamanism In France And Thailand, Madison Harmer, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Current social science literature outside of anthropology has attributed Hmong difficulties adapting to Western health care to their traditional healing practices, claiming that successful integration only occurs as the younger generation discards traditional beliefs (Franzen-Castle & Smith 2013). Ethnographic research conducted in France and Thailand refutes these claims; Hmong of younger and older generations utilize both the state medical system and traditional healing, integrating these systems instead of treating them as ontologically distinct (and thus in competition with each other). Many researchers and medical personnel studying or working with Hmong populations have ignored models of ontological holism because of the …

Child Malnutrition In The Philippines: Using Experimental Design To Understand Nutritional Supplement Adoption, Marissa Miller, Dr. Scott Sanders

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Liahona Children’s Foundation (LCF) is a faith-based community organization that seeks to “nurture the potential of children to lead healthy and productive lives by eliminating malnutrition and providing educational opportunities among LDS (Latter-day Saint) children and their friends”. They do this by providing health initiatives include growth monitoring and nutritional supplementation. They are piloting the use health education lessons. In this field study, I evaluated the LCF program and initiated a randomized control trial to test the effectiveness of the health education lessons. The purpose of the project is to assess the effects of nutritional supplementation and basic nutritional education …

Psychological Effects Of Parental Divorce In Adulthood, Alexander Wambach, Dr. Kevin Shafer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The United States has experienced a greying of divorce over the last 25 years. During this period, the divorce rate among couples aged 50 and older doubled, and almost 25 percent of divorces that took place in 2010 involved someone 50 years of age or older (Brown and Lin 2013). Many of these older divorcing couples are likely to have children who are already adults at the time the divorce takes place. Qualitative evidence indicates the adult children of late-life divorce are negatively impacted in some way (Greenwood 2012). I hypothesized that adults who have a parent that is recently …

Understanding Biracial Women's Identity Formation, Tinesha Zandamela

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This qualitative study study seeks to identify themes and patterns concerning biracial women’s experiences in the U.S. It is intended to help expand what researchers currently know about what it means to be biracial in the U.S. If society at large has not dictated a script for multiracial persons because they are not even fully recognized as a racial group throughout the US, what can the experiences of these biracial women tell us about the current sociological theories of identity construction? Utilizing six interviews with half-black women and three sociological theories, this paper seeks to answer that question. Ultimately, this …

The Great Plans Of The Eternal God, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

The concept that God had a plan from the beginning was clearly taught by the first generation of Nephite prophets in the sixth century BCE as it provided both them and their successors over the next thousand years with the background or context they could use to preach and explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to their people. The plan of salvation they taught made the relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ for every individual born into this world perfectly clear. It explained the great blessings that would come to those who would repent and embrace all elements of …

Combatting Labor Exploitation In The United States By Modifying Visas For Migrant Workers, Paige Herrmann

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The current statutes addressing labor trafficking in the United States are insufficient in protecting migrant workers from labor exploitation. A solution to this often overlooked problem is to introduce flexible visas which allow migrant workers who have been victims of labor exploitation to seek new employment in the United States while remaining in valid legal status, affording them freedom from abusive employers.

A New Medical Malpractice Tort System: It's Time To Prioritize The Patient, Jaden Cowdin, Tyler Lindley

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The current medical malpractice tort system often promotes inefficiency and perverse incentives for doctors. Attempts at reform, to date, have been largely ineffective or harmful to the patient. A total overhaul—including a state-run medical review board, a centralized no-fault compensation fund, and a publicly accessible black mark database—should be tailored and enacted by each state.

Misinterpretations​ ​Of​ ​Hmong​ ​Culture: Complementary​ ​Medical​ ​Frameworks, Telisha Tausinga, Madison Harmer

Student Works

Current social science literature outside of anthropology has attributed Hmong difficulties adapting to Western health care to their traditional healing practices, claiming that successful integration only occurs as the younger generation discards traditional beliefs (Franzen-Castle & Smith 2013). Ethnographic research conducted in France and Thailand refutes these claims; Hmong of younger and older generations utilize both the state medical system and traditional healing, integrating these systems instead of treating them as ontologically distinct (and thus in competition with each other). Many researchers and medical personnel studying or working with Hmong populations have ignored models of ontological holism because of the …

Undocumented Immigrants And The Us Professional Licensing Problem, Madeleine Truman

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The number of illegal immigrants to the United States continues to rise each. Many individuals are blocked from citizenship and its subsequent opportunities by a broken system. Undocumented early arrivals, such as DACA recipients and DREAMers, though currently not targeted for deportation, are prevented from succeeding in their chosen field due to an immigration status they did not choose. Like their native born counterparts, they should have the same right to work in a professional field if they prove themselves to be as equally qualified in all aspects barring immigration status.

