Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Nuclear Bmp2 In The Cell Cycle And Tumorigenesis, Brandt Alan Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) is a secreted growth factor that is essential for proper embryonic development and proliferation. Our laboratory discovered a nuclear variant of BMP2 (nBMP2) which is produced when translation is initiated at an alternative start codon within the BMP2 gene. When translation occurs at the downstream start codon, the resulting protein lacks the ER signal peptide, thereby allowing cytoplasmic translation and nuclear localization. Our aim is to distinguish the role of this nuclear localized variant from secreted BMP2. Overexpression of nBMP2 in HEK293 and HT29 cell lines resulted in a higher percentage of cells in proliferative …

Pro-Drop And Word-Order Variation In Brazilian Portuguese: A Corpus Study, Stewart Daniel Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines certain syntactic properties of the Brazilian variety of Portuguese (BP): 1) BP is a pro-drop language with instances of both null subjects and covert objects, and 2) BP exhibits several possible word orders. To determine the frequency of pro-drop and word-order variations, the CDP (The Portuguese Corpus) was used to provide samples of transitive, main clauses, which were then categorized based on whether or not they had null subjects and covert objects. The clauses were also categorized according to word order. In addition to providing samples, the corpus allowed for the comparison of four different registers …

The Paradox Of Social Capital And The Rural Poor's Relationship With Their Communities, Brady A. Currit

Theses and Dissertations

Is increased access to social capital associated with a lower likelihood of poverty? Using data from a survey of nearly 10,000 residents of Iowa taken in 1994 and again in 2004, this study seeks to understand what types of social capital are associated with higher or lower likelihood of poverty at both the community and individual levels. Results suggest that higher bonding social capital at both levels is associated with a higher likelihood of poverty. The inverse of this relationship is found between bridging social capital and poverty. Although high bonding is generally an asset, when combined with low levels …

The Role Of Smpb In Licensing Tmrna Entry Into Stalled Ribosomes, Mickey R. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Ribosomes translate the genetic information contained in mRNAs into protein by linking together amino acids with the help of aminoacyl-tRNAs. In bacteria, protein synthesis stalls when the ribosome reaches the 3'-end of truncated mRNA transcripts lacking a stop codon. Trans-translation is a conserved bacterial quality control process that rescues stalled ribosomes. Transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) and its protein partner SmpB mimic a tRNA by entering the A site of the ribosome and accepting the growing peptide chain. The ribosome releases the truncated mRNA and resumes translation on the tmRNA template. The open reading frame found on tmRNA encodes a peptide tag …

A Study Of Action Origami As Systems Of Spherical Mechanisms, Landen A. Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, has been used previously to inspire engineering solutions for compact, deployable designs. Action origami, the subset of origami dealing with models designed to move, is a previously unexplored area for engineering design solutions that are deployable and have additional motion in the deployed state. A literature review of origami in engineering is performed, resulting in seven key areas of technical origami literature from a wide variety of disciplines. Spherical mechanisms are identified as the method by which most action origami models achieve complicated motion while remaining flat-foldable. The subset of action origami whose …

Capillary Filling Of Large Aspect Ratio Channels With Varying Wall Spacing, Dallin B. Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Quantification and prediction of capillary fluid flow in planar nanochannels is essential to the development of many emerging nanofluidic technologies. Planar nanochannels are typically produced using the standard nanofabrication processes of thermal bonding or sacrificial etching. Both approaches may yield nanochannels that are bowed and/or exhibit non-uniform (i.e. non-planar) wall spacing. These variations in wall spacing affect the transient dynamics of a liquid plug filling the nanochannel, causing deviations from the classical behavior in a parallel-plate channel as described by the Washburn model. Non uniform wall spacing impacts the overall frictional resistance and influences the meniscus curvature. In this thesis, …

Types Of Questions That Comprise A Teacher's Questioning Discourse In A Conceptually-Oriented Classroom, Keilani Stolk

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teacher questioning with the purpose of identifying what types of mathematical questions are being modeled by the teacher. Teacher questioning is important because it is the major source of mathematical questioning discourse from which students can learn and copy. Teacher mathematical questioning discourse in a conceptually-oriented classroom is important to study because it is helpful to promote student understanding and may be useful for students to adopt in their own mathematical questioning discourse. This study focuses on the types of questions that comprise the mathematical questioning discourse of a university teacher in a conceptually-oriented mathematics classroom for …

