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BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Agreeing To Disagree: Abortion Jurisprudence In Jewish And Islamic Law, Rabea Benhalim

BYU Law Review

This Article challenges the prevailing perception that religious people and religious legal traditions are anti-abortion. While this may be true within certain conservative Christian perspectives, this perception is an inaccurate representation of Jewish and Muslim Americans and their respective legal traditions. Both the Jewish and Islamic legal traditions offer a range of nuanced positions on abortion. Furthermore, diverse opinions of Jewish and Islamic abortion jurisprudence inform a variety of topics salient to the current legal debate in the United States. This range of opinions includes strict limitations on abortion, circumstantial legality, and general permissibility. Scholars from both traditions engaged in …

The Social Psychology Of Religious Liberty Depolarization, Asma T. Uddin

BYU Law Review

This Article examines the U.S. Supreme Court's approach to cases involving religious liberty and LGBTQ+ rights through the lens of social psychology. As Americans increasingly sort into opposing “mega- identities” defined by political, racial, and religious traits, religious liberty has become a deeply polarized issue, with traditional Christians and LGBTQ+ advocates often positioned as adversaries in a zero-sum conflict. Against this backdrop, the Article argues that the Roberts Court has employed social psychological techniques—specifically “aporia” (acknowledging complexity) and “affirmation” (validating diverse viewpoints)—to de-escalate this cultural tension. By analyzing key decisions in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Fulton v. …

Research And Education In Robotics: A Comprehensive Review, Trends, Challenges, And Future Directions, Mutaz Ryalat, Natheer Almtireen, Ghaith Al-Refai, Hisham Elmoaqet, Nathir Rawashdeh

Michigan Tech Publications

Robotics has emerged as a transformative discipline at the intersection of the engineering, computer science, and cognitive sciences. This state-of-the-art review explores the current trends, methodologies, and challenges in both robotics research and education. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the evolution of robotics, tracing its development from early automation to intelligent, autonomous systems. Key enabling technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), soft robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and swarm intelligence, are examined along with real-world applications in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and sustainable smart cities. A central focus is placed on robotics education, where hands-on, interdisciplinary learning is …

Adsorption Of Pb(Ii), Cu(Ii), And Ni(Ii) By A New Magnetic Schiff Base Resin: Synthesis, Characterization, And Thermal Study, Iman Saad Ali

Baghdad Science Journal

This study dealt with the preparation and analytical study of a type of chelating resin. This type of resin was distinguished by containing a ligand of the type of aromatic Schiff bases (5A-T) by reacting the aromatic amine (5-aminoisopthalic acid) with terephthaldehyde. The prepared Schiff base was identified using infrared FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and precise element analysis technology. The prepared Schiff bases were converted into azomethine-amide resin P5A-T by reacting the ligand (5A-T) with the diamines (4, 4-oxydianiline). The prepared resin was characterized using infrared spectroscopy. The study also included the preparation of magnetic zinc iron oxide (ZnFe2O4) by covalent …

Synthesis Of Salicylaldehyde Derivatives And Evaluating Its Antimicrobial, Antifungal, And Anticorrosion Activities, Ibrahim Mamedov, Ali Khalilov

Baghdad Science Journal

Chalcones are natural, unsaturated aromatic ketones used in organic synthesis and medicine. Nevertheless, obtaining synthetic analogs and studying their reactions remains relevant. Unsaturated aromatic ketones are important substrates for synthesizing various heterocyclic compounds. The new chalcone, dihydropyrazole derivatives were synthesized based on 2-hydroxy-5-phenyldiazenyl benzaldehyde, and their structures were studied by NMR. Many metal structures fail each year due to harsh conditions, causing significant damage to the global economy. To overcome this problem, chemists are constantly researching and developing new corrosion inhibitors. The compounds under test contain nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms, which can be coordinated with metals. These types of …

