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A Thematic Exploration Of The Liberation Of Identity Through Indigenous Self-Determination: Themes Of Native American And Alaska Native Identity, Martha Fiskeaux

Dissertations

Strong ethnic identity is associated with overall well-being, resilience to change, and higher self-esteem (Kiang et al., 2006; Martinez & Dukes, 1997; Umaña-Taylor, 2003; Yip & Fuligni, 2002) and serves as a protective factor against the stress associated with discrimination (Alvarez & Kimura, 2001; Phinney et al., 1998). Given the historical and systemic barriers faced by the Native American and Alaska Native population, including the history of genocide, colonization, and intergenerational trauma, the development of a strong Indigenous ethnic identity is a necessary area of research focus. Specifically, Native American and Alaska native individuals are 3.5 times more likely to …

Military Instructors' Perspectives Of Integrating Instructional Multimedia Into Military Classrooms, Keontra Campbell

Dissertations

The United States Army has made efforts to meet the demand for digital technology. There is a continued need to train Soldiers with integrated multimedia instruction products to ensure soldiers are combat-ready. The purpose of this study was to investigate military instructors' lived experiences and perspectives on interactive multimedia instructional (IMI) product integrations' influence on students learning experiences and knowledge transfer and to understand the challenges instructors face, the strategies, needs, barriers, and the resources they use when integrating IMI products at a U.S. Army School of Excellence. The study uses a qualitative research design using a phenomenological approach. The …

Historical Memory And Feminist Consciousness In Almudena Grandes’ Episodios De Una Guerra Interminable, Alba Fernández-Fernández

Dissertations

General Francisco Franco’s brutal dictatorship (1939-1975) was one of the darkest periods in Spain’s recent history. During this dictatorial regime, political detractors were mercilessly persecuted, tortured and massacred. In 1975, Franco died leaving the legacy of nearly four decades of repression and over 150,000 victims on his back. Spain then cautiously headed into a process of democratization, with fear and horror still etched on the country’s memory. While politicians promised a smooth transition to democracy, their insistence to look ahead meant Spaniards were asked to neglect the country’s painful past. No legal action was taken against those responsible for mass …

One-Stage Blind Source Separation Via A Sparse Autoencoder Framework, Jason Anthony Dabin

Dissertations

Blind source separation (BSS) is the process of recovering individual source transmissions from a received mixture of co-channel signals without a priori knowledge of the channel mixing matrix or transmitted source signals. The received co-channel composite signal is considered to be captured across an antenna array or sensor network and is assumed to contain sparse transmissions, as users are active and inactive aperiodically over time. An unsupervised machine learning approach using an artificial feedforward neural network sparse autoencoder with one hidden layer is formulated for blindly recovering the channel matrix and source activity of co-channel transmissions. The BSS sparse autoencoder …

Repeated Low-Level Blast Induces Chronic Neuroinflammation And Neurobehavioral Changes In Rat Models, Arun Reddy Ravula

Dissertations

Blast-induced neurotrauma (bTBI) is a signature medical concern for military personnel when they are exposed to explosions in active combat zones. However, soldiers as well as law enforcement personnel are also repeatedly exposed to low-level blasts during training sessions with heavy weaponries as part of combat readiness. Service personnel who sustain brain injuries from repeated low-level blasts (rLLBs) do not display overt pathological symptoms immediately but rather develop cognitive impairments, attention deficits, anxiety, and sleep disturbances over time. An improved rat model of rLLB was developed in this thesis by applying controlled low-level blast pressures (10 psi) repeated five times …

Unconscious Bias In United States Marine Corps Leadership Doctrine: Examining Microaggressions Through Document Analysis, Patrick Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation employed a document analysis format to examine Marine Corps leadership education doctrine for microaggressions. The United States Marine Corps (Marine Corps or USMC) is the military service with the least diverse officer cadre in terms of sex, gender identity, and race. The study results show a pattern of repeating unconscious bias-related content within the Marine Corps’ documents. Such patterns can negatively affect minority members in terms of their health, acceptance, and performance within the organization. The results also document an overriding bias-culture which puts Marine Corps leadership in a dilemma of trying to encourage conformity to traditional organizational …

