Digital Commons Network^™

Properties Of Shape Memory Alloys In Solving Design Problems, Aya Mahmoud Ad-El Gawad Gouda

Journal of Art, Design and Music

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of materials that possess the ability to return to a predefined shape when subjected to specific thermal or mechanical stimuli. This property, known as the "shape memory effect," arises from the transformation between two phases: the low-temperature martensite phase and the high-temperature austenite phase. SMAs have gained significant attention in various engineering fields, particularly in solving complex design problems that require materials with the ability to undergo reversible deformation. These alloys exhibit exceptional properties such as high strength, elasticity, and the ability to absorb significant amounts of energy, which make them ideal …

Umwelt, Sujetos Transindividuales E Intencionalidad Compartida: Cuerpo, Significación Y Socialidad En La Construcción Del Conocimiento, Juan C. González Vidal

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En este trabajo abordamos, desde el punto de vista semiótico, el vínculo indisoluble que existe entre el cuerpo humano, la significación y la socialidad. Partimos del postulado de que el cuerpo es, desde el nacimiento, una entidad sintiente; luego, una vez adquirida la capacidad de generar procesos semiósicos primarios, empieza a ordenar y a clasificar los estímulos exteriores, hecho en el que se asienta el fundamento de su orientación básica en el entorno. Conforme aumentan sus competencias semiósicas, se incrementan sus capacidades perceptivas y cognitivas que, al ser afirmadas, lo llevan a alcanzar finalmente los más altos grados de socialidad. …

From Prometheus To Pygmalion To Pandora: Teaching Greek Mythology With Frankenstein’S “Dark Brides”, Kyle William Bishop

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

As Mary Shelley unambiguously informs readers on the title page of her 1818 novel Frankenstein, her tale of Victor’s discovery of the secret of non-biological reproduction represents the Promethean myth, a morality tale warning against the usurpation of divine authority. In Shelley’s novel, Victor ultimately recognizes the dangerous path he has discovered, and he refuses to create a female companion for his hideous progeny, risking his own life to protect the world from a potential race of monsters. In the cinematic tradition, however, this unrealized “bride” often has been created, and these fantastic narratives realize the Pygmalion myth, that …

Guiding Principles For Teaching About Genocide And Other Difficult Pasts, Kerry E. Whigham

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article outlines guiding principles for teaching “difficult pasts”—episodes of large-scale, identity-based violence such as genocide, crimes against humanity, colonialism, and enslavement—in ways that promote peace, human rights, and the prevention of future atrocities. Drawing from the fields of Holocaust and Genocide Education (HGE), Global Citizenship Education (GCED), Peace Education (PE), and Human Rights Education (HRE), it argues that instruction should move beyond the memorization of historical facts toward developing students’ socio-emotional and behavioral capacities to recognize and resist processes of othering, discrimination, and violence. The brief presents three main areas of guidance: curricular content, emphasizing conceptual understanding over rote …

Voices Of The Headland: Robinson Jeffers And The Bird Of Prey, By Alan Malnar, Eric San George

Jeffers Studies

No abstract provided.

The Nonlinguistic Factors That Predict Spanish Oral Proficiency, Merrie Kay Ames

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the predictive power of self-assessment and nonlinguistic factors in determining Spanish oral proficiency among university learners. Drawing on data from 2,475 undergraduate students enrolled in a third-year Spanish course at Brigham Young University, the research examines how self-assessed speaking ability and experiential background variables--including age of acquisition, mission service, dual immersion, and study abroad--influence Oral Proficiency Interview - Computer (OPIc) scores. A one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant but modest relationship between students' calibration (self-assessment minus actual ability) and their OPIc ratings, suggesting that learners can generally approximate their speaking proficiency within two sublevels. A multiple regression …

Beyond The Human–Animal Transformation In Hasan Aourid’S SīRat ḤImāR And Rawi Hage’S Cockroach, Noha Hanafy

English Language and Literature

The paper examines the human-animal transformation as a marker of identity explo-

ration in Moroccan writer Hassan Aourid’s Sīrat Ḥimār (2014 سيرة حمار) and Lebanese