The Relief Society And President Spencer W. Kimball's Administration, Carrie L. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the relationship between ideology generated by advocates of the Women's Liberation Movement and President Kimball's purposes of using Relief Society to strengthen Latter-day Saint (LDS) women. Navigating women through the societal attack on womanhood, President Kimball, and other general Church leaders during his administration (1973-1985), taught LDS women of their privilege and duty to the organization and the importance of generating strength through a sisterhood focused on service. Relief Society programs, procedures, and curriculum were evaluated, adjusted, and reinforced to deepen women's commitment to divinely established roles, to enhance women's doctrinal confidence, and expand the influence of …

A Longitudinal View Of The Association Between Therapist Behaviors And Couples' In-Session Process: An Observational Pilot Study Of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Lori Kay Schade

Theses and Dissertations

This is a longitudinal couples therapy process study using coded data from eleven couples to identify which therapist behaviors (warmth, listener responsiveness, communication, dominance) influenced positive couples exchanges (warmth and listener responsiveness) over time in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). A mixed effects model was used to examine within- and between-individual variability. Men and women were modeled separately. A series of two-level multilevel models of change were examined, where Time is Level 1 and Individual is Level 2. Results indicated no significant relationship between variables of therapist warmth, listener responsiveness, communication, and dominance with couple listener responsiveness. Where client warmth …

Ebay Or Amazon? Time-Sensitive Retail Purchases Via Auctions, Brennan C. Platt

Faculty Publications

We consider a population of buyers who have unit demand for a homogeneous good, and only differ in terms of how soon they need to purchase it. These buyers have access to a stochastic stream of second-price auctions, as well as a retail outlet that can be used at any time. We characterize the equilibrium bidding dynamics, showing that bidders steadily raise their reservation price as they approach their deadline. This market produces a considerable degree of dispersion in auction revenue. Surprisingly, extending the buyers' deadlines actually increases expected revenue and the fraction of buyers using the retail outlet.

George Canning, Liberal Toryism, And Counterrevolutionary Satire In The Anti-Jacobin, Martha Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most defining moments in the histories of British satire and the public sphere took place in the late 1790s in an abandoned house in Piccadilly. Here George Canning and several fellow conservatives began writing and circulating their weekly newspaper the Anti-Jacobin. Although the periodical has been critically neglected, it is a valuable model for exploring how literary (partisan) politicians attempted to form a rational and critical public sphere through their satiric poetry. Founded by George Canning and edited by William Gifford, the Anti-Jacobin seems to reflect a reactionary conservative's ideology and has been summarily dismissed because of …

Foot Bone Marrow Edema After A 10-Wk Transition To Minimalist Running Shoes, Sarah T. Ridge, A. Wayne Johnson, Ulrike H. Mitchell, Iain Hunter, Eric Robinson, Brent S. E. Rich, Stephen Douglas Brown

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Minimalist running shoes are becoming a more popular choice for runners in the past few years. However, there is little conclusive evidence about the advantages or disadvantages of running in these shoes. Although performance benefits may exist, injury may also occur from the added stress of running without the benefit of cushioning under the foot. Bone marrow edema can be a manifestation of added stress on the foot. This study measured bone marrow edema in runners’ feet before and after a 10-wk period of transitioning from traditional to minimalist running shoes.

Methods: Thirty-six experienced recreational runners underwent magnetic resonance …

Style, Discourse, And The Completion Of The Vernacular Style In Modern Japanese Literature, Jacob Zan Adachi Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Many histories of modern Japanese literature see the "completion" of the modern vernacular style in the writings of Shiga Naoya (1883--1971), Mushakōji Saneatsu (1885--1976) and Takamura Kōtarō (1883--1956). Why and how this critical-historical perception of stylistic normalcy arose and still continues is better understood, I propose, through a close reading of key texts that identifies instances and patterns of creative manipulation of-as opposed to mere determination by or complicity with-certain philosophical, social, and historical discourses.How this creative manipulation plays out varies in prose and poetry and from text to text. In Mushakōji's Omedetaki hito (1911; The Simpleton), temporal and generic …

A Model For Sensory Neuron Development By Fgf And Notch: A Multifactorial Approach, Jacob Eugene Voelkel

Theses and Dissertations

The ophthalmic trigeminal placode (opV) exclusively gives rise to sensory neurons. A number of signaling pathways including Wnt, PDGF, FGF, and Notch are all involved in the progression of an undifferentiated cell in the opV placode to a proneural cell in the condensing opV ganglion. However, the regulatory relationships between these signal transduction pathways are still unknown. To determine if FGF activation acts to modulate Notch signaling in the sensory neurogenesis pathway, a novel multifactorial approach was employed: FGF signaling was inhibited in individual cells and globally with simultaneous inactivation of Notch signaling in chick embryos to investigate if FGF …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Treatment Experience Of Adolescent Females In A Relationally Based Therapeutic Boarding School, Douglas S. Marchant

