Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Brigham Young University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 6241 - 6270 of 9856

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Soyinka, Tutu, And The Globalization Of African Humanism, Aaron Eastley Jan 2007

Soyinka, Tutu, And The Globalization Of African Humanism, Aaron Eastley

Faculty Publications

In an article dated 13 March 2006, the British weekly New Statesman reported on the latest social intervention of the “most popular priest on the planet” (Campbell), former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Nobel Peace Prize recipient Tutu, famous for his chairmanship of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was negotiating a series of televised meetings between former Protestant paramilitaries from Northern Ireland and the surviving family members of people they had murdered. A reality TV spin-off with a suspiciously voyeuristic strain, the three-part BBC2miniseries “Facing the Truth”—an obvious reference to the South African TRC—was deemed “daring” …

Go to article

Empty Threats? How Egyptians' Self-Ontology Should Affect The Way We Read Many Texts, Kerry M. Muhlestein Jan 2007

Empty Threats? How Egyptians' Self-Ontology Should Affect The Way We Read Many Texts, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

Egyptologists have typically divided texts into those that dealt with the divine and those that treated the mundane. This false dichotomy is not one that the Egyptians themselves would have imposed. They saw themselves as mortal beings that interacted with the divine realm and the afterlife. The texts they created reflect this understanding, and thus we are greatly hampered when we insist that the language of a decree, threat formula, or other texts, must refer to either the mundane or the supernatural, but not both. There is ample evidence that the Egyptians often intended specific wording to invoke multiple realms, …

Go to article

Will Legislation To Encourage Premarital Education Strengthen Marriage And Reduce Divorce?, Alan J. Hawkins Jan 2007

Will Legislation To Encourage Premarital Education Strengthen Marriage And Reduce Divorce?, Alan J. Hawkins

Faculty Publications

Many legislators are wondering whether there is a constructive role that government can play to strengthen marriages and reduce divorces. A handful of states have passed legislation providing incentives for couples to participate in formal premarital education. The purpose of this article is to examine the research that can help answer the question whether legislation to promote premarital education can strengthen marriages and reduce the divorce rate. Of course, there are numerous legal and policy issues related to marriage and divorce being discussed these days. The focus of this article however, is only on one. In the end, I conclude …

Go to article

Full Issue Jan 2007

Full Issue

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Structuring Emperical Methods For Reuse And Efficiency In Product Development Processes, Marshall Edwin Bare Dec 2006

Structuring Emperical Methods For Reuse And Efficiency In Product Development Processes, Marshall Edwin Bare

Theses and Dissertations

Product development requires that engineers have the ability to predict product performance. When product performance involves complex physics and natural phenomena, mathematical models are often insufficient to provide accurate predictions. Engineering companies compensate for this deficiency by testing prototypes to obtain empirical data that can be used in place of predictive models. The purpose of this work is to provide techniques and methods for efficient use of empirical methods in product development processes. Empirical methods involve the design and creation of prototype hardware and the testing of that hardware in controlled environments. Empirical methods represent a complete product development sub-cycle …

Go to article

Computational Promoter Analysis Of Mouse, Rat, And Human Antimicrobial Peptide-Coding Genes, Chin-Yo Lin, Manisha Brahmachary, Christian Schonbach, Liang Yang, Enli Huang, Sin Lam Tan, Rajesh Chowdhary, S. P. T. Krishnan, David A. Hume, Chikatoshi Kai, Jun Kawai, Piero Carninci, Yoshihide Hayashizaki, Vladimir B. Bajic Dec 2006

Computational Promoter Analysis Of Mouse, Rat, And Human Antimicrobial Peptide-Coding Genes, Chin-Yo Lin, Manisha Brahmachary, Christian Schonbach, Liang Yang, Enli Huang, Sin Lam Tan, Rajesh Chowdhary, S. P. T. Krishnan, David A. Hume, Chikatoshi Kai, Jun Kawai, Piero Carninci, Yoshihide Hayashizaki, Vladimir B. Bajic

