Digital Commons Network^™

Copper Oxide Based P-Type Chemiresistive Sensing Element And Electrochemical Electrode For Ethanol Detection Application, Reyoun Frances B

Theses and Dissertations

This study centers on the development of nanostructured sensing elements and electrochemical electrodes based on p-type CuO for ethanol detection, with a specific focus on application related onto targeting Breath and Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) monitoring. CuO nanostructures were deposited onto ceramic tubes via spray pyrolysis under optimized conditions to ensure uniform film formation. The CuO surfaces were subsequently functionalized with silver (Ag) nanoparticles via thermal evaporation and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using the doctor blade method. Structural, morphological, and compositional analyses were conducted using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. …

Autism In Higher Education: A Systematic Review, Katie Webber

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

As students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly represented in higher education, these students need to have their needs met, and many institutions lack the resources to do so. This systematic review synthesizes research on the experiences of students with autism in college, focusing on barriers, support services, and institutional interventions. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2025 identified 17 relevant articles. Findings reveal that students often experience difficulties with social integration, executive functioning, sensory sensitivities, and mental health, all of which can affect academic performance and retention. Evidence suggests that individualized supports, mentoring, structured …

A Bioarchaeological Study Of The Individuals From The Városfalva Burial Mound In Transylvania, Romania (15th-19th Century), Vanessa C. Reeves

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the lives and deaths of the Szekler people recovered from a burial mound in the Transylvanian village of Városfalva. The Transylvanian plateau is located in present day Romania, and is protected on the east and the south by the Carpathian Mountains. The Szekler people arrived in this area around 1000 CE, and were a nomadic group originating in the Asian Steppes region who later intermarried with various migratory groups as they moved across the Eurasian plains. The Szeklers eventually banded together with the proto-Hungarian Magyar peoples and settled in the Carpathian Basin, the easternmost frontier of the …

Our Teens Are Not Okay, But They Can Be: An Application Of The Family Firo Method To Improve Parent-Adolescent Communication About Suicide, Janene Pack Lpc, Cmhc, Peder Schillemat

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

This article explores the critical role of parent-teen communication in the mental well-being of teenagers, with a particular focus on its connection to suicide risk. A particular focus is on teens who live in Utah as the suicide rate for Utah teens and young adults is almost twice the national average. Despite the focus on families and religion in Utah, a significant number of teens continue to struggle with loneliness, hopelessness, and even thoughts of suicide. One key contributing factor to this struggle is the lack of open, supportive communication between Utah teens and their parents. The absence of effective …

Parental Grief And Loss After Gender Transition: Navigating Ambiguous And Disenfranchised Loss In Latter-Day Saint Families, David Haralson, Chelsea Johnson, Jeff Bennion, Orion Maxfield

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Parents of transgender or gender nonconforming children sometimes experience profound grief and loss, particularly within religious communities that hold specific doctrines regarding gender. This article examines the unique challenges faced by parents in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) when a child undergoes gender transition. By exploring the concepts of ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, we aim to provide a framework for understanding these parents' emotional experiences. The intersection of LDS doctrines and policies on gender with contemporary gender theories creates complex emotional environments for families to navigate. We present the Integrity and Investment Model as …

“I’M From The Federal Government And I’M Here To Help”: An Examination Of How Firekeeper’S Daughter Educates About Settler Colonialism, Robert Petrone

Occasional Paper Series

This essay offers an examination of various ways Angeline Boulley’s best-selling, award-winning Indigenous Young Adult novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter attends to and educates about settler colonialism. At the core of this analysis is the guiding question: In what ways does Firekeeper’s Daughter illuminate the ongoing social structure of settler colonialism within the context of what is currently known as “The United States”? Specifically, this analysis focuses on the topics of Native identity, including colonial mechanism of blood quantum; and the ways institutions such as the FBI operate from values and epistemologies of compartmentalization and deficit notions of Native Peoples. Across this …

11.17.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

• Qualtrics training sessions
• Alcorn State University, Dr. Edmund Buckner

Mildred Tanner Pettit, Myrna J. Layton

Faculty Publications

Laura Mildred Tanner Pettit (August 9, 1895 – April 9, 1977) is best known as the composer of the iconic Primary song, I am a Child of God. Much of the music composed by Sister Pettit was aimed at children and can be found in various publications of the Primary Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, Sister Pettit wrote dance music and operettas which were performed widely. She sometimes choreographed and directed the productions as well.

Irene (Christopherson) Tempest, Myrna J. Layton

Faculty Publications

Irene Ellen Nelson Christopherson Tempest (January 19, 1904 – February 9, 1988) was a Utah pianist, organist and composer.

