Digital Commons Network^™

07. Lisa (Novel .Pdf Printable), Matthew Lipman

Middle School Curriculum

Lisa is the story of a school year in the life of an adolescent girl and her classmates, a year studded with physical, aesthetic and ethical awakenings. Various events in these young people's lives prompt them to puzzle over such issues as animal rights, sexism, racism, justice, divorce and death. All of them struggle with issues of identity and thinking for oneself - philosophical issues of perennial concern to adolescents. As they begin to recognize the ethical dimensions of their experience, Lisa and her friends puzzle over such philosophical concepts as the right, the fair, the good, perfection, and naturalism. …

The Impact Of Backspin Release Modes On Basketball Spin Axis Alignment, Madelyn Carniglia, Nathan Slegers

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Background: Ball backspin is created during a basketball's final release. The complex nature of the hand-ball interaction at the moment of release can result in spin axis (SA) misalignment, which decreases shooting accuracy.

Aims: This study is the first to analyze distinct backspin modes, such as hand orientation, twist, and push location, and how each mode contributes to overall SA misalignment.

Methods: Three-dimensional ball backspin, hand orientation, hand position, and ball twist before release were measured for 20 male basketball athletes. The multiple linear regression test analyzed SA misalignment about the vertical axis (e_y) and side SA misalignment …

How To Deal With High-Impact Low-Probability Events: Theoretical Explanation Of The Empirically Successful Fuzzy-Like Technique, Juan Ulloa, Aaron Velasco, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

When making decisions, it is important to take into account high-impact low-probability events. For such events, traditional probability-based approach -- which considers the product of the probability p that this event happens and the probability P that a randomly selected building will be destroyed -- often underestimates risks. Available data has lead to an empirical table that provides a more adequate risk estimate. Most of the entries in this table correspond to the fuzzy-like formula min(p,P). This paper explains this empirical result. Specifically, it explains both the effectiveness of the min formula -- and also explains deviations from this formula.

Finite Hybrid- And Semi-Markov Chains, Jose L. Menaldi, Maurice Robin

Mathematics Faculty Research Publications

The ergodic behaviour of finite Markov chains having also instantaneous transition are considered. Some estimates are obtained which complement our previous work [29]. Also, an optimal switching control model for semi-Markov chains is analysed, without any particular assumptions on the recurrent classes.

Building A New World In The Shell Of The Old: Co-Designing Post-Capitalist Visions, Alix Gerber

Design Thinking Initiative Staff Publications

Designers working towards social change have often focused on designing discrete solutions to social problems, rather than working within the long-term world-making practices of movements. This paper examines the potential of a more embedded design practice within prefigurative movements, where mutual aid networks, worker cooperatives, and other solidarity economy initiatives are already developing alternative systems in the present. What if we could design everyday tools with these collectives to embody their transformative visions? Yet it can be difficult to design for transformation collaboratively. Collectives include members with diverse visions that can conflict, as well as different ideas about how to …

Constitution And By-Laws Of The William Penn Society, William Penn Society Of Whittier College

William Penns

The William Penn society is an organization made up of individuals with many different talents, backgrounds, and personalities. The Penns encourage diversity and believe in strength through diversity. The society provides opportunities for service and for social and personal growth.

The Sachsen Society Constitution, Saschen Society Of Whittier College

Sachsens

The Sachsen society is the only gender-inclusive Society at Whittier. The Sachsen Society is composed of students emphasizing their uniqueness and individuality in an effort to further self-acceptance and growth. We can’t love anyone until we love ourselves.

Franklin Society Bylaws, Franklin Society Of Whittier College

Franklins

The Franklin Society is the first fraternity founded at Whittier College, Whittier, CA, on December 9th, 1921. It is also the oldest student organization of the College. The Society began as a literary society that based itself on "virtues" espoused by Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin Society boasts a distinguished roll of members ranging from academics, public servants, and successful business owners, and a president of Whittier College. Among those who have been denied membership to this exclusive society is former president Richard Nixon. The Franklins have flourished for 95 years as the most recognizable organization on campus. Society members were …

Möbius Transformations And Hyperbolic Geometry In The Upper Half-Plane, Emma Bunch