Canadian writer Rawi Hage’s Cockroach (2008). The two texts employ the concept of

the human-animal transformation to highlight the complexity of the marginalized

existence in the world. Both texts present nuanced versions of the human-animal

transformation which renders the experience both emancipatory and destabilizing at

the same time. Using the theoretical framework of Deleuze and Guattari’s work on

becoming-animal and the deterritorialization of existence along with Derrida’s discus-

sion of the anthropocentric limit, the paper …

Gender Dynamics In Quadball: Making Space On The Pitch, Emily X. Mcnally

Culture, Society, and Praxis

Quadball is a sport based on Quidditch, the fictional sport born from the book series, Harry Potter, minus the flying. The introduction of this paper provides an overview of the sport and why gender plays such a significant role in it. Twelve players were brought together for a study and were put into three focus groups to discuss and hear other player’s perspectives on gender dynamics within the sport. There was a non-binary, women’s and men’s group. Overall, it was found that players are working toward making the sport more gender inclusive, but the sport has not achieved full gender …

Media Literacy Meets Language Education: Fictional Science (Fisci) Promotes Skills To Identify And Refute Fake News, Stephan Schicker, Jürgen Ehrenmüller, Melanie Hendler, Victoria Reinsperger, Natalia Kubai, Lucia Miškulin Saletović, Bettina Steinbauer, Sabine Schmölzer-Eibinger

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article presents the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the interdisciplinary didactic concept of Fictional Science (FiSci), which is positioned at the interface between media and language didactics. Based on reference concepts such as epistemic vigilance, inoculation, lateral reading, and media literacy in education, FiSci aims to promote secondary school students’ skills in dealing with fake news. While course 1 of FiSci (Activating the Fake News Radar) sensitises students to false information, course 2 (Verification of Information) teaches strategies for identifying false information that are also used by professional fact-checkers, and course 3 (Refutation) focuses on refuting false information.

Donna Joseph, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Her implementation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities scholarships, Community Center Drives, and Dorm Drives was an achievement she’s appreciated. She provided extensive support to people in the Bronx, and it was well-received by her peers across the nation. A humorous story she recalls is when she left a teapot set unattended while she went back to her car to retrieve the remaining piece. She returns to where it was and learns it was stolen by a woman living in a shelter. Instead of being upset that something was stolen from her, she says, “You have to tell me who …

Marci Whitehead, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

After graduating from LIU and securing both a teaching position, which proved not to be her passion, and a social work job at Abbott House, Whitehead continued her involvement in Greek life. In the early 1980s, Whitehead joined the Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), where she served as President, Graduate Advisor, Membership Chair, and Bachelors Standard Chair during her tenure. She was a very active member and leader, striving to keep the organization’s spirit alive through the various events such as “rites of passage, all of our acts of greed, programs, Aka Rosa, our highway beautification, The …

Culture As The Space Of Conceptual Meanings: Re-Introducing Experience And Nature, Brandon Beasley

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

Empirical Naturalism In Law: Dewey, Rorty, And Holmes, Frederic Kellogg

Dewey Studies

No abstract provided.

Perspectives On Cognitive Psychology In Ktu 1.40: Moral Implications And Prescribed Emotional Responses To Foster Unity, Richard Jarvis Iii

Studia Antiqua

This paper examines the Ugaritic ritual text KTU 1.40 through the framework of cognitive psychology to explore its moral implications and prescribed emotional responses. While earlier scholarship has debated whether this ritual carried moral weight, my analysis demonstrates that it prescribes the removal or amelioration of five moral emotions—disgust, fear, anger, empathy, and a sense of justice—to promote unity within the community of Ugarit. Building on Thomas Kazen’s approach and Gregorio del Olmo Lete’s translation, this study argues that the repeated structure and inclusive nature of KTU 1.40 reflect an intentional effort to bridge emotional divides among the many groups …

Wild Robots: Humans, Wilderness, And Technology In Becky Chambers’ Monk And Robot Series, Melissa Moore

Honors Theses

As technology advances and the environment deteriorates, the way people view the relationships between technology, wilderness, and humans becomes essential for society to move forward. To investigate perceptions about technology’s place in an environmentally conscious society, this project examines manifestations of wilderness/wildness and technology in Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series through the lens of ecocriticism. Using Timothy Morton's concept of the ecological thought as a framework for analysis, the circumstances present in the novel suggest that the triangle separating humans, wilderness, and technology has actually collapsed, replaced by an enmeshment of technology, wilderness, and humanity.