Understanding The Chemical And Electronic Properties Of Sub-Monolayer Tio₂ On High Surface Area Silica For Jet Fuel Synthesis Applications, Mark A. Isaacs, Charalampos Drivas, Arthur Graf, Sasha Kroon, Santosh Kumar, Junxi Liu, Antonio Torres‐Lopez, Cameron Price, Edward Garland, Ines Lezcano‐Gonzalez, Christopher M. A. Parlett, Vannia C. Dos Santos‐Durndell, Lee J. Durndell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

2.5% of global carbon emissions result from air travel, underscoring the need for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) derived from second-generation lignocellulosic biomass to enhance the green credentials of the aviation sector. This study demonstrates the first solvent-free photocatalytic conversion of furfural (FAL) and cyclopentanone (CPO) to produce 2,5-bis(2-furylmethylidene)cyclopentanone (F2Cp), a jet fuel precursor, using Ti-SBA-15 catalysts, synthesized via alkoxide grafting and controlled titanium surface coverage. Sub-monolayer titania films on SBA-15 supports are achieved with tuneable Ti content, confirmed by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), UPS (ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy), REELS (reflectance electron energy loss spectroscopy), ISS (ion scattering spectroscopy), and Raman analysis. …

Psychological Flexibility As A Mechanism Of Change In Online Act Among Adults Living With Chronic Health Conditions, Francesca M. Knudsen, Marissa L. Donahue, Korena S. Klimczak, Ty B. Aller, Michael E. Levin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Living with a chronic health condition (CHC) can negatively impact quality of life (QoL) through a complex interaction of mental health challenges, functional limitations, and disease management demands. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a transdiagnostic approach that shows promise in addressing shared challenges across various CHCs by fostering psychological flexibility (PF). PF has been associated with improved QoL and functional outcomes and reduced psychological symptoms in individuals living with specific CHCs; yet its mediating role in these outcomes remains underexplored. This secondary analysis examined whether changes in PF mediated improvements in QoL, psychological symptoms, and functional impairment among individuals …

An Example Where Taking An Additional Observation Doesn't Help, Stephen Portnoy, James Stein

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

It seems intuitively obvious that no part of a random sample should be discarded. However, for most students, the first formal justification of this idea is when sufficiency is introduced in an introductory statistical theory course. Students are often left with the idea that conditioning on the sufficient statistic always improves inference, even though the formal theory only says that for any statistical procedure there is one depending on the sufficient statistic that is no worse. Here we present an example on comparing two coins based on two consecutive tosses, where the optimal probability of guessing which coin has the …

'There Is That Of God In All Of Us': Church, State, And Restrictive Abortion Policies, Kimsey J. Stewart

LSU Master's Theses

Unsafe abortion affects millions of women around the globe every year. Unsafe abortions are more likely to occur in countries with restrictive abortion policies. Yet, these policies persist, and the worldwide trend of liberalization of abortion laws is at risk of reversal. There is a disconcerting lack of research regarding what factors cause governments to enact, retain, and enforce restrictive abortion policies. This paper is an attempt to fill in such a gap. I theorize that countries in which the government has closer ties with religious organizations will have more restrictive abortion policies. My results indicate that this is likely …

For Us, By Us: A Digital Ethnographic Exploration Of Black Podcasts, Intimacy, & Sexual Pleasure, Dominique C. Dillard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sociological literature written about Black folks interprets their sexual behavior as unhealthy, risky, and non-normative. Black people are seldom acknowledged as humans, so it is not surprising to discover a discourse that does not portray them as sexual subjects. Studies examining Black sexual subjectivity through white and colorblind ideologies dominate the discussion, reproducing racist discourse historically ascribed to Black bodies. Guided by Audre Lorde’s concept of erotic as power, I document an alternative epistemology about Black sexuality. I argue the construction of Black sexuality must focus on sexual selfhood to grasp how this population conceptualizes and makes sense of their …