Examining The Cross-Cultural Competence Of United States Christian Missionaries Engaged In Developing Indigenous Leaders: A Mixed Methods Study, Craig W. Goodman

Dissertations

For the past two millennia, missionaries have crossed from one culture to another to bring the Christian message to all cultures of the world. Questions about the effectiveness of these mission efforts have been asked and researched by many; however, one key question remains unanswered: what personal attributes help a person to be more competent at crossing cultures as they interact with people from other cultures? Although cross-cultural competence has been studied in a variety of fields over the past 50 years, the models and assessments used have never been applied to Christian missionaries.

To address this deficiency, this parallel …

From The Battlefield To The Classroom: An Exploration Of Post-9/11 Female Combat Veterans Who Completed Graduate School After Military Service, Arthur Littler Iii

Dissertations

Since 2011, approximately 200,000 service members transitioned from military service to the civilian sector each year (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). , 2014). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2018 Employment Situation of Veterans Summary report, 8.9% of veterans were disadvantaged as they have little to no higher education. Without a financial support system to fall back on, transitioning veterans face the inevitable issue of homelessness. Research by Tsai, Hoff, and Harpaz- Rotem (2017) found the rate of homelessness among veterans has increased over the past decade with female veterans more likely than their male counterparts to …

The Global Rise Of Online Devices, Cyber Crime And Cyber Defense: Enhancing Ethical Actions, Counter Measures, Cyber Strategy, And Approaches, Naresh Kshetri

Dissertations

The rise of online devices, online users, online shopping, online gaming, and online teaching has ultimately given rise to online attacks and online crimes. As cases of COVID-19 seem to increase day by day, so do online crimes and attacks (as many sectors and organizations went 100% online). Technological advancements and cyber warfare already generated many ethical issues, as internet users increasingly need ethical cyber defense strategies.

Individual internet users have challenges on their end; and on the other end, nation states (some secretly, some openly), are investing in robot weapons and autonomous weapons systems (AWS). New technologies have combined …

The Case For Alternate Media Requirement Expressions In Systems Engineering, Jason Kolligs

Dissertations

“Requirements” are often presented as a necessary, if not mandated, component or tool of the systems engineering process. Despite their place in engineering, low quality requirements are the first potential mistakes of an engineering project and their effects are potentially felt downstream in the form of increased costs and schedule overruns. Innovations to improve requirements engineering have historically omitted the requirement media. This research provides the rationale and process heuristics to include alternate media requirement expressions within systems engineering which shifts accountability to higher context requirement expressions that may require less cognitive load while decreasing effort and schedule thereby potentially …

Does Co-Speech Gesture Support Children’S Analogical Reasoning? An Investigation Into The Differential Effects Of Gesture On Learning, Amy Michelle Wilkinson

Dissertations

A well-established conceptualization of academic capitalism is rooted in the marriage of economic theory and critical social. Significantly, academic capitalism links economic dimensions with the political-ideological transformations of U.S. society associated with the fall of communism and the rise of neoliberalism. Academic capitalism is based on a recognition of the paradoxical nature of higher education and offers a lens through which to examine the ways in which institutions in the United States have come to prioritize learning for the labor market as a private good within the new global economy, while also becoming less beholden to the notion of learning …

Synthesis Of Molecular Probes For The Detection Of Toxic Analytes, Rashid Mia

Dissertations

Two different types of molecular probes have been synthesized. The first family of probes is the coumarin class of compounds. These chemodosimters are referred to as Low Molecular Weight Fluorescent probes (LMFP). The other type of molecular probe is a macrocycle known as a pillar[5]arene receptor.