"Let Your Body Do The Talkin'": An Investigation Of Aesthetic Experience Through Phenomenological Psychology, Tone Roald, Anders Essom-Stenz

Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology

How does the experience of one’s own body contribute to aesthetic experience? This article answers the question from the point of view of phenomenological psychology by portraying how the body is lived from within in intense experiences with works of visual art. Based on descriptions of aesthetic experiences juxtaposed with phenomenological insights about the body and, in particular, Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s thoughts on concrete and abstract movement, it is shown how the lived body gives form to the experience. The experience of one’s own body reflects the expressions of the works of art and comprises not only movement, and with it …

Participatory Presence In Aesthetic Experiences Of Performance, Sophie Morrissey, Shaun Gallagher

Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology

In the context of the performing arts, presence can generally be thought of as an experienced connection between performer and audience that heightens the affective impact of the performance. Explorations of how presence is experienced during live performance contribute to our understanding of the relation of presence to participants’ overall aesthetic experience and participation in the performance. However, they also reveal the complex phenomenology of presence and the challenge of offering a unified framework that can account for its various phenomenal manifestations. In this article, we conceive of presence as a recursive dynamical feedback loop that emerges through and modulates …

With Images In Time. Atmosphere And Art: Mediation And Dialogue, Pauline Von Bonsdorff

Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology

The article challenges the idea that atmospheres are always sensed immediately. Instead, atmospheres in art are mediated and arise in a dialogue between work and audience. To understand how, we should pay attention to temporal structures in and around the work, such as the dynamics and duration of aesthetic experience and the historicity of both work and perceiver, including pasts and present. Mikel Dufrenne’s phenomenological aesthetics, complemented with insights from Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s analyses of perception, offer resources for this. Writing on expression, Dufrenne distinguishes “presence,” in which sense is felt immediately and firmly connected to embodiment, and “sentiment,” which arises …

Drones And The Changing Character Of War, Erik A. Davis

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Cheap drones have transformed the character of war by creating a “mass effect” that challenges traditional principles of force concentration. Unlike commentary focused on offense-defense debates or ethics, this article explains how Jevons’s Paradox, the Red Queen Effect, and models like Lanchester’s Laws and Hughes’s Salvo Equations underpin this shift. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine, historical theory, and production trends, it explains why the production of cheap “precision mass” is expected to accelerate. For military and policy practitioners, the analysis offers urgent guidance for adapting tactics, procurement, and doctrine to a battlefield dominated by ubiquitous, low-cost drones—before adversaries exploit this …

Annihilation: Ecological Crisis And The Collapse Of Human Exceptionalism, Matt Williams

Best Integrated Writing

Through its portrayal of an ecosystem that actively resists human comprehension and control, Annihilation dismantles the long-standing notion of human exceptionalism, presenting nature not as a passive backdrop but as a dynamic and autonomous force.

Best Integrated Writing Fall 2025 - Complete Edition, Wright State University School Of Humanities And Cultural Studies, Tracy Smith, Kristie Mckiernan

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University.

Homemade For Change: Addressing The Barriers To Home Cooking Among Emerging Adults For Better Health, Finances, And Well-Being, Sarida Smitthimedhin

Masters Theses

This study investigates how a visual approach—combining design, photography, and illustration with nutrition—can encourage home cooking. In today’s fast-paced society and overabundance food culture, many emerging adults struggle to prepare meals at home. This study examines how food industry practices and cultural trends shape the eating habits of emerging adults by exploring the reasons behind the decline in home cooking and its adverse effects on health, finances, well-being, and the environment.

Although research indicates that most adults recognize that home cooking is the healthiest choice, they often do not practice it, citing time and lack of cooking knowledge as their …

Grounding Human Value: A Critical Evaluation Of Naturalism And A Defense Of Christianity As The Basis For Human Value And The Moral Status Of The Unborn, Jacob Vazquez

Masters Theses

This thesis will explore the grounding of personhood and seeks to convince atheist readers who adhere to naturalism that abortion is wrong because human beings are made in the image of God, as the Christian doctrine of the Imago Dei teaches. This will be done by taking the reader on a journey or a map, in which various secular (non-religious) destinations are visited before finally reaching the final theological conclusion as presented above. The evidence culminated from each of the secular stops will end up supporting the argument from the Imago Dei against abortion.