Digital Forensics And Ai: Artifact Analysis And Using Ai In The Forensics Domain, Clinton Joel Walker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Digital Forensics (DF) is a field of forensic science focusing on the acquisition, authentication, and analysis of digital evidence while maintaining integrity of that data. DF analysts use forensic tools to parse large volumes of data for investigations and depend on them for identification of pertinent digital evidence in vast amounts of data. Keeping up with innovations and ever-expanding data volumes is a constant challenge for these investigators. The prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday computing is rapidly expanding, with the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLM)s becoming increasingly commonplace. Innovations in technology bring new …

Towards Leveraging Social Media Data For Fostering Collaborations Among Non-Profits, Monazil Chowdhury

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations serve a crucial role in tackling a wide range of significant social, environmental, and economic issues. But it is often hard to get a clear picture of their work because their information is spread out and it is difficult to see how they are collaborating. To address this issue we developed a web-based tool to collect scattered data—from a variety of sources, such as the IRS, social media, and the Census, into one easy-to-use resource. The tool begins by taking IRS records and geocoding each nonprofit’s physical address With its coordinates. It then retrieves census tract information from …

Intercultural Communication

Communication Research Trends

For the survival and development of important human values, the study of intercultural communication may be one of the critical areas of communication research. One has only to witness "Kojak" and "Starsky and Hutch" bouncing off satellites into the intimacy of minds and homes in cultures of India and Thailand to realize this. Vendors of communication technology are rushing to pen a Pandora's box of influences which may erode cultural ideals created over thousands of years. Once again we are not prepared to cope with the human and social implications of communication technology.

But the focus of research in intercultural …

Religious Communication In An Urban Society

Communication Research Trends

Whatever happened to the churches? To whom are they speaking these day?

Christianity and other major religious traditions developed their symbolic language and their patterns of communication in a pre-industrial world and in the largely oral culture of rural villages. Christianity did adapt rather remarkably to the possibilities of the print media. But now the urban pattern of life, the technical-scientific mode of thought and the electronic media are· influencing radically the pattern of human life.

Sociologists of religion conclude that religious aspirations are as strong as ever, but that people increasingly do not find the expression of their religion …

The Use Of The Media For Formal And Non-Formal Education

Communication Research Trends

Dear Reader,

With some risk of exaggeration, it is said that the media are a major factor in the contemporary social construction of reality, If something isn't in print, radio, TV or other media, it does not "exist" socially and culturally. To the extent that this is true, with the medium of this CSCC NEWSLETTER for our friends and associates as well as colleagues in the field of communication, the CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE begins to exist.

In this first issue it seems appropriate to state why we exist -- our orientation, objectives, and functions. We …

Book Review: The Architecture Of The Playing Field, Eddie G. Walker Ii

Global Sport Business Journal

Athletic fields, facilities, golf courses, stadiums, and arenas are at the heart of the sport management industry. Physical activity has been “an essential component” of mankind’s life on Earth since the beginning of time (Elgammal & Abdel-Razek, 2022; p. 26). Throughout history, the methods of hosting athletic events have undergone significant evolution. Dr. Richard Cleary provides a concise yet thorough resource on how the structure of these spaces influences the experience for both participants and spectators. The Architecture of the Playing Field: Shaping Space in Sport comprises four chapters and an Epilogue that utilize architectural design and sociocultural theories to …

Seoul’S Soul: A Study Of Drag Culture’S Influence On Queer Young Adult’S Education In South Korea, Ian Sollender

Capstone Collection

Drag performance has long been considered a site of artistic expression, political resistance, and community-building within LGBTQ+ spaces. This capstone research project explores the educational impact of drag culture in Seoul, South Korea, with a particular focus on how drag performances serve as a pedagogical and educational tool that challenges gender norms, fosters queer community, and provides a platform for political discourse. Through qualitative analysis of participant observation, bilingual Korean and English survey responses, and in-depth English interviews with drag performers, performance organizers, and audience members, this research highlights the ways in which drag can function as a site of …

Let Us Break Bread Together: A Historical Analysis Of African American Chefs’ Influence On American Gastronomy, Danielle S. King

