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Variation And Systematics Of The Malayan Snail-Eating Turtle, Malayemys Subtrijuga (Schlegel And Müller, 1844), Timothy R. Brophy

Faculty Dissertations

Allometry, sexual dimorphism, and geographic variation were studied in the Malayan snail-eating turtle, Malayemys subtrijuga (Schlegel and Müller, 1844), using regression and discriminant function analyses. Allometry was evident in M. subtrijuga from the Chao Phraya River Basin. Shell shape changed in males as carapace length increased more than shell width and height, whereas females showed proportional changes. This difference in allometric growth yielded sexually dimorphic adults. Females attained larger sizes and had relatively wider and higher shells than males. Discriminant function analysis of shell and head-stripe characters revealed a clear pattern of geographic variation that was consistent with the topography …

An Examination Of Albert Barnes' Handling Of The Bible In The Debate On Slavery In Mid-Nineteenth-Century America, Kenneth G. Cleaver

Faculty Dissertations

Albert Barnes was an influential leader among New School Presbyterians in mid-nineteenth-century America. As a beloved pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and as a biblical scholar whose commentaries are still widely used today, Barnes undertook an exhaustive study of the Bible to address the foremost social issue of his day--slavery. After considering most passages in the Bible being used in the discussion, he realized that a conclusive argument could not be made, which was based exclusively on proof-texts. Barnes challenged those involved in the discussion not to ignore the Bible or its ability to provide answers to …

A Study Of The Relationships Among Secondary Traumatic Stress, Coping, And Years Of Service In Firefighter/Emergency Medical Service Personnel, Lynne S. Sanders

Faculty Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among stress, coping, and years of service in rescue personnel. One hundred sixteen voluntary subjects employed in Fire/EMS service in a small southern city participated in the study. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire, The Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), and The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS).

The incidence of symptomatic stress for the sample was 19.8 percent, higher than the general population but comparable to rates found in other studies of rescue workers. Calls involving children were rated as most disturbing by the subjects. There was no relationship found between years …

Theistic Activism And The Euthyphro Dilemma, David Baggett

Faculty Dissertations

My dissertation focuses on the Euthyphro question, from one of the Socratic dialogues, understood in terms of the following dilemma posed against theistic ethics: (1) Either what is good/right is moral because God commands it, or it is not. (2) If what is good/right is moral because God commands it, then the good/right is arbitrary and vacuous. (3) If what is good/right is moral for reasons other than that God commands it, then God is superfluous from the standpoint of morality. (4) So, either the good/right is arbitrary and vacuous or God is superfluous to morality.

The dilemma is really …

The Effects Of Teaching Self-Defense Skills To Student With Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Beth Ackerman

Faculty Dissertations

Research has documented that students with emotional and behavioral disabilities perform more poorly than their peers on nearly every transitional outcome. Literature and research has suggested that self-determination can improve transitional outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of teaching self-determination skills to adolescents with emotional disabilities in a private day school An eight-wee~ self-determination curriculum was implemented for 21 students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Pre- and post-self-determination assessments were given to the students. The 37 items on the pre and post assessments were then examined for all 21 students. Data was also collected on …

Using Assessments In Facilitating The Assimilation Of Adults At Calvary Church In Grand Rapids, Michigan, David D. Nemitz

Faculty Dissertations

The goal of assimilating believers into the community of faith has been, is and will continue to be a crucial element and a significant challenge for churches. Most commonly, assimilation is used to describe the process by which people are absorbed into the cultural tradition of an existing population or organization. This thesis explores the impact that a standardized assimilation process has on the incorporation of people into the community of a large church setting.