The chemodosimters (2.12a-c and 3.12a) were synthesized in four to five steps. The photophysical properties were extensively studied in various solvent systems (DMSO, CH₃CN, DMF, MeOH, EtOH, Me₂CO, MeCO₂Et, CHCl₃, C₆H₅Me, and C₆H₆). Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) …

The Impact Of Moral Injury And Moral Distress On Spirituality From A Military Perspective, Emily Sproule

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain greater insight and understanding of how moral injury, moral distress, and shame can influence spirituality and to determine ways to effectively improve treatment to support and serve those carrying these unspeakable wounds. The experience of loss, betrayal, uncertainty, and fractured spirits can affect an individual’s beliefs about the self. The primary aim of this study was to explore how veterans now view themselves in the eyes of God or their Higher Power or why they so choose not to partake in their spirituality. Results were based on aggregate analyses and summations of …

An Intergenerational Photo Exploration Of Self Care Actions In Self-Identifying Strong Black Women, Vanessa Patrice Goodar

Dissertations

The current study sought to expand upon the Giscombé Superwoman Schema (2010) specifically exploring the role of vulnerability resistance and help obligation as potential barriers to changing comprehensive self-care health commitments in self-identifying Strong Black Women (SBW). The Superwoman Schema characteristics of vulnerability resistance and help obligation along with socio-economic factors of income, religious affiliation and marital status were assessed in the project using a visual-ethnography approach to Photo Voice methods and five intergenerational focus groups of SBW's born between 1946 and 2002. The collective self-care knowledge of these eighteen participants was analyzed using a participatory action research discussion framework …

The Formation Of Proxy Force And External State Relationships: Prospect Theory And Proxy Force Decision Making, Brandon Temple

Dissertations

Proxy war is a common tactic employed by great powers as a safer alternative to direct conflict, especially in the era of nuclear weapons. While proxy war is common, there is a lack of research on the formation of proxy-external state relationships. Previous research has typically examined the phenomena of proxy war through the perspective of the external state power, leaving a gap in the literature. This dissertation fills that gap by assessing the conditions under which armed groups enter into proxy relationships with external states. Using prospect theory as a framework for understanding more clearly armed group decision making …

Enabling Workplace Readiness In The Graduate Nurse: A Delphi Study Reflecting Leadership's Emancipatory Knowing, Bonnie Kay Kintner

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative modified e-Delphi research study was to explore workplace readiness in novice nurses upon graduation. The specific problem is novice nurses are unprepared for the workplace. The research questions were as follows: What barriers in the undergraduate educational curriculum prevent an easy transition into practice for novice nurses? In what ways do potential social or political injustices occur during the educational journey of student nurses? How do nursing leaders support emancipatory knowing? Emancipatory knowing recognizes patterns that require change. The intent within this study was to build consensus among 18 nursing experts from the Sigma Theta …

Humanizing The Inhumane: The Meaning Of The American Indian Patient-Cancer Care Nurse Relationship, Natalie M. Pool

Dissertations

This study described the unique relationships that develop while providing cancer care to AI populations and the underlying meaning that nurses ascribed to these experiences. Methods: This was an interpretive phenomenological study with multiple data collections and analysis. Nine cancer care nurses with a minimum of three years of experience working with AI patients participated by engaging in 2-3 exploratory, open-ended, reflective interviews over a period of nine months. Thematic reduction was completed to explicate the fundamental structures of this particular relationship. I then engaged in extensive reflective writing resulting in a linguistic transformation illuminating the essential meaning for nurses …

Educational Intervention To Enhance Staff Knowledge And Increase Awareness Regarding Risk Assessment And Personal Protective Equipment Selection To Reduce Blood And Body Fluid Exposures, Teresa Smoot

Dissertations

Accidental occupational blood borne pathogen exposures pose a great occupational risk for healthcare workers, worldwide. After an occupational exposure, there is a potential risk for transmission of blood borne infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and hepatitis C, to health care workers. Blood and body fluid exposures reported in an academic healthcare facility in Northeast Florida have been trending upward since 2015. The literature shows accidental blood borne pathogen exposures were greater among healthcare workers with little or no training in exposure prevention.