Maurine Dewsnup, Myrna J. Layton

Faculty Publications

Grace Maurine Dewsnup (February 8, 1909 – February 1, 1998) was a Utah piano soloist, dance accompanist, composer, music theorist and teacher.

Isu Philharmonia String Orchestra: November 17, 2025, Samuel Chen

School of Music Programs

This is the seventy-third program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

November 17, 2025

Monday Evening

8:00 p.m.

The Transitional Human Being: Literary, Journalistic, And Cinematographic Representations Of The Twentieth- And The Twenty-First-Centuries Italy, Ron Kubati

Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures

This book analyzes the crisis of the idea of human being based on timeless notions, in the Euroamerican context, as seen primarily through literature and cinema. It focuses on Italy, which has been and remains a crossroads for diverse cultural and political currents—open to Mediterranean cultural influences while remaining within a typically Western cultural context. The “new man,” defined by Corrado Alvaro during his trip in Russia in 1934 as “transitional,” implies a human being with a fundamental need for change. Instead of the “new man,” Italo Calvino in the 1960 preface to his I nostri antenati wrote about the …

From Prompt To Prejudice: Visual Evidence From Ai Image Generation Platforms, Jinu K. Varghese, Padma Rani

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This study examines how AI image generation systems perpetuate digital orientalism through systematic cultural representation patterns that increasingly shape global digital markets and international development discourse. Using visual social semiotics methodology, we conducted comparative analysis of Midjourney and ChatGPT platforms across nine culturally specific prompts examining religious imagery, contemporary social dynamics, and power structures in Indian cultural contexts. Our findings reveal that both platforms consistently reproduce colonial-era representational frameworks despite culturally sensitive prompting and advanced technical capabilities. The analysis identifies three systematic patterns: temporal displacement strategies that acknowledge modernity while containing it within orientalist categories, institutional validation requirements that privilege …

Aging And The Screen: Toxic Commodification Of The Female Body In The Substance (2024), Damlasu Uyug Sengun, Tuncer Mert Aydın, Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Representations of the aging female body have increased in media, but their presence is still shaped by social norms and market-driven ideals. On the contrary, The Substance (2024), an absurd, postmodern body horror, provides us a provocative critique of contemporary society’s obsession with youth and beauty and the way our culture defines and commodifies aging, especially in relation to women’s bodies and identities. Our review of The Substance incorporates consumer culture theory with Julia Kristeva’s concept of the abject (1982), Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze (1975), and Barbara Creed’s notion of the monstrous-feminine, (1993) to explore the toxic …

Shrek: The Musical, David Lindsay-Abaire, Jeanine Tesori

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of Shrek: The Musical with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori.

Performed November 20-22, 2025 in the Mitchell Theatre at Taylor University.

Shrek is, on the surface, a whimsical fairy tale full of comedy, color, and charm. But beneath the humor lies a story about seeing and being seen—about belonging, forgiveness, and the quiet courage it takes to live authentically in a world that too easily labels and excludes. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am …

Ethnic Studies November Newsletter, Department Of Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies Department Newsletters

November 2025, student spotlight, current events

“For Haitian Culture, Being Older [Is] A Blessing”: Perceptions Of Aging, Elderhood, And Dementia In A Haitian Born Sample, Melissa K. Eustache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how first-generation Haitian immigrants in the United States understand and interpret dementia within the intersecting contexts of culture, migration, and biomedicine. While dementia is constructed as a pathological “loss of self” and a public health epidemic, in American biomedical and popular discourse, this study examines how Haitian-born individuals—socialized within a non-Western cultural and spiritual framework—make sense of cognitive decline and impairment in ways that diverge from Western biomedical narratives. Guided by theoretical orientations from medical anthropology, including Mark Nichter’s idioms of distress, Margaret Lock’s local biologies, and neuroanthropology, this research explores how cultural models of illness, aging, …

Growing A Church Worship Band, Charmaine Landrum

Masters Theses

Many churches either leave the music to the professionals, or let untrained musicians blunder their way through the service, distracting their congregations. Little research has been done pertaining to the development of average or inexperienced musicians for Sunday Services. Considering the shift in worship music and technology, there is a need to train the next generation of worship team members. There is a lack in research pertaining to the best methods for training untrained musicians who want to volunteer but may not be ready for the platform. One particular church, Revolution Church in Canton, Georgia, is solving their dilemma by …

Desegregated Goals: Integrating Literacy And Behavioral Health In A Community Mental Health Setting To Improve Outcomes For Middle School Students, Donna M. Reed