Faculty Publications

Mammalian antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effectors of the innate immune response. A multitude of signals coming from pathways of mammalian pathogen/pattern recognition receptors and other proteins affect the expression of AMP-coding genes (AMPcgs). For many AMPcgs the promoter elements and transcription factors that control their tissue cell-specific expression have yet to be fully identified and characterized. Results- Based upon the RIKEN full-length cDNA and public sequence data derived from human, mouse and rat, we identified 178 candidate AMP transcripts derived from 61 genes belonging to 29 AMP families. However, only for 31 mouse genes belonging to 22 AMP families we …

Go to article

Life Stories Of Nikkeijin Seeking Better Opportunities: The Motivation Of Brazilian Immigrants In Japan, Marisa Utida Bellini Dec 2006

Life Stories Of Nikkeijin Seeking Better Opportunities: The Motivation Of Brazilian Immigrants In Japan, Marisa Utida Bellini

Theses and Dissertations

The immigration of Brazilian-Japanese to Japan has started as recently as the early 1980s as a result of an economic downturn in Brazil and labor shortages in Japan. In a recent study published by the Ministry of Justice in Japan, there are about 250,000 Brazilians currently working throughout Japan. Even though most of the Brazilians are second or third generation of Japanese descent, they are not fluent in Japanese, thus resulting in many cultural problems and misunderstandings. Some research has examined about the immigration of Brazilians (nikkeijin) to Japan, but none has investigated their acquisition of Japanese as a second …

Go to article

Screencrayons: Using Screen Captures For Annotation And Research, Trent Alan Taufer Dec 2006

Screencrayons: Using Screen Captures For Annotation And Research, Trent Alan Taufer

Theses and Dissertations

In a world full of digital information we should be able to easily collect, organize, annotate, and leverage information from many different sources. This should be easy to do and not interrupt our normal workflow. A system to support information collection and organization should be user-friendly and as unobtrusive as possible, while still allowing for flexible and intelligent annotation. It should also be able to leverage the inherent information content of a collection of annotated information. We present a system that will demonstrate how these ideas can come together to make information collection easier and more productive. The system facilitates …

Go to article

Microhabitat-Specific Controls On Soil Respiration And Denitrification In The Mojave Desert: The Role Of Harvester Ant Nests And Vegetation, Jeremy B. Jones, Diane Wagner Dec 2006

Microhabitat-Specific Controls On Soil Respiration And Denitrification In The Mojave Desert: The Role Of Harvester Ant Nests And Vegetation, Jeremy B. Jones, Diane Wagner

Western North American Naturalist

Seed harvesting ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) concentrate organic matter and nutrients near their nests and create biogeochemical hotspots in desert soil. We examined factors regulating denitrification and soil respiration in a Mojave Desert ecosystem to determine the role harvester ant colonies play in nitrogen loss and carbon mineralization. Organic matter and nutrient storage were significantly greater in colonies than under the dominant vegetation (i.e., Pleuraphis rigida, a bunch grass) and in bare soil, with standing stocks of inorganic nitrogen in colonies nearly 4-fold greater than in the other microhabitats. Soil respiration, measured with laboratory incubations, was below detection …

Go to article

Ontogenetic And Habitat-Related Changes In Diet Of Late Larval And Juvenile Suckers (Catostomidae) In Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, Douglas F. Markle, Kale Clauson Dec 2006

Ontogenetic And Habitat-Related Changes In Diet Of Late Larval And Juvenile Suckers (Catostomidae) In Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, Douglas F. Markle, Kale Clauson

Western North American Naturalist

We describe ontogenetic patterns in the diets of shortnose and Lost River suckers (15.8–92.8 mm standard length) from Upper Klamath Lake in summer 1999. Both species made a transition from surface and planktonic prey to benthic prey at about 20–30 mm standard length, corresponding to the approximate size of the juvenile morphological transition. Surface prey was dominated by adult chironomids and undigestable pollen, while benthic prey was dominated by larval chironomids, chydorids, and ostracods. In the 15–20-mm size class, pollen made up >75% of food particles in 68% of specimens, and only 2 specimens in this size class lacked any …

