Digital Commons Network^™

Greek Key-Inspired Fractal Metamaterials With Enhanced Flexibility And Energy Absorption., Zhennan Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Architected materials with intricate three-dimensional (3D) geometries offer unique properties and functionalities but face challenges in manufacturing costs and complexity. This research explores the integration of simple 2D Greek Key-inspired lattices into fractal designs to achieve exceptional mechanical performance. Using 3D printing and kerfing, these fractal structures demonstrate enhanced flexibility and energy absorption capabilities. Through three-point bending and in-plane tensile tests, the 2D fractal lattices exhibited a 600-fold reduction in bending force and a tensile stretch capacity of up to 520%, significantly outperforming brittle parent materials. Out-of-plane compression tests revealed a five-fold increase in energy absorption compared to honeycomb structures, …

Harry Potter And The Immersive Space: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, Kendra Bolin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability of humans to share stories has changed over time. From myths shared around a campfire to the introduction of cinema, we can now tell massive, immersive stories on an epic scale. One example of this is the storytelling present in theme parks. Present-day theme parks are continuously growing and expanding each year both in size and attendance. The continued success of these theme parks and the rhetorical influences of their audiences is a cultural phenomenon that deserves rhetorical scrutiny. My analysis looks at how one theme park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, immerses guests …

The Intercultural Communicative Meaning Of The Life Of Igbo Diaspora, Judith I. Udechukwu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In his novel, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad describes the African continent as “the heart of darkness” and frames African cultural heritage as barbaric, uncivilized, outlandish and backwards.[1] Unfortunately, this view represents the position of many European scholars who consider these cultures as inimical to civilization. However, in the contemporary era, intercultural communication, postcolonial studies, globalization, and decolonization of methodology have proved the negative western portrayal of Africa and its traditions as wrong and can no longer adequately address the complexities of African culture. Thus, the postcolonial African studies from the perspective of Chinua Achebe challenges the colonial narrative …

The Efficacy Of Mental Health Stigma And Discrimination Reduction Initiatives Among Bipoc: A Meta-Analysis Of Outcome Studies, Janita M. Springfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: An under-utilization of mental health care services among BIPOC exists, and one of the leading drivers of this barrier is stigma. Given a plethora of research on reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, the present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of SDR interventions among BIPOC. Method: The present meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to establish complete and accurate reporting of information. A systematic review yielded a total of seven articles meeting the predetermined inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were computed for all studies …

Metaphors As Tools Of Translation In The Early Medieval English Pedagogical Tradition, Abigayil M. Wernsman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines three crucial texts written and translated from Latin into Old English between 800CE and 1010CE in medieval England by King Alfred, Bishop Æthelwold, and Abbot Ælfric. These texts are crafted to further political and educational power, reform, and change. It argues that the metaphors wielded within these pedagogical texts were essential to the cultivation of authority for kings and magisters, and the propagation of English as a written language. Utilizing the framework of conceptual metaphor with attention to the historicity surrounding each text, I examine the definitions of metaphor and of translation to argue that each text …

Puerto Ricans And Asthma: Looking Through The Lens Of Historical Trauma, Lisa Colón

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized an explorative phenomenological qualitative design to begin understanding the many ways Puerto Ricans experience asthma. Further is sought to understand the asthma experience broadly and within the context of the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 including the governments’ responses to that devastation. Another core goal of this study was the conceptual and empirical application of the theoretical framework of historical trauma to Puerto Ricans. I conducted 12 semi structured interviews with collaborators who expressed a range of asthma experiences. My collaborators represented a mixture of those who lived through the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and …

Feminine Discursive Authority Through Symbolism, Allegory And Exemplum: A Study Of Christine De Pizan, A Rhetor Of The Late Middle Ages, Kathleen Burk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhetorical studies are deeply concerned with the way that human beings use language and symbols to interact and persuade others to follow a particular point of view, or plan of action. In the male dominant culture of 15^th century France, Christine de Pizan recognized the limitations of speaking as a woman in her own voice. Therefore, she directed her voice through a cadre of allegorical divine beings, most of whom were women. These allegorical mentors held the divine authority to profess the virtue of women, as Christine, the narrator, humbly listened. This was a time in history when few …

The Ontology Of Not-Being In Aristotle And His Predecessors, Abraham Jacob Greenstine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aristotle is not thought to have a theory of not-being, but, in this project, I show that there are several distinct ways of not-being established in his writings. As being is said according to what is in-itself, what is accidentally, what is true, and what is actualized, so not-being is determined as the privative, the false, or potentiality. In each of these cases, I articulate what it means that it is a way of not-being, and how it is also a way of being. Aristotle’s theory is put in contrast to his predecessors, especially Parmenides and Plato, whose ontologies are …

Opening Gates: Elevating Corporate Social Responsibility Communication And Strategic Philanthrocapitalism For Social Change, Beth E. Michalec Ph.D.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s global marketplace, the Aristotelian notion of philanthrôpía manifests in myriad terms and meanings: corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, social entrepreneurship, venture capitalism and philanthrocapitalism, to name a few. Now, nonprofit organizations and foundations are building on the social and financial capital of successful business titans, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ted Turner, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and others, to address ongoing and growing social issues of health, education, and poverty worldwide. This dissertation will explore the question: Is philanthrocapitalism the next paradigm to elevate global corporate social responsibility efforts? To answer this question, I draw on Jürgen …

