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2013

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Autism As The Early Closure Of A Neuroplastic Critical Period Normally Seen In Adolescence, Julia Marie Berger, Troy T. Rohn, Julia Thom Oxford Aug 2013

Autism As The Early Closure Of A Neuroplastic Critical Period Normally Seen In Adolescence, Julia Marie Berger, Troy T. Rohn, Julia Thom Oxford

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The most severe cases of autism are diagnosed by extreme social dysfunction and other behavioral abnormalities. A number of genetic studies have been conducted to correlate behavioral phenotypes to genetic dysfunctions, but no “autism gene” has yet been discovered. In addition, environmental factors have been found to influence the development of autistic traits with high probability. This review will examine the role of a shortened period of neuroplasticity as a unifying feature of the autistic phenotype. The neuroplastic period of interest normally extends into adolescence, allowing for neural integration and the development of language and social skills. Early closure of …

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Recent Um Alumnus Wins Prestigious Qatar Scholarship, Misty Cowherd Aug 2013

Recent Um Alumnus Wins Prestigious Qatar Scholarship, Misty Cowherd

University of Mississippi News

Program provides unrivaled opportunities for American students of Arabic

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Word Recognition From Continuous Articulatory Movement Time-Series Data Using Symbolic Representations, Jun Wang, Arvind Balasubramanian, Luis Mojica De La Vega, Jordan R. Green, Ashok Samal, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran Aug 2013

Word Recognition From Continuous Articulatory Movement Time-Series Data Using Symbolic Representations, Jun Wang, Arvind Balasubramanian, Luis Mojica De La Vega, Jordan R. Green, Ashok Samal, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Although still in experimental stage, articulation-based silent speech interfaces may have significant potential for facilitating oral communication in persons with voice and speech problems. An articulation-based silent speech interface converts articulatory movement information to audible words. The complexity of speech production mechanism (e.g., co-articulation) makes the conversion a formidable problem. In this paper, we reported a novel, real-time algorithm for recognizing words from continuous articulatory movements. This approach differed from prior work in that (1) it focused on word-level, rather than phoneme-level; (2) online segmentation and recognition were conducted at the same time; and (3) a symbolic representation (SAX) was …

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Constructing A Stemma For The Lds Book Of Mormon, 1879-1911, Adam Neilan Davis, Dr. Royal Skousen Aug 2013

Constructing A Stemma For The Lds Book Of Mormon, 1879-1911, Adam Neilan Davis, Dr. Royal Skousen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the period 1879-1911, seven editions of the Book of Mormon were published by or for the LDS Church. Each contains a significant number of variants which aid the researcher in establishing a history of relationships between various texts, otherwise known as a stemma. My research established the stemma beginning with the 1879 Liverpool edition and concluding with the 1911 Chicago large-type edition.

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Book Review: Ecofeminism And Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives On Sex, Technology, And Discourse, R. K. Shalyefu Aug 2013

Book Review: Ecofeminism And Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives On Sex, Technology, And Discourse, R. K. Shalyefu

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Ecofeminism and Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives on Sex, Technology, and Discourse by Douglas A. Vakoch (New York: Berghahn Books, 2011)

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A Hidden History: Women's Activism In Ethiopia, Gemma Burgess Aug 2013

A Hidden History: Women's Activism In Ethiopia, Gemma Burgess

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Ethiopia a woman's identity is linked to her family and the prescribed gender role as a mother and home-maker, yet throughout Ethiopia's history there are examples of women who have roles that extend beyond the home and family into public, political life. This paper briefly describes this dominant gender identity of Ethiopian women before charting the changes to Ethiopian politics and women's place within them. It discusses how the shift to democratic politics opened new spaces for women's civil society activism. However, more recent political moves towards greater repression of civil society have closed the space for women's public, …

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Dialogue As Character Revelation In Wuthering Heights, Jennifer E. Shakespear, Dr. Cynthia L. Hallen Aug 2013

Dialogue As Character Revelation In Wuthering Heights, Jennifer E. Shakespear, Dr. Cynthia L. Hallen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In her novel Wuthering Heights, Emily Brönte uses the dialogue of her characters to disclose their inner-most workings. Like real humans, characters in novels share a part of themselves every time they speak. Their personalities, moods, demeanor, affections, dispositions, and affinities are revealed through language. By conducting a detailed linguistic analysis of the dialogue of both Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, I hoped to discover language patterns reflecting their temperament, emotions, and relationships with other characters. I believe my study was very successful in achieving this goal.