Go to article

Raptors Of California By Hans Peeters And Pam Peeters, Clayton M. White Dec 2006

Raptors Of California By Hans Peeters And Pam Peeters, Clayton M. White

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Disaster Communication Networks: A Case Study Of The Thai Red Cross And Their Disaster Communication Response To The Asian Tsunami, Tami J. Matthews Dec 2006

Disaster Communication Networks: A Case Study Of The Thai Red Cross And Their Disaster Communication Response To The Asian Tsunami, Tami J. Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Disaster victims and vulnerable populations are audiences that communications professionals and scholars have ignored. Public relation practices dominate current disaster communication policy. This study examines the disaster communication network, including policy and practice, of the Thai Red Cross, before, during, and after the Asian tsunami. Disaster communication(s) is defined as the sharing and exchange of information with the victims immediately affected by a disaster. This definition focuses specifically on the vulnerable audience and allows response efforts to emerge from multiple disciplines. Focusing response efforts on victims' assessed needs and abilities allows for a multi-disciplinary approach to mitigate further suffering. The …

Go to article

A Seal Of Living Reality: The Role Of Personal Expression In Latter-Day Saint Discourse, C. Julianne Smith Dec 2006

A Seal Of Living Reality: The Role Of Personal Expression In Latter-Day Saint Discourse, C. Julianne Smith

Theses and Dissertations

A personal mode of discourse is central to Latter-day Saint culture. This mode is both pervasive throughout the culture and significant within it. Two specific genres-the personal experience narrative and the personal testimony-illustrate the importance of this discourse mode in LDS culture. Understanding the LDS personal mode of discourse is essential to properly understanding Mormonism. The personal orientation in LDS discourse mirrors a tendency towards personal expression which has become common throughout Western culture. This tendency has important roots in the Protestant religious movement. In particular, Puritanism represents a significant point of origin for American personal expression. Such expression has …

Go to article

Expression And Function Of Alpha3 And Beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunits In Hek-293 Cells, Nathan W. Steinhafel Dec 2006

Expression And Function Of Alpha3 And Beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunits In Hek-293 Cells, Nathan W. Steinhafel

Theses and Dissertations

Single-cell real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to characterize the mRNA expression of rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits α3 and β2 in CA1 hippocampus stratum radiatum and stratum oriens interneurons. α3β2 co-expression was detected in 43% of interneurons analyzed. The nAChR subtype α3β2 was transiently expressed in cells derived from the human embryonic kidney cell line 293 at mRNA levels found in the CA1. The functional properties of α3β2 in HEK-293 cells were characterized by whole-cell patch clamping using acetylcholine (ACh) as an agonist. The kinetics of α3β2 channels were further analyzed by altering the level of α3 DNA …

Go to article

Financial Analysis And Fiscal Viability Of Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Janet Jeffery Tanner Dec 2006

Financial Analysis And Fiscal Viability Of Secondary Schools In Mukono District, Uganda, Janet Jeffery Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Within the worldwide business community, many analysis tools and techniques have evolved to assist in the evaluation and encouragement of financial health and fiscal viability. However, in the educational community, such analysis is uncommon. It has long been argued that educational institutions bear little resemblance to, and should not be treated like, businesses. This research identifies an educational environment where educational institutions are, indeed, businesses, and may greatly benefit from the use of business analyses. The worldwide effort of Education for All (EFA) has focused on primary education, particularly in less developed countries (LDCs). In Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda increased its …

Go to article

Brain Stimulation Reward Is Integrated By A Network Of Electrically-Coupled Gaba Neurons, Matthew Brian Lassen Dec 2006

Brain Stimulation Reward Is Integrated By A Network Of Electrically-Coupled Gaba Neurons, Matthew Brian Lassen