Theses and Dissertations

Individualism, the assumption that persons are self-contained and primarily act for the sake of the self, is prevalent in American culture and has arguably perpetuated numerous psychological and societal ills. Relationality, the assumption that persons are always and inextricably constituted by relationships, has been posited as a philosophical and practical alternative to individualist culture. Several scholars, both inside and outside of psychology, have developed relational concepts and practices, including some who have elucidated a relational approach to psychotherapy (e.g., Slife and Wiggins, 2009). This study examines the implications and effects of this therapeutic approach, particularly exploring relationality's therapeutic success in …

Investigation Of Water-Molecule Complexes And Their Catalytic Effect On Important Atmospheric Reactions, Taylor Scott Cline

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a collection of works that investigates issues related to environmental chemistry. The first portion of this research explores the role of water vapor on the kinetics of important atmospheric reactions. Work is presented on the self-reaction of β-hydroxyethyl peroxy radical (β-HEP) and the catalytic increase in reaction rate by water vapor. β-HEP serves as a model system for investigating the possible role of water vapor in perturbing the kinetics and product branching ratio of atmospheric reactions of other alkyl peroxy radicals. The self-reaction rate coefficient of β-HEP was investigated between 276-296 K with 1.0 × 10^15 to …

Inter-Caste Adoption In India: Effects On Kinship And Caste As Understood By The Adoptive Family, Kelly Hacker, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In his studies of kinship (1984), David Schneider put forth the theory that kinship is not inherently biologically-based, but is rather a symbolic and flexible understanding of the relationship between individuals. Inter-caste adoption in India, where a husband and wife adopt an unrelated child born to parents of a different caste, presents itself as an interesting testing ground for this theory, as both biological unrelatedness and a difference in caste must be overcome in the creation of kinship between adoptive family and adoptee.

How Religious Practices Affect The Rise Of Populism In Latin America, Victoria Garcia, Dr. Kirk Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Populism is “a Manichaean discourse that identifies Good with a unified will of the people and Evil with a conspiring elite” (Hawkins 2009). It is a movement that has been spreading in Latin America, in which a group of people consider themselves as the majority being oppressed by an Evil elite. The surge of charismatic leaders seeking to represent the will of the people characterizes this movement. An example of these types of leaders is Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, where he is supported by a populist majority.

Chinese Music Infield Study: Insights And Personal Experiences From Attending The Tianjin Music Conservatory, Robert Willes, Kory Katseanes

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My Chinese music study experience began with touring China with the BYU Chamber Orchestra in April of 2011. This tour was a very rich and unique two weeks filled with some of the most beautiful sights in Asia. The Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, the structures and vastness of the palace left me with a sense of awe at the historical depth and remarkable achievements of the ancient Chinese culture. We performed concerts in Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Beijing and were very warmly received in all of the venues.

High Resolution Characterization Of Polycrystalline Triple Junctions, Samikshya Subedi, Dr. David Fullwood

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study was to understand and predict the role of the triple junction on crack initiation in polycrystals. I intended to study dislocation density fields and local elastic strain around the triple junction area in a metal and understand how these factors facilitate crack nucleation and propagation.

An Improved Estimation Of Passive Wrist Stiffness Using Various Techniques, Will Drake, Dr. Steven Charles

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The wrist plays a vital yet frequently overlooked role in positioning and supporting the hand during activities of daily living. Particularly during low-level activities (such as typing), passive joint stiffness dominates wrist dynamics and constitutes the main obstacle to motion. In spite of its importance, however, little consensus exists as to the exact range of passive wrist stiffness. Reported values vary from as little as 0.002 Nm/rad (Lehman & Calhoun, 1991) to as many as 9.0 Nm/rad (Crisco et al, 2010), a span of three orders of magnitude! The purpose of this research is to determine an approximate single-order-of-magnitude range …

Improving Implicit Learning And Explicit Instruction Of Adult And Child Learners Of Chinese, Li-Hui Kuo

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the main effects and interaction effects of implicit learning and explicit instructional approaches on the language acquisition of beginning adult and child learners of Chinese and analyzed the successful adult and child learners' learning styles in their information processing time, second language acquisition techniques, and cognitive strategies. Volunteers from Brigham Young University and Wasatch Elementary School were randomly assigned to either an Explicit Instruction Treatment (EIT) or an Implicit Learning Treatment (ILT). Following the treatment, the participants completed an online survey and a vocabulary application test. Results from a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA indicated that adults …