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Progress Summary Of Translation Of The Parson’S Family, Owen F. Witesman, Ralph V. Larson Aug 2013

Progress Summary Of Translation Of The Parson’S Family, Owen F. Witesman, Ralph V. Larson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My first-draft translation of Finnish dramatist Minna Canth’s Papin Perhe [The Parson’s Family] is currently twenty pages (of one hundred thirty) from completion. This draft will be further proofed and refined by a number of character readings using individuals experienced in editing and dramatic interpretation. This final version will be submitted as my honors thesis in April of 2001. I will then publish the text online and seek print publication. The project as a whole has progressed somewhat more slowly than I had anticipated, owing mostly to an overestimation on my part as to how much text I would effectively …

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Hebrew Language Tutorial, David R. Coughanour, Chuck Bush Aug 2013

Hebrew Language Tutorial, David R. Coughanour, Chuck Bush

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When I proposed to undertake this project it was to provide a computer-aided language instruction tutorial for Hebrew 101 students. I was taking Hebrew 101 at the time that the opportunity to apply for an ORCA award came along and I remembered my Hebrew 101 instructor commenting that less than half of those who enroll in the class are able to make it to the end. Most of those who drop out do so after they encounter the first exam. My proposal was to develop a Hypercard-based computer program that would make that first exam more manageable and then to …

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The Ethnophysiologocial Janus: Changing Perceptions Of Illness And Curing In The Guatemalan Mayan Highlands, Steven Shem Rode, Dr. John P. Hawkins Aug 2013

The Ethnophysiologocial Janus: Changing Perceptions Of Illness And Curing In The Guatemalan Mayan Highlands, Steven Shem Rode, Dr. John P. Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ethnomedical literature rarely addresses the problem of how illness is recognized and understood among Nahualenos in southwest Guatemala. In that area of the world, mother/infant mortality rates remain high, and local perceptions of illness continue to bewilder western biomedical caregivers. This study investigates data collected from doctor-patient communication, linguistics, and traditional medicine to explain how ethnophysiological understandings of illness exemplify effective and ineffective teaching methods about bacteriology and prevention within the liminal Nahualeno society.

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Teaching French Literacy In West Africa As Part Of A Byu Study Abroad Program, Charles Thomas Sones, Dr. Chantel P. Thompson Aug 2013

Teaching French Literacy In West Africa As Part Of A Byu Study Abroad Program, Charles Thomas Sones, Dr. Chantel P. Thompson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Before arriving in Africa, our contact had arranged for us to work in a village outside of Saint-Louis, Senegal, within walking distance of where we would be studying. We were told that a group of twenty adults and twenty children were already selected who needed literacy skills. Although we were not sure of their specific levels, we were told that most had no literacy skills and many would have no French language skills.

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The University Of Texas At El Paso Operating Budget Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2014, U. T. System Board Of Regents Aug 2013

The University Of Texas At El Paso Operating Budget Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2014, U. T. System Board Of Regents

Campus Operating Budget

No abstract provided.