Theses and Dissertations

Although it is well-established that animals will self-stimulate electric current to various diverse brain structures, the neural substrate of brain stimulation reward (BSR) has eluded identification since its discovery more than a half-century ago. We show that GABA neurons in the midbrain, hypothalamus and thalamus express connexin-36 (Cx36) gap junctions and couple electrically with dopamine application or by stimulation of the internal capsule (IC), which also supports self-stimulation. The threshold for responding for self-stimulation of the IC is the threshold for coupling between these GABA neurons, the degree of responding for IC ICSS is proportional to the magnitude of electrical …

Go to article

Evolution In Neotropical Herpetofauna: Species Boundaries In High Andean Frogs And Evolutionary Genetics In The Lava Lizard Genus Microlophus (Squamata: Tropiduridae): A History Of Colonization And Dispersal, Edgar Benavides Dec 2006

Evolution In Neotropical Herpetofauna: Species Boundaries In High Andean Frogs And Evolutionary Genetics In The Lava Lizard Genus Microlophus (Squamata: Tropiduridae): A History Of Colonization And Dispersal, Edgar Benavides

Theses and Dissertations

In this collection of papers I have summarized my investigations into the field of evolutionary genetics and more specifically into patterns of biodiversity and evolutionary processes. The lizards (and frogs) studied here share common features in that they are largely present in unique environments, which are also regions that are biologically understudied. Most of these taxa show high degrees of endemism, interesting natural history characteristics, and each group manifests distinctive adaptations of general evolutionary interest. My work in the genus Telmatobius has been a progressive approach that began in my MS program, and it first focused on alpha taxonomy, morphological …

Go to article

Analysis Of Near-Infrared Phase Effects On Biometric Iris Data, Brady Roos Stevenson Dec 2006

Analysis Of Near-Infrared Phase Effects On Biometric Iris Data, Brady Roos Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to ascertain potential iris scan data variations from near infrared waves derived from fluorescent illumination. Prior studies of iris data variances from infrared wave interference of halogen, incandescent, and sunlight with iris cameras suggest that similar changes may exist under near infrared wavelengths from fluorescent light. The concern is that the fluorescent energy emission may interfere with the near infrared detection of an iris camera. An iris camera is used to measure human eye characteristics known as biometrics. If such infrared emission is statistically significant, then it can alter the validity of the iris …

Go to article

The Birth Of Sacrifice: Iconographic Metaphors For Spiritual Rebirth In Master Matthias' Isenheim Altarpiece, Katherine Lena Anderson Dec 2006

The Birth Of Sacrifice: Iconographic Metaphors For Spiritual Rebirth In Master Matthias' Isenheim Altarpiece, Katherine Lena Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

While little is known concerning the events surrounding the commission of the Isenheim Altarpiece or of the artist known to us as Master Matthias Grünewald, much can be ascertained about the message of the Altarpiece through careful study of the socio-historical-religious context from which the work was commissioned and iconographic analysis of the images portrayed by Master Matthias. This thesis explores iconographic metaphors for birth and sacrifice, metaphors which work to create a theological dialogue about Christian redemption within the nine painted panels and the underlying sculpture that makes up the Isenheim Altarpiece. First, we will address the panels in …

Go to article

Large 3-D Deflection And Force Analysis Of Lateral Torsional Buckled Beams, Robert Parley Chase Dec 2006

Large 3-D Deflection And Force Analysis Of Lateral Torsional Buckled Beams, Robert Parley Chase

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents research on the force and deflection behavior of beams with rectangular cross-sections undergoing lateral torsional buckling. The large 3-D deflection path of buckling beam tips was closely approximated by circular arcs in two planes. A new chain algorithm element was created from pseudo-rigid-body segments and used in a chain calculation that accurately predicted the force deflection relationship of beams with large 3-D deflections.