Capstone Collection

This Capstone project examines the historical impact of African American chefs on American gastronomy, highlighting their substantial contributions to the nation's culinary heritage from 1619 to 2024. By employing Jessica B. Harris's book High on the Hog as a foundation, the research identifies a critical gap in existing study abroad programs: the Black diaspora within the United States. The proposed four-week educational program aims to immerse participants in African American culinary heritage across four culturally rich cities: Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois, and Oakland, California. With a community cultural wealth framework, the program integrates historical research, hands-on …

“Border Line Pilots”: Rcaf Aircrew, Crash Investigations And No. 22 Otu, Wes Cross

Canadian Military History

Abstract : In 1941, RAF Bomber Command Operational Training Units (OTU) in the United Kingdom were created to produce crews for the bomber offensive from graduates of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Of the 4,000 RCAF deaths attributed to non-operational accidents, 1,498 occurred in this OTU phase. A study of No. 22 OTU accident reports, where the largest number of RCAF training fatalities occurred, provides insight into the stated official causes and underlying issues of the high accident rate. Of more recent interest is how one No. 22 OTU 1944 aircraft crash site decades later became a center of …

Review Of Averting The Digital Dark Age: The Future Of Digital Literary Heritage, Rebecca L. Hastings

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

In Averting the Digital Dark Age: How Archivists, Librarians, and Technologists Built the Web a Memory, Ian Milligan explores the efforts of technologists and information professionals to develop means of preserving information shared on the World Wide Web. The web lacks a built-in archiving function, raising fears of a “digital dark age,” an unprecedented gap in the historical record as information sharing via the web increases. Milligan tracks the development of web preservation debates and activities from the anxiety and turmoil of the early to mid-1990s to the coming of age of web preservation in the wake of the …

Assessing The Lgbtq+ Beliefs, Behaviors, And Competency Of Nutrition Professionals: A Mixed-Methods Study, Anthony Dissen, Christina Riccardo, Liam Oliver Lair

Journal of Dietetic Education

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals often experience disproportionate levels of physical and mental health issues including nutrition-specific issues such as eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and food insecurity related to psychological distress from discrimination and stigmatization. This study sought to understand nutrition professionals’ LGBTQ+ competence, beliefs, and behaviors. Researchers distributed 2 data collection tools to registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs): the Gay Affirmative Practice Scale (GAP-Scale) and the LGBT Competency Assessment Tool (LGBT-CAT). Data from the GAP-Scale were numerically scored using a 5-point Likert scale, and data from LGBT-CAT were scored on a scale of 0 to 3 points. …

Examining Weight Bias Attitude Changes After Exposure To A Brief Photovoice Assignment, Gretchen L. George, Hillary L. Roberts, Kristin Rose, Madison Clemens, Kate G. Burt

Journal of Dietetic Education

Weight bias is present among pre-health professional students (e.g., nutrition, dietetics, nursing, physical therapy, medicine). Educators need support and guidelines about how to enhance learning through engaging assignments while also meeting accreditation requirements. This pilot study examined the impact of an innovative weight bias assignment using photovoice and reflection within existing nutrition education courses, measured through pre-post assessments from the Fat Attitudes Assessment Toolkit. While not all subscales showed significant change, improvements in the Fat Acceptance and Attribution Complexity Composites suggest these methods may be effective in shifting attitudes about fatness. Further research is needed to assess the long-term impact …

Burnout And Turnover Among Program Directors In Acend-Accredited Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Programs, Heather Frazier, Patricia Grace-Farfaglia

Journal of Dietetic Education

Background: Knowledge about program director burnout in ACEND-accredited registered dietitian nutritionist programs is severely limited. Objective: To measure the changes in program director burnout and turnover over a two-year period. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to program directors via e-mail in 2021 and 2023. The validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) was used to measure burnout, which had three scales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Demographic and program information was also obtained. Results: Over the two-year period, program directors scores for emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001) and depersonalization (p < 0.001) significantly worsened. Interestingly, personal accomplishment scores significantly improved (p < 0.001) during the same time frame. Sixty-six percent of program directors in 2023 reported consideration for leaving their position in the next 5 years, which increased from 58%. Since 2021, 29.9% Didactic Program in Dietetics directors, 28.8% Dietetic Internship directors, and 37.5% Coordinated Program in Dietetics directors have resigned. Conclusion: Program directors show increased signs of burnout. Efforts are needed to investigate ways to support program directors to reduce burnout and increase retention of program directors.