Client Experiencing In Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Eating Disorders, James William Vandyke

Theses and Dissertations

Depth of client experiencing has been associated with positive therapeutic outcomes across theoretical orientations. Experiencing describes a particular mode of cognitive-affective processing in which clients use internal felt experience as the basis for self-examination and the resolution of personally significant issues. Given evidence that eating disorders are associated with particular disruptions of cognitive-affective processing, it is likely that experiencing plays a role in the successful treatment of eating pathology. However, no study to date has examined the relationship between experiencing and outcome in eating disorder treatment. The purposes of the current study were to examine depth of client experiencing during …

From Plato To Ipads: Dialogical Opportunities In Twenty-First Century Secondary English Classrooms, Emily Ensign

Theses and Dissertations

Technology offers students and educators an uncharted digital landscape of possibilities. Some educators feel strongly that technology enhances the classroom; others feel that it doesn't necessarily improve traditional teaching methods, and some even feel that it is detrimental to students' ability to focus or engage in face-to-face conversations. My project focuses on critical dialogue as defined by various theorists, and explores whether or not secondary English classrooms that use iPads continue to use the dialogical methods as outlined by these theorists (most of which could not have foreseen today's technological advancements). By relying on these theorists and scholars to provide …

Marshallese Corpus Project: The Marshallese Language Resource, Marco Mora Huizar, Dr. Heather Willson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of the Marshallese Corpus Project (MCP) is to create an extensive online corpus of Marshallese language texts to be used for research and other applications. Currently, there is a severe lack of resources for the study of the Marshallese language, and it is difficult to gain access to many Marshallese texts. Further, there is little by way of available naturalistic language data in Marshallese. Therefore, the ability of both researchers and language learners to study the language is severely inhibited. This project involves collecting both printed and online text samples, standardizing the spelling of these texts and creating …

Backprojection For Synthetic Aperture Radar, Michael Israel Duersch

Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a type of radar capable of high-resolution coherent imaging. In order to produce coherent imagery from raw SAR data, an image formation algorithm is employed. The various image formation algorithms have strengths and weaknesses. As this work shows, time-domain backprojection is one algorithm whose strengths are particularly well-suited to use at low-altitudes. This work presents novel research in three areas regarding time-domain backprojection. The first key contribution of this work is a detailed analysis of SAR time-domain backprojection. The work derives a general form of backprojection from first principles. It characterizes the sensitivities of backprojection …

Millenniums And Messiahs: Literature Review In Messianic Religions In Context Of The Hmong Diaspora, John Whitton, Dr. Joacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Initially, the research proposed consisted of two sections constituting the last two semesters of my undergraduate education. The first included collecting published sources regarding millenarianism and messianism within the larger global context and organizing them into a database. The second included systematically cataloging each source in the database for future analysis, not only for Dr. Hickman’s personal use but also for the larger academic and professional community. These circles will encompass the study of nationalism, religion, globalization, and in Dr. Hickman’s specific use, the Hmong diaspora and generational views of morality.

Voicing The Violence Of Favelas, Berkeley A. Kershisnik

Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzes three examples of testimonial literature written by favela residents in Brazil to demonstrate the extent to which these accounts contest or confirm the popular news media's violent representation of favelas and their inhabitants. The literary works Quatrocentos contra um: Uma história do Comando Vermelho (1991) by William da Silva Lima and Capão pecado (2000) by Ferréz and the documentary Notícias de uma guerra particular (1999) present an insider's perspective of the violence that takes place in the favela and thus can reveal the factors that contribute to it. Through these explanations, readers and viewers become aware of …

Federalism Dataset, Nicole Taylor, Dr. Joel Selway

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Comparative politics, the study of government structures around the world, is a relatively new field, and the study of federalism is even more recent. Studies are typically conducted by selecting two or three countries and comparing their government structures using qualitative measures or by studying a large sample using statistical analysis. Authors who study federalism have been limited to qualitative analysis by the lack of a dataset of federal systems.

Exploring The Narrative-Oriented Qualities Of The Learner's Encounter With Unfamiliarity, Jonathan S. Spackman

Theses and Dissertations

Learning, as embodied familiarization, is described as an embodied, non-representational, and non-mechanistic experience. Within this theoretical framework, a qualitative study is presented that offers a deeper understanding of the learner's encounter with unfamiliarity -- a key lived experience of embodied familiarization. Assertions related to encounters with unfamiliarity are made through a multiple case study analysis and a deeper understanding of the assertions is offered by way of a narrative-oriented framework. From this perspective, agentive, concernful, dispositional and meaningful aspects of learning are discernible.