Go to article

The Role Of Wnt Signaling In Development Of The Ophthalmic Trigeminal Placode., Rhonda Nicole Lassiter Dec 2006

The Role Of Wnt Signaling In Development Of The Ophthalmic Trigeminal Placode., Rhonda Nicole Lassiter

Theses and Dissertations

Cranial placodes are ectodermal regions that contribute extensively to the vertebrate peripheral nervous system. The development of the ophthalmic trigeminal (opV) placode, which gives rise only to sensory neurons of the ophthalmic lobe of the trigeminal ganglion, is a well-studied model of sensory neuron development. While key differentiation processes have been characterized at the tissue and cellular levels, the molecules governing opV placode development have not been well described. This study identifies the canonical Wnt signaling pathway as a regulator of opV trigeminal placode development. Introducing dominant-negative TCF and dominant-active β-catenin expression constructs by in ovo electroporation, we have manipulated …

Go to article

Using Social Network Analysis To Investigate Potential Bias In Editorial Peer Review In Core Journals Of Comparative/International Education, Biao Cheng Dec 2006

Using Social Network Analysis To Investigate Potential Bias In Editorial Peer Review In Core Journals Of Comparative/International Education, Biao Cheng

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores potential bias in the editorial peer-review system within the context of the field of comparative and international education. Assuming the role as “Guardian of Science” and “social status judge” (Zuckerman & Merton, 1971), peer-review, the quality control system of science, directly affects the growth of science, scientists' academic career and their institutions. The very basic tenet of the peer review system is its assumed objectivity. Bias in editorial peer review process, however, is inevitable. The constitution of the blind peer review mechanism is itself a simply undeniable acknowledgement of that fact. Therefore, this study investigated potential peer-review …

Go to article

The "Beautiful Death" In The Smith Family, Samuel Brown Dec 2006

The "Beautiful Death" In The Smith Family, Samuel Brown

BYU Studies

Despite thoughtful attempts by Douglas Davies to situate death at the center of the Mormon “culture of salvation,” the exploration of death in early Mormonism has been somewhat limited to date, particularly as it relates to the Smith family and the earliest years of Mormonism. Against this relative silence stands the testimony of the Smiths themselves, who were deeply concerned with questions of mortality. Joseph Smith was unequivocal on this point during his 1843 funeral sermon for James Adams: “All men know that all men must die. What is the object of our coming into existence then dying and falling …

Go to article

Junius And Joseph: Presidential Politics And The Assassination Of The First Mormon Prophet. By Robert S. Wicks And Fred R. Foister, Susan Sessions Rugh Dec 2006

Junius And Joseph: Presidential Politics And The Assassination Of The First Mormon Prophet. By Robert S. Wicks And Fred R. Foister, Susan Sessions Rugh

BYU Studies

Robert S. Wicks and Fred R. Foister. Junius and Joseph: Presidential Politics and the Assassination of the First Mormon Prophet. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.

Go to article

Slovakia's Surge: The New System's Impact On Fiscal Decentralization, Phillip J. Bryson, Gary C. Cornia Dec 2006

Slovakia's Surge: The New System's Impact On Fiscal Decentralization, Phillip J. Bryson, Gary C. Cornia

Faculty Publications

Slovakia's transition history long paralleled that of the Czech Republic, but the former adopted bold new reforms early in tis decade. This paper is a comparative treatment of fiscal decentralization since 1993 and more recent reforms of public administration, the two efforts representing the foundation of the New System. Czech experience is invoked simply to provide an appropriate benchmark for the evaluation of Slovakia's New System introduced in 2004, including the 19% "flat tax" and other striking measures in local public finance. The second focus of the paper is on the macro-economic impact of the New System. It is too …