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Intra-Asia Cultural Traffic: Transnational Flow Of East Asian Television Dramas In Indonesia, Shuri Mariasih Gietty Tambunan Aug 2013

Intra-Asia Cultural Traffic: Transnational Flow Of East Asian Television Dramas In Indonesia, Shuri Mariasih Gietty Tambunan

Lingnan Theses

East Asian television dramas have crossed the threshold of Indonesian mediascapes since the 1990s. This transnational product offers new resources for the "work of imagination" within the rapid flow of cultural products in Asia. By focusing on the Network Flows and Reception Theory models in the approaches to cultural globalization, the project asks how the process of intra-Asia cultural traffic mediates and is mediated by gatekeepers/intermediaries and by the ordinary experience of the contemporary Indonesian audience. East Asian television dramas have nurtured a process of transnational imagination and self-reflexivity in the Indonesian audience's everyday life. Furthermore, the Indonesian cultural, political …

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Mythogony (The Creation Of Myth): A Comparative Religion Study Of Sai Culture, St. Shane Sanders, Dr. Lanier Britsch Aug 2013

Mythogony (The Creation Of Myth): A Comparative Religion Study Of Sai Culture, St. Shane Sanders, Dr. Lanier Britsch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The scope of my research was the analysis of a syncretic paradigm extending from east to west. India houses the three major ashram(a)s of a new religious movement and sub-culture, united by a mythological belief in their guru, Swami Sathya Sai Baba. The village born guru boasts a following of one million, which is made up of indigenous Indians as well as foreigners coming from as nearby as Nepal and Burma to as far as San Francisco, London, Trinidad and Portugal to name but a few of the nationalities of the people I interviewed. The culture incorporates the religious thought …

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Semantic Class Disambiguation In Natural Language Soar, Anton Rytting, Dr. Deryle Lonsdale Aug 2013

Semantic Class Disambiguation In Natural Language Soar, Anton Rytting, Dr. Deryle Lonsdale

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Soar1 is a unified theory of human cognition implemented as a computer program. It posits that the interaction of a few fundamental mechanisms can account for any aspect of cognition. The theory’s computer implementation allows the creation of testable computer simulations of various cognitive tasks.

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English Language Learner Program Improvement Study, Amy Jones, Dr. Erin Whiting Aug 2013

English Language Learner Program Improvement Study, Amy Jones, Dr. Erin Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Parental involvement is a key focus of educational debate today because it has been shown to be correlated to academic achievement. I chose to help research and collect data to include in a longitudinal study conducted by Dr. Erin Whiting and Dr. Ray Graham of Brigham Young University. This purpose of this on-going study is to understand how parents of Hispanic students are involved in their child’s education, and in what ways that may differ from parents of other ethnic groups.

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Report On Orca-Funded Interpretation Research, Brian L. Price, Mariam B. Labrum Aug 2013

Report On Orca-Funded Interpretation Research, Brian L. Price, Mariam B. Labrum

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Last year I submitted a proposal for funding to support a research project aimed at improving the quality of interpreter training at the undergraduate level for all those students with demonstrated interest in the field of interpretation. I claimed that such improvements would benefit the existing Spanish Translation and Interpretation program at Brigham Young University, and could eventually serve the needs of other institutions. In the course of my investigation, I have determined that such improvements can be made with relatively little effort and without having to hire large quantities of additional staff to meet the needs of a stronger …

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Conversations With Inanimate Objects: A Mortuary Analysis Of Oakland-Fraternal Cemeteries In Little Rock, Arkansas., Jeff L. Wright Aug 2013

Conversations With Inanimate Objects: A Mortuary Analysis Of Oakland-Fraternal Cemeteries In Little Rock, Arkansas., Jeff L. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

From 2012-2013 a mortuary analysis of Oakland-Fraternal cemeteries in Little Rock, Arkansas was conducted for this thesis. Evidence that this cemetery serves as a cultural database for the city of Little Rock and that resources like this should be preserved as Cultural Resource Management projects are presented in an interdisciplinary approach to mortuary analysis combining the disciplines of Anthropology and Rhetoric. Analysis of iconography found on grave markers was conducted employing Robert E. Horn's visual rhetoric theories and methodologies. Kenneth Burke's Dramatic Pentad was also employed as a tool for measuring the motivations behind the authorship of grave markers. Issues …

