Digital Commons Network^™

Reprints & Preliminary Reports

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

F.A.R.M.S. is pleased to announce the addition of the following articles as Reprints and Preliminary Reports now available. One of the Foundation's main functions is to make research about the Book of Mormon easily accessible to general readers. The demand for these papers continues to be very strong and responses have been enthusiastic.

Project Updates

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

Brian Stubbs has completed and submitted to F.A.R.M.S. his 93 page report entitled "Observations in Uto-Aztecan.'' Stubbs has been assisted by a research grant from the Foundation. His report concludes that there exists a possibility that ''something Semitic'' exists as a ''substantial element of a proto Uto-Aztecan creole.'' (A creole is a mixture of two languages, for example, using the grammar of one and the vocabulary of another.)

Notices And Reviews

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

It seemed like a good idea--a first-of-its-kind-in-Australia Book of Mormon symposium sponsored by the LOS Student Association at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Farms News

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

In the fall of 1978 Professor Joseph P. Schlutz, Professor of Talmudic and Rabbinic literature at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, conducted a semester-long seminar in which he and the class together considered various Jewish elements present in the Book of Mormon. The lectures considered such topic~ as the concept of God, cosmology, prophecy, law, sacrifice, prayer, liturgy, festivals, family and political institutions, messianism, and views of the afterlife. About 20 students participated in the seminar and through the generosity of several of them , F.A.R.M.S. has been able to obtain two sets of cassette recordings of the sessions. In …

Director's Message

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

As the Foundation continues to grow, we pass by some exciting milestones. Here are some firsts for F.A.R.M.S. for the last quarter.

Cooperative Navigation Of Autonomous Vehicles In Challenging Environments, Brendon Peter Forsgren

Theses and Dissertations

As the capabilities of autonomous systems have increased so has interest in utilizing teams of autonomous systems to accomplish tasks more efficiently. This dissertation takes steps toward enabling the cooperation of unmanned systems in scenarios that are challenging, such as GPS-denied or perceptually aliased environments. This work begins by developing a cooperative navigation framework that is scalable in the number of agents, robust against communication latency or dropout, and requires little a priori information. Additionally, this framework is designed to be easily adopted by existing single-agent systems with minimal changes to existing software and software architectures. All systems in the …

Dynamic Skin Strain Fields In The Lumbar Region During Functional Movement, Andrew Gibbons, Anton Bowden, Ulrike H. Mitchell, David T. Fullwood

Student Works

Increasing efforts to leverage skin mounted wearables has exposed a gap in our understanding of skin strain in the lumbar region. Lumbar skin is known to be both inhomogenous and anisotropic, and experiences dramatic material strain during activities of daily living (ADLs). Previous efforts to quantify strain fields during ADLs has been limited to a few activities (primarily flexion) and have neglected inhomogeneity or anisotropy. The purpose of the present work was to address this gap by measuring large-deformation skin strain tensors in healthy volunteers during a cadre of functional movements.

36 tightly packed retro-reflective markers were mounted to the …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Phalaropes (Phalaropus Spp.) And Adult Brine Flies (Ephydra Spp.) Are Linked On Great Salt Lake, Utah, Maureen G. Frank, Michael R. Conover

Western North American Naturalist

Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, is home to some of the world’s largest concentrations of Wilson’s Phalaropes (Phalaropus tricolor), Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus), American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana), and Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus). These birds spend several weeks on GSL feeding on larvae, pupae, and adult brine flies (Ephydra spp.) before migrating to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Unfortunately, GSL is shrinking in size and becoming more saline due to water diversions and climate change. Assessing how a smaller and more saline GSL will affect adult brine flies is …

Recent Breakthroughs In Using Quantum Dots For Cancer Imaging And Drug Delivery Purposes, Aisha Hamidu, William G. Pitt, Ghaleb A. Husseini

Faculty Publications

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Because each person’s cancer may be unique, diagnosing and treating cancer is challenging. Advances in nanomedicine have made it possible to detect tumors and quickly investigate tumor cells at a cellular level in contrast to prior diagnostic techniques. Quantum dots (QDs) are functional nanoparticles reported to be useful for diagnosis. QDs are semiconducting tiny nanocrystals, 2–10 nm in diameter, with exceptional and useful optoelectronic properties that can be tailored to sensitively report on their environment. This review highlights these exceptional semiconducting QDs and their properties and synthesis methods when used …

Trumpet Directivity From A Rotating Semicircular Array, Samuel D. Bellows, Joseph E. Avila, Timothy W. Leishman

Directivity

The directivity function of a played musical instrument describes the angular dependence of its acoustic radiation and diffraction about the instrument, musician, and musician’s chair. Directivity influences sound in rehearsal, performance, and recording environments and signals in audio systems. Because high-resolution, spherically comprehensive measurements of played musical instruments have been unavailable in the past, the authors have undertaken research to produce and share such data for studies of musical instruments, simulations of acoustical environments, optimizations of microphone placements, and other applications. The authors acquired the data from repeated chromatic scales produced by a trumpet played at mezzo-forte in an anechoic …