Go to article

Development Of Methods For The Study Of Phosphoproteins, Zhaoyuan Chen Dec 2006

Development Of Methods For The Study Of Phosphoproteins, Zhaoyuan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Characterization of phosphoproteins-including detection, identification of phosphoproteins and identification of phosphorylation sites-is mostly done with radiolabeling and proteomic techniques. Three main topics related to phosphoprotein characterization are included in this dissertation. First, large-scale characterization of the CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cell phosphoproteome was done using two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) separation, visualization of phosphoproteins by radiolabeling or a phosphoprotein specific dye, followed by MALDI-TOF identification. Because radiolabeling of phosphoproteins is very sensitive and straightforward to quantify, such analysis can give a clear picture of the relative phosphosphorylation of proteins present in a sample. But there are also limitations to this …

Go to article

Once Upon A Time In A Single-Parent Family: Father And Daughter Relationships In Disney's The Little Mermaid And Beauty And The Beast, Ashli A. Sharp Dec 2006

Once Upon A Time In A Single-Parent Family: Father And Daughter Relationships In Disney's The Little Mermaid And Beauty And The Beast, Ashli A. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

Fairy tales are adapted to fit the needs of each generation, reflecting the unique challenges of that society. In the 1980s and 1990s of the United States, issues of what constituted a family circulated as divorce increased and fatherhood was debated. At this time, Disney released two animated films featuring a father and daughter: The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Both films are adaptations of fairy tales, and they incorporate changes that specifically reflect concerns of the United States in the late-twentieth century. In the original narrative of "The Little Mermaid" the heroine is primarily raised by her …

Go to article

Generating Paraphrases With Greater Variation Using Syntactic Phrases, Rebecca Diane Madsen Dec 2006

Generating Paraphrases With Greater Variation Using Syntactic Phrases, Rebecca Diane Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Given a sentence, a paraphrase generation system produces a sentence that says the same thing but usually in a different way. The paraphrase generation problem can be formulated in the machine translation paradigm; instead of translation of English to a foreign language, the system translates an English sentence (for example) to another English sentence. Quirk et al. (2004) demonstrated this approach to generate almost 90% acceptable paraphrases. However, most of the sentences had little variation from the original input sentence. Leveraging syntactic information, this thesis project presents an approach that successfully generated more varied paraphrase sentences than the approach of …

Go to article

The Smith-Mundt Act's Ban On Domestic Propaganda: An Analysis Of The Cold War Statute Limiting Access To Public Diplomacy, Edward L. Carter, Allen W. Palmer Dec 2006

The Smith-Mundt Act's Ban On Domestic Propaganda: An Analysis Of The Cold War Statute Limiting Access To Public Diplomacy, Edward L. Carter, Allen W. Palmer

Faculty Publications

For more than fifty years, the U.S. Code has authorized the federal government to disseminate messages about America to international audiences. For at least thirty years, federal law has also prohibited those international propaganda messages from being disseminated within the United States. Given the realities of the acceleration and dispersion of information flow across international borders in the twenty-first century, a ban on dissemination of information that is tied to geographic boundaries raises both practical and policy issues. The domestic dissemination ban may have outlived its usefulness and relevance. Further, futile enforcement of the statute contradicts general U.S. policy promoting …

Go to article

A Phylogeny Of Belonolaimus Populations In Florida Inferred From Dna Sequences, Byron J. Adams, U. Gozel, K. B. Nguyen, R. N. Inserra, R. M. Giblin-Davis Dec 2006

A Phylogeny Of Belonolaimus Populations In Florida Inferred From Dna Sequences, Byron J. Adams, U. Gozel, K. B. Nguyen, R. N. Inserra, R. M. Giblin-Davis

Faculty Publications

The D2-D3 and ITS regions of rDNA from 33 Florida populations of Belonolaimus spp. were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Our objective was to derive a theoretical evolutionary framework for interpreting phenotypic differences as they relate to the taxonomy of the genus. The most striking aspect of the phylogenetic analysis is that none of the three nominal species (B. longicaudatus, B. euthychilus, and B. gracilis) are monophyletic. Additionally, two taxa appear to have discordant ITS and LSU sequences. Three major clades of B. longicaudatus exhibited discernible, overlapping, geographic foci from east to west across the peninsula. Morphological character states …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last