Can Mentoring Help Reduce The Risk Of Recidivism? An Analysis Of The Serious And Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (Svori) Data, Amanda Claire Workman

Theses and Dissertations

This research project investigates the effectiveness of mentors on rates of self-reported criminal offending for released offenders. I use data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) study (2004-2007), which sought to evaluate factors relating to high-risk offenders outcomes post release in an effort to reduce the societal problem of mass incarceration. Previous research has examined the use of mentors to improve the delinquent and criminogenic behavior of youth, but little is known about the effectiveness of mentors used to aid imprisoned adult males. I utilize negative binomial analysis to compare the number of self-reported criminal activities among …

The Influence Of Foreign-Born Population On Immigrants' Academic Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis Of Students In High-Income Countries, Florencia Silveira

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have linked multiple background characteristics to academic achievement; among these are student SES and race/ethnicity. A largely understudied student characteristic in relation to academic achievement is student immigrant status. I contextualize this relationship by considering a macro social setting: country-level foreign-born population. To do this, I examine mathematics achievement from the 2015 PISA assessment in 41 high-income countries. Using mixed-effects modeling, I examine student- and country-level factors and their effects on mathematics achievement. I use within- and cross-level interactions to examine the relationship between 1) immigrant status and student SES and between 2) immigrant status and foreign-born population. To …

Does Race Matter? School Decision Making Among White, Latino, And Polynesian Families, Maria Daniela Barriga

Theses and Dissertations

Low-income parents value excellent schools, yet often enroll their children in low-performing schools. The literature is inconclusive when examining how low-income families go through school choice decisions. It is important to understand the school decision-making process among different racial groups because choosing a good school improves later academic outcomes. Choosing a good elementary school is especially important because this is a critical period in a child's development and can affect performance in subsequent educational institutions. I am interested in understanding how race/ethnicity shapes how low-income parents make decisions about schools. Using interview data from an extensive qualitative study, I examine …

Pauline Oliveros And The Quest For Musical Utopia, Hannah Christina Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses music's role in utopian community-building by using a case study of a specific composer, Pauline Oliveros, who believed her work could provide a positive "pathway to the future" resembling other utopian visions. The questions of utopian intent, potential, and method are explored through an analysis of Oliveros's untraditional scores, as well as an exploration of Oliveros's writings and secondary accounts from members of the Deep Listening community. This document explores Oliveros's utopian beliefs and practices and outlines important aspects of her utopian vision as they relate to three major utopian models: the traditional "end-state" model, the anarchical …

Association Between Toxoplasma Gondii Seropositivity And Memory Function In Non-Demented Older Adults, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman, Shawn D. Gale, Ariana Hedges-Muncy, Lance D. Erickson, Eric Wilson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 non-demented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there …

The Rise And Fall Of The Stock Market: A Look At Financial Professionals Suicide Ideation, Jefferson Mcclain

Undergraduate Honors Theses

On October 24, 1929, the United States stock market crashed. Will Rogers, a local newspaper writer, said of that experience, “When Wall Street took that tail spin, you had to stand in line to get a window to jump out of, and spectators were selling space for bodies in the East River” (Lowenthal 1987). Tales of ruined stockbrokers jumping from the windows of tall buildings ran across the country. These stories have prompted interest in the interaction between workplace environment and mental health. In this study, we looked at the relationship between stock market performance and suicide ideation for working …

The Effect Of Belief Of Victory On Third-Party Vote Share: Duverger's Law & Why Evan Mcmullin Lost Utah In 2016, John Geilman

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A key reason Duverger’s Law is valid is a voter’s belief that a third-party does not have a chance at winning an election in a “first past the post” electoral system. Duverger’s Law has traditionally been explained through two reasons—a mechanical factor and a psychological factor. The mechanical factor focuses on aspects of electoral systems that work against third parties, while the psychological factor focuses on what voters think and feel about third parties. In the 2016 presidential election in the United States, voters in the state of Utah demonstrated that their perception of the electability of a third-party candidate …

Negative Effects Of Divorce And Possible Intervention Program Development And Improvement, Mariah Eaton

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Current psychological research demonstrates that parental divorce can have negative effects on children (Amato, 2005). This review compiles and compares research regarding the different effects of divorce on emotional, social, physical, and mental wellbeing of children of divorce. The research outlined in this review studies children ages 0-18 in the United States but focuses on children in elementary and middle schools. Present intervention programs for children of divorce are compared and the different goals and methods of each are then identified. These methods are compared based on their effects on the participants. By looking at the improvements in social, emotional, …

Best Practices For Financial Success In The Nonprofit Sector, Zach Mckenzie, Benjamin Hendricks, Emily Foskey, Michelle Baria, Gabriel Walker

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

With the recent upturn in economic success over the past year, United States citizens are becoming more and more poised to contribute to nonprofits and philanthropic causes. The aim of this project was to establish the best practices for financial success in the nonprofit sector as nonprofits look for an increase of funding from this philanthropic surge. Using ratio and environmental analysis, we found several best practices that can be applied to other organizations.

The Impact Of Gap Years On Academic Outcomes For Women: A Case Study From The Missionary Age Change, Margaret Marchant

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Young adults throughout the United States and other countries participate in “gap years,” or time away from school, often for travel, work, or volunteering. This practice is promoted as a way to mature and refocus. However, some worry that it lowers the likelihood of college completion. Previous literature has investigated the academic, social, and personal benefits of gap years with mixed results; however selection into gap years confounds the true impact with unobservable personal characteristics. To overcome selection issues, I exploit an exogenous policy change that lowered age requirements for missionary service, a unique type of gap year, resulting in …

The Power Configurations Of The Central Civilization / World System In The 11th Century, David Wilkinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.