Combining Expert Opinions To Assess Risk Of Change In Earth Systems: Permafrost Collapse, Global Wildfire, And Water Security, Sayedeh Sara Sayedi

Theses and Dissertations

In a world of uncertainty and change, leaders should base their decisions on best available scientific evidence. However, history has shown that science is often inadequately incorporated into the decision-making process. This dissertation investigates three environmental issues to identify the challenges of considering Earth system dynamics in policymaking and management. I also propose solutions for improving the two-way exchange of knowledge and values between researchers and policymakers. In chapter one, I investigate subsea permafrost carbon sensitivity to climate change using an expert assessment. The analysis revealed that subsea permafrost contains significant carbon stocks and is already contributing to climate change …

Who Gets The Whip? How Supplier Diversification Influences Bullwhip Effect In A Supply Chain, Tyler N. Burrows

Theses and Dissertations

Emergent technologies, such as the `blockchain,' are enabling unprecedented coordination across firms in Supply Chains (SC). Firm decision-makers ultimately are going to need to understand how they can control (and optimize) such a network of relationships. However, the study of SC-level behavior leaves many open questions. Current approaches typically assume a focal firm, and the modeling of SC behavior is usually limited to single-product serial networks. In contrast, real-world SCs show that often a firm has many suppliers, even for the same raw material. This paper aims to understand how demand disturbances (e.g. the 'bullwhip effect') propagate and intensify throughout …

Small-Scale Testing Of Passive Fire Protection Systems For Structures On The Wildland-Urban Interface, Makenzie Wilson, Thomas H. Fletcher, Taylor J. Sorensen

Faculty Publications

The average intensity and frequency of wildland fires have been on the rise over the years due to climate change. This, in combination with recent expansion and growth of rural areas, has led to an increased risk of wildfire damage for structures in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). This paper proposes a permanent passive fire protection system that is built into the structure. A flame-resistant material would be attached to the sheathing underneath the roofing and siding material. This system would allow the easily replaceable exterior components of the structure to burn while leaving the interior of the structure protected. Small-scale …

Helping Families Adapt To Individual Circumstances: The Case Of Stay-At-Home Fathers, Kade Cope

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

The Interactive Role Of Shared Reading And Child Participation In Cognitive Development, Joanne Anderson

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

What We Say Matters! How Parents Affect Their Child's Emotional Knowledge, Savanna Nielson

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Teaching Kids How To Be Hopeful, Cambria Siddoway

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Starved For Conversation: The Lost Art Of Human Connection, Emily Scott

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Don't Forget About Their Siblings: Mental Health In Siblings Of Autism, Kylie W. Martin

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Childhood Screen Time And Child Development, Angela Webb

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Oxytocin And Attachment Development, Sage Delamare

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Raising Praise: A Parent's Role In Influencing Adolescent Self-Esteem Through Different Forms Of Praise, Karlee Mcrae

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

How To Better Support Your Loved Ones With Ocd, Sarah Jacobs

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Marital Satisfaction Among Interracial And Intercultural Couples, Brynly Rich

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

For The Strength Of Parents, Macall Smith

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Adhd In Women: Psychological, Academic, And Social Effects, Sienna Kelson

Family Perspectives

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder that involves a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity which interferes with functioning or development. ADHD is commonly diagnosed in childhood and can persist into adulthood (Kok et al., 2020; Fraticelli et al., 2022). It is estimated that ADHD affects 5-7% of school-age children with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 3:1 (Kok et al., 2016). For a long time, ADHD was assumed to be primarily a male disorder, but researchers are increasingly finding that the number of males and females with ADHD is likely close to equal (Nussbaum, 2012). There is increasing evidence …

Reproductively Viable Population Of American Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) In Lowland Chihuahuan Desert Habitat Of Trans-Pecos Texas, Franklin D. Yancey Ii, Stephen Kasper

Western North American Naturalist

During a 6.5-year camera-trap study in Big Bend Ranch State Park (situated in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas), we documented a persistent breeding population of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Solitario region of the park. The habitat in the Solitario, which is an isolated, eroded remnant of volcanic activity, is low-elevation Chihuahuan Desert scrub but includes significant and complex localized topography and prolonged water sources in the form of tinajas. From January 2016 to May 2022, camera traps captured 367,301 photographs. Of these, 868 contained one or more black bears, resulting in 1010 black bear …

El Español En La Repúblida Dominicana, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

Este capítulo presenta un panorama general del español en la República Dominicana desde dos perspectivas: la percepción y la actuación de los hablantes. Desde la perspectiva subjetiva, se examina la inseguridad lingüística que exhibe gran parte de la población, que piensa que su español es inferior al de otros lugares. Por otra parte, se analizan los rasgos objetivos que caracterizan el dialecto. Se describen los procesos fonéticos de la variación consonántica, subrayando el avanzado estado del proceso de reducción de la /s/, la variación de las líquidas /r, l/ y de la /d/ intervocálica. En el terreno sintáctico, se discuten …

Discovering Your Family In Digital Libraries, Jeremy Myntti

Faculty Publications

Presentation on using digital libraries in family history research for the BYU Family History Library webinar series.

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.