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In this thesis, we discuss several properties of Möbius transformations and hyperbolic geometry, a type of non-Euclidean geometry, in the upper half-plane using tools of complex analysis. We begin with preliminaries for our work, comprising the stereographic projection, the representation of circles and lines in the complex plane, conformal maps, and a result on cross-products, which we include for further development. We proceed to Möbius transformations and discuss their properties, cross-ratios, and various mappings. We additionally provide useful calculations. Lastly, we conclude with the hyperbolic metric in the upper half-plane and explore hyperbolic distance, including its invariance under Möbius transformations. …

A Fitting Tribute To The Prophet Of The Restoration, Steven L. Olsen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Joseph Smith: A Life Lived in Crescendo is one of the most extensive and ambitious scholarly works on the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its twenty-one essays address various issues relating to the culmination of the Prophet’s ministry. They provide diverse and profound insights worthy of examination by serious students of the latter-day Restoration.

Latter-Day Saint Theology And The Problem Of Evil, Val Larsen, Newell D. Wright

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The classical formulation of God as the sole, self-existent Being and ground of all that exists poses a philosophical problem. If God is omniscient and omnipotent, why does evil exist? Why does he not save humankind from moral and natural evil? If we embrace the full set of classical assumptions of creedal Christianity, these questions have no satisfactory answer and God cannot be absolved of responsibility for evil. This paper reviews and rejects several classical and modern philosophical formulations that try to solve the problem of evil. It then argues that the problem of evil dissolves if we accept Restoration …

Wonder No More: A Review Of Into Arabia, Brant A. Gardner

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Into Arabia is a collected reprint of six articles. The first chapter reprints an article that first appeared in BYU Studies. The other five appeared in Interpreter. Both BYU Studies and Interpreter are peer-reviewed academic journals, which means that all these articles were examined and reviewed prior to publication. Thus, my review is more of a synopsis of the importance of each chapter rather than a detailed critique.

Easter As Threshold: Trauma, Transformation, And God’S Presence In Liminal Spaces, Joseph W. Green

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Using the context of Easter, this personal essay explores perceptions of God’s presence and absence during human suffering. There is a theological thread that ties Christ’s suffering for our griefs and sorrows during his Atonement directly to his ability to succor us as we enter into despair due to our own trauma. Our suffering occurs during moments of transition and vulnerability known as “liminal spaces.” It is in these moments that the Savior meets us at the threshold, helping us move through trauma toward transformation in Christ. Our ability to move forward openly in liminal spaces will help us to …

Honorable Intentions With An Unreliable Methodology: Lucas’S Response Underscores The Problems, Jeff Lindsay

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

James Lucas has made a passionate response to the negative review I offered for his and Jonathan Neville’s book By Means of Urim & Thummim. Though we agree on many important issues, there are some troubling gaps that readers of their book need to understand. Some of these issues may be illustrated in the methodology of Lucas’s response. In general, the unreliable methodology and its often extreme, unnuanced approach to dealing with complex, unclear issues must be challenged, as painful as that has been. The complaints in my review remain intact if not further underscored by Lucas’s response. The …

Joseph And Oliver Told The Truth About The Translation: A Response To Brant Gardner’S And Jeff Lindsay’S Reviews, James W. Lucas

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Two recent reviews of By Means of the Urim & Thummim: Restoring Translation to the Restoration by Jeff Lindsay and Brant Gardner seriously misrepresent the book’s argument. Perhaps most significantly, they largely sidestep the book’s central thesis that the statements by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery that the Book of Mormon was translated from the plates using the “Urim and Thummim” interpreters which God provided with the plates should be at the center of any account of the Book of Mormon’s production. Prioritizing problematic and unreliable seer stone accounts conflicts with the testimonies of these primary eyewitnesses, and thus is …

“Get Thou Up Into The Temple”: Receiving Revelation And Becoming Holy In The House Of The Lord, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Psalms 15:1–5, 24:2–3, and 48:1 [MT 2], as temple hymns of the Jerusalem Temple, are consistent with other texts such as Isaiah 2:2–3 and Genesis 22:14, which envision the holy temple as the “mountain of the Lord” into which one must ritually ascend. The examples of Moses, Nephi, Jacob, and others who ascended into this “mountain” demonstrate that this ascent facilitates the reception of divine revelation necessary in our mortal journey to become holy through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This sacred ascent is necessary for our eventual, individual, and collective “perfection” in Christ, and it is one that he …