Exemplary Leadership During Turbulent Times: A Study Of Wartime Navy Submarine Commanders From 2001 To 2009, Rodney Lee Perryman

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe behaviors that exemplary Navy submarine commanders practice to lead their command through turbulent times using the leadership attributes of personal temperament, concern for the collective interest, resilience, and moral purpose.

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored the specific leadership behaviors of personal temperament, concern for the collective interest, resilience, and moral purpose that occur during turbulent times by analyzing in-depth interviews with exemplary United States Navy Submarine Commanding Officers. The study sample for this research is ten Groton, Connecticut area United States Navy submarine commanding officers who have at least fifteen …

This Was The World And I Was King: Land And Identity In Scottish Children's Literature Of The Golden Age, Rodney Fierce

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on Scottish cultural identity and its erasure in nineteenth-century British children’s literature as successful Scottish authors became known as British authors, and British children’s literature was canonized as the genre’s first Golden Age. Specifically, it explores the ways that Catherine Sinclair, George MacDonald, R. M. Ballantyne, Robert Louis Stevenson, J. M. Barrie, and Helen Bannerman—six popular nineteenth-century Scottish authors—maintain a sense of Scottishness in their adventure fiction. By reading the texts in the historical context of the authors’ biographies, I demonstrate that the land in their works and the benevolent colonizers allowed to control it in some …

When You Play The Game Of Drones, You Win Or You Die: Examining The Role Of U.S. Drone Strikes In U.S. And English Language Allies Newspapers From 2008-2019, Melissa Aho

Dissertations

In the years following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States ramped up its usage of drones and drone strikes around the world. Spanning three United States’ presidents, drone strikes became a regular feature in the US military arsenal. While American newspaper media and citizens have been very pro-drone, global citizens view drones in a far more negative light. This study examines US military drone strikes and English-speaking allied newspapers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and evaluates if coverage remains positive or negative depending on the newspaper’s conservative or liberal leanings from 2008–2019. …

A Study On How Retired U.S. Army First Sergeants Led Their Troops Throughout Turbulent Times In Afghanistan During Operation Enduring Freedom Or Operation Freedom Sentinel, Enrique Ortega

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover and describe behaviors that retired U.S. Army First Sergeants (1SG) applied to lead their troops through turbulent times using the leadership attributes of moral purpose, concern for the collective interest, resilience, and personal temperament during combat operations.

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to capture data from 10 retired U.S. Army 1SGs in the South Puget Sound area in Washington State who led their companies in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Freedom Sentinel (OFS). Data were collected from 10 interviews and 71 artifacts of Disabled Americans Veterans …

The Effects Of Military Leadership And Its Implication On Mental Health Stigma And Treatment Seeking Behaviors Of Veterans In Garrison And Noncombat Deployment Environments, Alexis May Charrys

Dissertations

Military service members are more likely to endure a significant amount of stress and experience multiple traumatic events than civilians due to the nature of their job. Many studies have focused on the traumatic stressors encountered during combat despite the fact that many service members encounter stressors related to serving in the military. A study conducted by Dursa, Reinhard, Barth, and Schniderman (2014) found that 10.9% of nondeployed veterans screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the highest prevalence of PTSD (13.8%) amongst nondeployed soldiers. Military mental health stigma is rampant due to the need to be ready for …

The Political Economy Of American Militarism: The Military- Industrial Complex, Power Elite, And The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq, Randy S. La Prairie

Dissertations

Sociologists have paid little attention to the structural causes of American participation in wars. Consequently, the discipline offers few theoretical perspectives on American war making. Sociological theories that do exist fall under two headings: state-centric and Marxist theories. Both lack prima facie plausibility. In this dissertation, I advance a unique, alternative theoretical framework that I argue offers a more tenable theory of American militarism in the post-World War II period. The elite model of war mobilization, as I refer to it, consists of five interrelated structural causes of American participation in wars: (1) state-capitalist imperialism; (2) elite control of public …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Counselors: An Exploration Of Their Reactions To Trauma Survivors, Zanovia P. Tucker