Masters Theses

Despite an understanding that many at-risk students lack the reading and writing skills to navigate high school and post-secondary education successfully, current interventions are often inadequate. Schools are forced to focus on academic requirements, while other needs of the student are overlooked, and it is those overlooked needs that contribute to the educational failures of the student. This thesis presents an argument for holistic support of the at-risk student when remediating academics, specifically reading and writing skills, focusing on the middle school students of a rural middle school in central Kansas. It develops a curriculum that integrates physical and mental …

From Disruption To Renewal: Harnessing Divine Interruptions And Strategic Leadership For Transforming Church Culture, Ryan Johnson

Witness

No abstract provided.

A Brief History Of The American Society For Church Growth And Great Commission Research Network, Gary L. Mcintosh

Witness

No abstract provided.

I Was In Prison And You Educated Me: A Missiological Analysis, Paul H. De Neui

Witness

No abstract provided.

Building A Pastor Profile For Spiritually Mature Leadership: A Practical Guide For Churches, William J. Ingram

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Generations: The Real Difference Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, And Silents – And What They Mean For America’S Future By Jean M. Twenge, H. R. Ward Jr.

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Canoeing The Mountains: Christian Leadership In Uncharted Territory By Tod Bolsinger, Jason Ballard

Witness

No abstract provided.

Untethered Spiritual Care: Fortifying Warfighter Fitness In The Era Of Great Power Competition, Charles R. Bruner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the operational paradigm shifts from the large counter-insurgency missions of the Global War on Terror to agile combat employment characterized by untethered operations in potential locations such as the Pacific Theater, robust spiritual fitness will become increasingly more vital. Those most at risk for spiritual wounding and moral injury due to their experiences will be Airmen assigned to small, forward-deployed Mission Ready Airman (MRA) teams who must generate combat aircraft in austere locations with minimal supplies and far from support, including religious and spiritual support. This research project examines the problem of providing effective, robust point-of-care spiritual support without …

A Comparative Analysis Of K–12 Public School Music Teacher Burnout From 1986 To 2025, Veronica A. Rovatti

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This historical comparative analysis assessed five different sources to understand the effect stress and burnout have had on public school music educators over the last fifty years. In the United States, music educators are facing stress and burnout in their teaching careers, which can result in attrition from their profession. In this research study, four studies pertaining to music educator burnout are analyzed through a narrative compilation of research already established. Also analyzed is a supplementary recent article providing contemporary relevance. The criteria for source selection included studies or articles that primarily researched stress and burnout among K-12 public school …

Ministerial Perspectives On Approaches To Caring For A Traumatized Congregant To Enhance Spiritual Development, Tonya B. Perry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe experienced Christian Ministers’ experiences caring for a traumatized congregant from various countries worldwide. The criterion for participation was an experienced minister with 15 years of experience, at least 40 years old, and who ministered to three types of traumas. The two main theories guiding this study were Bowlby’s (1969, 1982) attachment theory and Fowler’s (1981) development of faith with references to Erickson’s (1958/1962) psychosocial development, Maslow’s (1954) Hierarchy, and cognitive behavior theory (Beck, 1952; Ellis, 1962). The three main research questions were: How does an experienced Christian minister describe their experiences …

Training Christian Men To Effectively Lead Their Families While Deployed To Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Using An 8-Step Family Leadership Deployment Plan, Lucas Arthur Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project examined the result of the author’s 8-Step Family Leadership Deployment Plan on the effective leadership of ten Christian husbands and fathers deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The project’s goals were to mitigate family stress during separation and warfighter reintegration, to prevent role reversal within the family, and to prevent a pause in the headship and leadership roles of husbands and fathers. The project extrapolated eight principles from Ephesians 5:22–6:4 and was designed to fill an identified resource gap within the United States Military, particularly at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It guided participants in creating their own personalized family …

Separating The Wheat From The Chaff: A Quantitative Pilot Study Of Biblical Christian Spirituality As A Regulator Of Dark Triad Personality Traits, Patricia L. Elston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of the psychological literature on Christianity as a regulator of Dark Triad personality traits over the last 25 years revealed just a handful of quantitative and qualitative studies that relied exclusively upon long-standardized constructs drawn from cultural Christian ideology. Such constructs remain in direct contrast to biblical tenets to opine that Christianity has no important impact upon the development and persistence of highly aversive Dark Triad social attributes. The current quantitative pilot study was conducted in a small sample (n=26) of adult male and female born-again members of an international Evangelical Christian motorcycle ministry whose primary recruitment is …