The Covenant Path Of The Ancient Temple In 2 Nephi 31:19–20, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In this article, I discuss how the ancient analogue to what President Nelson has called “the covenant path” might be seen in the Book of Mormon and elsewhere in scripture not so much as a journey of covenant-keeping that takes us to the temple but as a journey that takes us through the temple. Throughout the Book of Mormon, observant readers will find not only the general outline of the doctrine of Christ but also corresponding details about the covenant path as represented in temple layout and furnishings. Nowhere is this truth better illustrated than in 2 Nephi 31:19–20 where …

Chiasmus In The Book Of Jarom, Stephen Kent Ehat

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Jarom strongly evidences the use of chiasmus to structure his short book. This paper seeks to uncover, display, and discuss the chiastic patterning of the book and hopefully suggests an enhanced understanding of the hidden beauty and deep meaning of this brief but important text. The book of Jarom indeed offers more than what may otherwise be revealed by only a cursory reading of its fifteen verses. Awareness of the chiastic pattern of the text reinforces an understanding of Jarom’s important message.

Die Prophezeiung Henochs: Some Observations On Section 36 In The German Edition Of The Community Of Christ Doctrine And Covenants, Adam O. Stokes

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Multiple translations of the Doctrine and Covenants into German have been produced over the past century and a half. This essay looks at a more recent example of these translations as found in the Buch der Lehre und Bündnisse published electronically by the Community of Christ. Focusing on Community of Christ Doctrine and Covenants 36, the revelation of Zion to Enoch, the essay compares and contrasts the German text with its Vorlage. It also notes the ways in which the German translation attempts to “de-problematize” its source material, particularly in regard to its references to blackness and the racial implications …

The “Allegory” Of Ruth As A Prophecy Of Latter-Day Gathering, Jan Francisco

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

n the historical context of the late fifth century BC, the book of Ruth was a powerful story of hope and redemption for the eventual gathering and restoration of Israel’s covenants. Connecting their golden period of unity under King David to this idyllic tale with a beautiful happy ending may be more than a family story. It could also be read allegorically to prophesy the promised gathering of Israel by the Gentiles in the Latter-days. The key to understanding the symbolic layer of this story lies in deciphering the Hebrew meanings of the characters’ names, with Naomi representing the Israelites, …

Finding Nephi’S Ore, Bradley R. Larsen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Khor Kharfot and Wadi Sayq are in the region that has become the premiere candidate for Nephi’s Old-World Bountiful. Out of the several matching criteria that has led to this opinion, the one that may be the weakest has been the identification of readily available ore in the area that Nephi could have used to manufacture the tools necessary to build his ship. This investigation, conducted in February 2023, found several distinct examples of iron ores suitable for ”smelting” in the form of float, all pointing to deposits yet to be located. Additionally, I review the investigation of Dr. Revell …

“Behold, I Went To Hunt Beasts In The Forest”: An Addendum On Enos, Esau, And The Symbolic Geography Of Seir, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Enos’s use of the onomastic wordplay in the Jacob and Esau cycle enables him to meaningfully allude to the symbolic geography of those stories and incorporate it into his New World setting (e.g., allusions to the river Jabbok and Peniel/Penuel, the site of Jacob’s “wrestle” with the divine “man”). A third instance of this type of allusion occurs with Enos’s recollection that he “went to hunt beasts in the forest[s]” (Enos 1:3), which appears to subtly allude to Mount Seir, the forested hill country in the land of Edom inhabited by Esau and his descendants.

“Our Hands Have Handled”: Ensuring The Reassuring Doctrine Of The Resurrection In The Lucan And Johannine Writings, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Lucan and Johannine writings emphasize the literalness and physicality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This emphasis does not represent an emerging Christology from an earlier, inchoate conception of Jesus and the meaning of his life. Rather, it reflects an effort to defend the doctrine of the resurrection—of Christ and humanity—against the increasing cultural and intellectual pressures of middle Platonism. Nephi’s vision of the tree of life, which included seeing a “great and abominable church” and its formation among “the nations of the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 13:4–9) matches well with late first- and second-century apostate movements that “made war” …