Dissertations

Nearly 83% of Americans are exposed to a traumatic event (Benjet et al., 2016). Given this, every counselor will more than likely work with trauma survivors (Trippany et al., 2004). Because of the high percentage of exposure to trauma, mental health professions who service individuals who experience trauma are at risk for secondary trauma (Ivicic & Motta, 2016), vicarious traumatization (Culver et al., 2011), and shared trauma (Hope & Edward, 2013). African American counselors have not been recognized in the counseling literature; thus their work with trauma survivors and their training experiences remain relatively unknown. Most of the research pertaining …

Is United States’ Economic Power In Decline? Can China Replace The U.S. As The World’S Next Economic Superpower?, Islam Bakirci

Dissertations

The decline of American economic power has been passionately debated for decades. Starting from the Kennedy administration, there were many cases that declinist scholars interpreted as the beginning of American economic power decline. The financial crisis of 2007-09 is the latest case of the same debate. However, unlike the previous cases, declinist scholars who support the idea of U.S. economic power is in decline after the financial crisis, strongly believe that this time the decline is different. This time the decline is real. In addition, the same scholars also argue that China, as an economic challenger which is different from …

Perceived Effectiveness Of A Mentoring Program For Training Adventist Chinese Evangelists, Terry Man-Yuen Tsui

Dissertations

Problem

The fact that evangelism in the Unorganized Territories of the Chinese Union Mission was done mainly as personal evangelism and that public evangelism was limited to a one-day seed sowing meeting had led to a serious need for equipping pastors in effective public evangelism methods. It required a model of public evangelism, which is adaptable to the local Chinese culture, and a mentoring program that accompanies evangelists, who were still developing their skills in public evangelism.

Method

This study used a parallel mixed methods design to measure the perceived effectiveness of selected methods in the mentoring program. This design …

Peace Bodies: Women, Encampments, And The Struggle Against Nuclear Weapons During The Cold War, 1979-1992, Janette Clay

Dissertations

"Peace Bodies: Women, Encampments, and the Struggle against Nuclear Weapons during the Cold War, 1972-1992" examines the global 1980s women's peace camping movement. This study aims to explore and comprehend peace in new ways. It is specifically targeted to define peace campers' fundamental peace principles and to discover how they embodied them. This research interrogates the ways in which the peace camping movement influenced the political and cultural developments that led to nuclear de-escalation in the final years of the Cold War. The sources for this research include women's peace camp archival records, film footage and photographs, interviews, and oral …

Coordination, Adaptation, And Complexity In Decision Fusion, Weiqiang Dong

Dissertations

A parallel decentralized binary decision fusion architecture employs a bank of local detectors (LDs) that access a commonly-observed phenomenon. The system makes a binary decision about the phenomenon, accepting one of two hypotheses (H0 (“absent”) or H1 (“present”)). The k 1 LD uses a local decision rule to compress its local observations yk into a binary local decision uk; uk = 0 if the k 1 LD accepts H0 and uk = 1 if it accepts H1. The k 1 LD sends its decision uk over a noiseless dedicated channel to a Data Fusion Center (DFC). The DFC combines the …

Blast Shock-Wave Characterization In Experimental Shock Tubes, Sudeepto Kahali

Dissertations

Blast-induced traumatic brain injuries have affected U.S. soldiers deployed for extended periods in the gulf and Afghanistan wars. To identify the biomechanical and biochemical mechanisms of injury, critical in the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, compressed gas-driven shock tubes are used by investigators to study shockwave-animal specimen interactions and its biological consequences. However, shock tubes are designed and operated in a variety of geometry with a range of process parameters, and the quality of shock wave characteristics relevant to field conditions and therefore the study of blast-induced traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers is affected by those conditions. Lab-to-lab …