Integrated Advanced Education Supports Future Registered Dietitian Nutritionists’ Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy In Practice, Crystal C. Douglas, Simone Camel

Journal of Dietetic Education

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of graduate-level breastfeeding and lactation management education that includes didactive and active learning components on future RDNs’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Design: A pre-and post-test design, utilizing a 41-item pre-intervention survey, learning modules, and a 35-item post-intervention survey. Setting: Three U.S. public universities located in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Participants: Graduate-level dietetic internship students. Intervention: Four advanced education modules (2 didactive; 2 active learning) developed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Main outcome measures: Gains in breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy to assist with breastfeeding education and problem-solving using validated and newly developed survey items. Analysis: Descriptive statistics, …

Absence Of Coronavirus In Terns In The Western Indian Ocean?, Camille Lebarbenchon, Chris Feare, Christine Larose, Marie-Alice Simbi, Solenn Boucher, Audrey Jaeger, Matthieu Le Corre

Marine Ornithology

We investigated coronavirus circulation in three tern species on four islands of the Western Indian Ocean (Bird, Reunion, Europa, Juan de Nova). None of the 2019 samples tested positive by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of host-species range, ecological drivers of virus transmission, and diagnostic tools.

A Petrel Breeding Diversity Hotspot: Raivavae Island (Austral Islands, French Polynesia), With A Need For Conservation Action, Vincent Bretagnolle, Yves David, Thomas Ghestemme, Jean-François Butaud, Tehani Withers, Hadoram Shirihai, Jean-Claude Thibault

Marine Ornithology

Raivavae is a small island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia that is surrounded by a lagoon with 28 islets. Its marine avifauna is one of the least known and least studied in French Polynesia. Overall, seabird surveys in the various Austral Islands have been extremely sparse. This study addresses this need, using both historical and recent findings. The results show high species richness, with 10 breeding procellarid species, though none are numerous. We also update the knowledge on breeding petrels from other Austral Islands (except Rapa) and discuss the consequences of these findings in terms of their conservation …

Assessment Of Tufted Puffin Fratercula Cirrhata Diet Using Dna Metabarcoding, Thomas P. Good, Andrew O. Shelton, Abigail H. Wells, Ana Ramón-Laca, Ramon Gallego, Peter J. Hodum, Scott F. Pearson

Marine Ornithology

Investigating trophic relationships can be critical for understanding relationships between marine predators and their prey. DNA analysis of feces is used increasingly as a non-invasive method to uncover seabird dietary patterns across space and time. Tufted Puffins Fratercula cirrhata are listed as Endangered in the state of Washington (WA), USA, and reduced prey availability is thought to be a key factor in the species’ decline. Recent information on Tufted Puffin diet is lacking, and present opportunities for direct diet observation are limited. We conducted a pilot study to characterize Tufted Puffin diet on Destruction Island, WA, in 2019 using DNA …

Masthead, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Following Painting's Quiet Call To Adventure, Kelly Allen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Yael Goverover, OTR/L, Ph.D., professor and post-professional program director of occupational therapy at New York University at Steinhardt (NYU), provided the cover art for the summer issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. This oil painting on canvas, titled, Still Life, 2024, features an arrangement of everyday objects with vibrant tones of gold, yellow, orange, and green found in the vase, and a coffeepot, fruits, and botanicals set against a backdrop of scarlet and striped patterned fabrics. She created this piece while on sabbatical in Israel as she studied under the tutelage of a seasoned oil …