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Analysis Of Belarusian Media In 2011: Discourse, Argument Construction, And Propaganda Framing, Tatsiana Karaliova Aug 2013

Analysis Of Belarusian Media In 2011: Discourse, Argument Construction, And Propaganda Framing, Tatsiana Karaliova

Theses and Dissertations

The mass media system in Belarus is characterized by the coexistence of two types of mass media - state-run and independent. This study looks at the difference in characteristics of coverage in these two types of media outlets in terms of diversity of perspectives, argument construction, and propaganda framing. A significant difference in the nature of discourse on the major events in Belarus in 2011 in state-run and independent media exposed their distinct ideological viewpoints. State-run media favored a pro-government perspective and widely presented anti-opposition and anti-revolutionary opinion. Lack of plurality and rational arguments, anti-globalization and Soviet nostalgia rhetoric were …

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Cultural Competence Of Taiwanese Nurses, Chin-Nu Lin Aug 2013

Cultural Competence Of Taiwanese Nurses, Chin-Nu Lin

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Research on the cultural competence in nursing care in Taiwan is scarce. Little information has been documented regarding the level of cultural competence among its health care professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of cultural competence among Taiwanese nurses. This study employed a quantitative design using a self-report online survey. Research findings indicated that Taiwanese nurses had low to moderate level of cultural competence. They perceived themselves as being not culturally competent when caring for clients from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. While Taiwanese nurses scored high on cultural sensitivity and awareness, they scored low …

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Breastfeeding: An Analysis And Community-Based Curriculum For The Contemporary Central Arkansas Audience, Jennifer Susan Atkins-Gordeeva Aug 2013

Breastfeeding: An Analysis And Community-Based Curriculum For The Contemporary Central Arkansas Audience, Jennifer Susan Atkins-Gordeeva

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary society includes many features that impede women's decision-making about infant feeding. The Central Arkansas community is particularly affected by those features. Because informed decision-making involves an acknowledgment of the risks of formula use, breastfeeding advocates must talk about risk. This curriculum offers one way to discuss risks of formula and challenges and supports within the community, to create a supportive environment for making informed decisions, and to commit to a lactation plan, inside a supportive, community-based setting.

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Meeting The Communities Standard Through Language Exchange Via Video-Based Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication And Effects On Motivation Of First-Year Spanish Language Learners, Emily Andrews Aug 2013

Meeting The Communities Standard Through Language Exchange Via Video-Based Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication And Effects On Motivation Of First-Year Spanish Language Learners, Emily Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Current research supports a link between the foreign language Communities standard, learner motivation, and the use of computer-mediated communication in the language classroom. The Communities standard, although it is the least addressed in classrooms, calls for learners to interact with the target language community. Research into motivation has found that learners react positively to the use of communication technologies in the classroom and the opportunity to use the target language for authentic communication with native speakers. However, few studies have been done to assess how connecting with target language community members through online video-based conversation affects learner motivation. This study …

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A Bibliography Of Uighur Studies, David T. Allred, Dr. David C. Wrigth Aug 2013

A Bibliography Of Uighur Studies, David T. Allred, Dr. David C. Wrigth

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Uighur Turks are a minority group several million strong now living primarily in the desert oasis towns of western China. They first appeared on the world stage during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) as a fierce nomadic tribe threatening China from the Mongolian steppe. By raiding the border they forced the Tang government into doling out lavish protection payments, but later as allies to the Chinese the Uighur cavalry was instrumental in rescuing the government from destruction by civil war. Chinese dynastic records give vivid accounts of official processions to the capital at Changan and magnificent weddings between Chinese …

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Is It Better To Struggle And Resolve Than To Never Struggle At All? The Course And Consequences Of Resolving Spiritual Struggles, Jennifer H. Wortmann Aug 2013

Is It Better To Struggle And Resolve Than To Never Struggle At All? The Course And Consequences Of Resolving Spiritual Struggles, Jennifer H. Wortmann