For instance, Chapter 1 will consist …

Anvilstorm: The Dweller's Crown, Todd Gaige

Masters Theses

The thesis explores a personal vision for the original manuscript of The Dweller’s Crown, and the impact of setting in literature and world-building. The thesis also shares a variety of characters and how they represent themes of belonging, acceptance, unity, faith, and friendship. From the very beginning, the strong bonds between Araad, Thomble, Atlee, Sylvan, and Mereth distinguish the world of Thir Thodim apart. This thesis and the following chapters focus on the characters' deep desire to protect their beloved world. It is through their faith in one another and shared goals of survival and preservation that they set out …

Archetypes: Angels Of Literary Art; Demons Of Science, Ronald A. Davidson

Masters Theses

This Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing thesis focuses on archetypal literary theory and criticism and their application to Bushido of the Cur, a novella by Ronald A. Davidson. The critical analysis will evaluate the characters in the novella and identify how their roles in the story align with everyday human experiences, suggesting the existence of a literary collective unconscious. The creative manuscript, Bushido of the Cur, exploits the craft of character development to present a storyline that feels authentic, even though it is a work of historical fiction in the western noir genre. The goal of the manuscript is …

The Ultra Dilemma: Understanding The Impact Of Ultra-Processed Food, Cassia Elizabeth Brenning

Masters Theses

Ultra-processed food dominates the market, making up an estimated 73% of the national food supply and costing 52% less than healthier, minimally- processed alternatives (Ravandi et al). With such a large supply, there is a great demand to sell these products to consumers. Major food corporations rely on misleading labels, heavy marketing, and industry-funded research to manipulate consumers into buying more of their products. While these products are cheap, quick, convenient, and delicious, they are not components of a healthy diet.

This thesis argues that the best way to tackle the issue of ultra-processed food is by redirecting focus from …

The Cultivation Of Resilience: A Phenomenological Study Of Music Teachers’ Experiences Teaching Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Angela Dawn Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological multi-method study examines the lived experiences of music teachers in Virginia and North Carolina working with students who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the cultivation of resilience in music students through music ensemble participation. The researcher interviewed music teachers (n = 16) to explore experiences instructing children with ACEs. Music ensemble students (n = 66) and non-music ensemble students (n = 62) completed the ten-item version of the original 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the CD-RISC 10. Research questions guiding the study were: How do children with adverse childhood experiences interact and respond in music ensembles? How do …

Hollywood, Ai, And The Moral Universe: An Analysis Of The Terminator And Battlestar Galactica, Lara Sumera Samms

Masters Theses

This thesis defends the argument that depictions of artificial intelligence in Hollywood film and television point to a moral universe. Films The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), as well as the television series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) are analyzed to find clues of moral facts. This research paper submits that these stories add weight to the moral argument and provide evidence that humans implicitly recognize a moral universe. Such acknowledgment of moral structures cannot be adequately explained within a secular framework such as utilitarianism or evolutionary ethics. However, the Christian worldview frames reality around the existence of God, …

What Once Was Lost, Olivia Black

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the popular found family trope in literature, to analyze why this craft element has gained popularity within the genre of young adult adventure fiction, and to explore how this literary device is utilized in the first part of the novel 'What Once Was Lost.' This thesis begins with an artist statement, in which the writer explores her background and how she developed an interest in the found family trope. This statement also specifically references the connection between found family and the writer’s creative manuscript. The thesis then shifts to a critical paper …

Trauma Beyond Time: Temporal Constructs In Holocaust Testimonies, Sarah Seiselmyer-Snyder

Purdue University Press Books

Trauma Beyond Time: Temporal Constructs in Holocaust Testimonies challenges our understanding of what it means to be a Holocaust survivor, arguing that the term “post-Holocaust” fundamentally misrepresents survivors’ experiences. Through careful analysis of Holocaust literature and testimony, this book reveals how trauma persists across generations, defying conventional historical timelines. For those who perished, there can be no “after” to the Holocaust—their stories were violently ended. Yet for survivors, the Holocaust didn’t simply conclude in 1945. Their experiences demonstrate how trauma continues to shape lives decades later, making “post-Holocaust” a misleading concept that fails to capture their ongoing reality. Using the …