Perspectives On The Soteriological Problem Of Evil: Nuancing The “Universalist” Theologies Of Henri De Lubac And Joseph Smith, Timothy Gervais

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Since the discovery of the new world by Christian European explorers during the age of discovery, the increasingly global community of the modern age has confronted Christian theologians with difficult soteriological questions. These questions have caused many Christian adherents to abandon conceptions of a uniquely Christian salvation in favor of theological positions of religious pluralism. Other Christian theologians have confronted these issues through creative inclusivist theological constructs that expand the offer of salvation to those who may not have professed Christianity in their mortal life. These inclusivist theologies are uniquely suited to address modern concerns about the salvation of non-believers …

Looking Again At The Anthon Transcript(S), John S. Thompson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The official account of Martin Harris’s visit to Charles Anthon, canonized in the Pearl of Great Price, suggests that Anthon may have been shown more than one transcript by Harris. The differing responses of Anthon to each of these transcripts may shed light on the kinds of characters he was shown and provide additional perspectives that can help clarify a little more what is happening in the historical sources.

“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In the book of Ether, the prophet Moroni “Christianizes” the Jaredite story, inserting extensive Christian elements into an original text that predates the house of Israel, the Nephite nation, and the Christian era. In this paper, a typological and intertextual method is used to show how Moroni uses the words of Christ in Ether 3 and 4 to exhort his Gentile readers to embrace the Nephite record when it is manifest to them that they might receive even greater things (divine truths). Specifically, Moroni uses the brief account of the brother of Jared atop Mount Shelem to illustrate how Gentiles …

Scaling-Rotation Curves On Matrices Of Constant Rank, Braedan Stuart

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, we study several Riemannian metrics equipped to the manifold of Symmetric Positive-Definite (SPD) matrices. Emphasizing the “Scaling-Rotation Curves” of [10], we generalize this approach to pairs of nonsquare matrices of equal rank. Using computer software, we search for a heuristic to mitigate the poor performance of this geodesic as matrix size increases, but no pattern reveals itself. We conclude by suggesting investigation of other possible generalizations for nonlinear interpolation of nonsquare matrices.

The Prison Yard Dilemma: How Agents Cooperate In A 2-D Space, Boland Unfug

Theses & ETDs

The prisoner’s dilemma and its variations offer profound insights into conflict and cooperation, captivating researchers across disciplines. Yet, a mutation of this classic game involving physical agents in a two-dimensional discrete environment remains largely unexplored. To explore this new facet of the prisoner’s dilemma, I developed a computer simulation using C++, Python, Box2D, and SFML that can simulate up to 1000 agents, uses deterministic, reproducible physics, and provides users with a complete history of the results. I designed this tool with the intention to discover if movement strategies were more impactful than gameplay decision rules and see if Tit For …

Smart Homes, Grids, And Electric Vehicles Large-Scale Integration Studies Employing Machine Learning And Optimization Techniques, Rosemary E. Alden

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Residential digital twins are fundamental to the smart grid transition, and thus, must be both accurate and representative of existing homes and scalable for large distribution systems. Within this dissertation, new machine learning (ML) and physics-based methodologies are applied to the major individual residential loads, energy storage devices, and resources in the US to develop computationally efficient digital twins and new optimal control strategies for the virtual power plant (VPP) concept. Big data from experimental field demonstrations with dedicated metering, thousands of residential smart meter profiles, and large national human behavior surveys are employed to develop ultra-fast scalable residential load …

Blending Heritage And Innovation: A Practical Study Of How Gen Z Engages With Egyptian Arts And Crafts To Foster Sustainable And Culturally Significant Fashion, Noha Fawzy Aboelros Ph.D, Yara Mostafa Mokhtar

Arts and Design

Egyptian culture features a rich history in arts, crafts, and various traditions, influenced by historical encounters and a range of geographical backgrounds. However, this cultural wealth is facing a serious challenge: surveys indicate that many of Generation Z in Egypt are unaware of its deep meanings and historical significance. This research seeks to address this issue by investigating how new designers can reinterpret cultural aspects for a modern audience, thus promoting both appreciation and preservation. Moreover, examining the creative processes of emerging fashion designers who develop clothing collections inspired by Egyptian culture from regions like Siwa, Sinai, Old Cairo, and …