Doctoral Dissertations

Extensive psychological research has associated spiritual struggle with negative outcomes, including depression, post-traumatic distress, suicidality, and mortality. Yet other research has linked it with positive outcomes, such as personal and spiritual growth, less prejudice, greater compassion, and increased religious tolerance. Furthermore, religious and developmental theorists posit that spiritual struggle is essential to value development and life adjustment, as rigid systems are replaced by flexible ones. The paradox of struggle being associated with negative outcomes but linked to spiritual and personal growth raises the question: what distinguishes healthy or productive spiritual struggle from maladaptive struggle? The current study hypothesizes that struggle …

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Deafdigest: Gold Edition, August 18, 2013, Barry Strassler Aug 2013

Deafdigest: Gold Edition, August 18, 2013, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Gold 2013

No abstract provided.

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Deafdigest: Blue Edition, August 18, 2013, Barry Strassler Aug 2013

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, August 18, 2013, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2013

No abstract provided.

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James Hogg, Fyodor Dostoevsky, And Romantic Anachronism, Heather Ann Stewart Aug 2013

James Hogg, Fyodor Dostoevsky, And Romantic Anachronism, Heather Ann Stewart

English

This thesis explores the problematic nature of the term "Romanticism" as traditionally dictated by national and temporal constraints. Most scholars and literary institutions (i.e., anthologies) define Romanticism as a solely European phenomenon of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This definition, intentionally or not, serves an elitist function in assuming that only Europeans of a specific era were capable of producing texts with Romantic qualities. Further, even authors who fall into this temporal and nationalistic category are often excluded due to their social class. This thesis seeks to extend the boundaries of Romanticism through examining two authors who, despite some recent …

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The Legacy Of Shamans? Structural And Cognitive Perspectives Of Prehistoric Symbolism In The Bering Strait Region, Feng Qu, 枫 曲 Aug 2013

The Legacy Of Shamans? Structural And Cognitive Perspectives Of Prehistoric Symbolism In The Bering Strait Region, Feng Qu, 枫 曲

Anthropology

This research explores the meanings of prehistoric artistic artifacts discovered in the Bering Strait region. The research focuses on the prehistoric period between AD 100 and 1700, including Okvik culture, Old Bering Sea culture, Punuk Culture, Birnirk Culture, Thule culture, and Ipiutak Culture. My archaeological data in this research were collected from the archaeological collections of the Okvik site on Punuk Islands, the Kukulik site on St. Lawrence Island, and the Nukleet site at Cape Denbigh at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. Based on abundant ethnographic records from the Bering Strait region, this research relies on ethnographic …

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The Evolution Of *-E:R In Mayan Languages, Christy Barber, Dr. John Robertson Aug 2013

The Evolution Of *-E:R In Mayan Languages, Christy Barber, Dr. John Robertson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Common Mayan had a suffix, *-e:r, which was an adverbial deictic clitic indicating past tense. (1) Its form and function remained fairly regular throughout the evolution of Common Mayan into more than 30 distinct languages. This study focuses on its evolution in the construction #-TIME-e:r, a Mayan phrase meaning “# days ago,” and that of its complementary phrase #-TIME, meaning “# days from now.” The most frequently occurring construction uses a form of the morpheme *-e:j “day,” as in Colonial Kaqchikel coh-eh-er “four days ago.”

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Linguistic Research In The Fijian Language, Jared Chapman, Dr. Dallin Oak Aug 2013

Linguistic Research In The Fijian Language, Jared Chapman, Dr. Dallin Oak

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For nearly fifty years, Fiji has been the only major South Pacific LDS mission without its own Missionary Training Center (MTC) language program. For this reason, missionaries have gone without language skills and their ability to do missionary work was limited. Today, the MTC has a fledgling program that struggles to teach its missionaries the language. The program=s major challenge was the lack of adequate language lesson materials. As a return missionary from Fiji and founder of its MTC language training program, I have a strong love for the people and an intense interest in improving the instructional methods used …

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