Translation Technique And Versional Evidence: The Syriac Peshitta Version Of Colossians As A Witness To Its Greek Text, Ryne Alan Parrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Syriac Peshitta version of the New Testament holds great potential for NT textual criticism, but its value to this field is partially dependent upon the ability to deduce the particularities of the Greek text from which it was translated. To assess this ability, a thorough understanding of translation technique in each NT book is required. Toward such an end, this thesis provides a detailed study of the translation technique of Peshitta Colossians (PCol) and an evaluation thereof as a witness to its Greek Vorlage. I argue that the translation technique of PCol does not consistently allow confident conclusions to …

Using Natural Language Processing To Categorize Fictional Literature In An Unsupervised Manner, Dalton J. Crutchfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When following a plot in a story, categorization is something that humans do without even thinking; whether this is simple classification like “This is science fiction” or more complex trope recognition like recognizing a Chekhov's gun or a rags to riches storyline, humans group stories with other similar stories. Research has been done to categorize basic plots and acknowledge common story tropes on the literary side, however, there is not a formula or set way to determine these plots in a story line automatically. This paper explores multiple natural language processing techniques in an attempt to automatically compare and cluster …

A Power Man’S Theology: Marvel’S Luke Cage And Black Liberation Theology, Diarron B. Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Netflix released Marvel’s Luke Cage in 2016 to critical acclaim. Born from a 1970s comic book, the series features Luke Cage, an African-American superhero. Cage is a big, bald, bulletproof black man. Instead of tights and a cape, Cage wears a hoodie calling the audience to remember Trayvon Martin and other victims of white racism. Theologian James Cone created Black Liberation Theology in the 1970s. As a result of Cone’s work, Black Liberation Theology addresses the issue of white racism from a theological standpoint. In this thesis I present a close reading of Marvel’s Luke Cage using Black Liberation Theology …

Toward A New Reading Of Cicero's De Finibus, Kelsey Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that Cicero has two primary, interdependent aims in De finibus: the critical assessment of the dominant ethical positions, and the education of his readers. These aims are accomplished through four key devices. First, Cicero develops flat, useful readings of the dominant ethical positions without rejecting eudaimonism itself. This allows Cicero to demonstrate Academic practices while also insisting upon the importance of virtue, which suggests the best ethical view for Cicero is a skeptically grounded eudaimonism. Second, the arrangement of the text in reverse chronological order dramatically enacts Cicero’s own alternative to the cradle argument on …

A Review And Selective Analysis Of 3d Display Technologies For Anatomical Education, Matthew Hackett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of anatomy is complex and difficult for students in both graduate and undergraduate education. Researchers have attempted to improve anatomical education with the inclusion of three-dimensional visualization, with the prevailing finding that 3D is beneficial to students. However, there is limited research on the relative efficacy of different 3D modalities, including monoscopic, stereoscopic, and autostereoscopic displays. This study analyzes educational performance, confidence, cognitive load, visual-spatial ability, and technology acceptance in participants using autostereoscopic 3D visualization (holograms), monoscopic 3D visualization (3DPDFs), and a control visualization (2D printed images). Participants were randomized into three treatment groups: holograms (n=60), 3DPDFs (n=60), …

The Pulpit And The People: Mobilizing Evangelical Identity, Tim Moser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using ten sermons from five prominent and politically active evangelical megachurch pastors taken from the 2016 presidential campaign season, this case study utilizes frame analysis to understand the political relevance of modern evangelical sermonizing. An inductive frame analysis allows the concept of a collective action frame to be observed as a process and for patterns to emerge from the source text. Within these sermons, ministers offer self-identifying evangelicals a vocabulary with which to understand and describe their own identity. In this context, the Bible is a powerful cultural symbol that represents an allegiance to traditions that are framed as the …

Mathematics Learning Support Models And Student Success At A Tennessee Community College, Bobby Allen Dixon Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year thousands of students make preparations to pursue a college degree. Many are high school seniors, but a large percentage of the population are nontraditional age students who are years removed from a formal classroom setting. Included in the list of preparations is an examination whose results will be used to determine each individual’s readiness to be academically successful at the collegiate level. These examinations assess student’s abilities in the areas of reading, English composition, and mathematics. The results of these examinations show that at the community college level more than half of these students will need remediation in …

How The Greek Press Constructed The "Greek Economic Crisis", Maria Elena Kuntz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 2008, there has been a surge of interest in and research on the relationship between news media and economic reporting, particularly as it concerns financial crises. The 2008 U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, quickly followed by the economic crisis that began to unfold in Greece in 2009, spurred researchers to examine how newspapers around the world report on the complex, globalized economy. In the pursuit of understanding transnational economic processes, publics rely on news media to provide information about the meaning of economic events, especially crises. As such, newspapers are key players in constructing the narratives of crises.

This study …

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Russell James Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a history of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Passed by Congress in 1971, it set the national suffrage age at eighteen for all state and federal elections. It remains the last federal amendment to broaden voting rights and the most quickly ratified amendment to the Constitution. Those few scholars who have written about the 18-vote law uniformly explain that it emerged as recompense for patriotic duty; i.e. if teenagers were old enough to fight for America in Vietnam, they were also old enough to vote in U.S. elections. This dissertation agrees that young Americans …

The Rhetoric Of Law And The Epistle To The Hebrews, Theodore A. Holt Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Epistle to the Hebrews demonstrates a complex of what scholars label technical legal terms. Enlisting a series of word studies, this thesis attempts to uncover where the author learned the terminology in order to understand more about the anonymous author and the theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews. This thesis examines terms in Heb 2:2-4; 6:13-18; 7:11-19; 8:13; 9:15-18; 10:9.

A Forensics Software Toolkit For Dna Steganalysis., Marc Bjoern Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in genetic engineering have allowed the insertion of artificial DNA strands into the living cells of organisms. Several methods have been developed to insert information into a DNA sequence for the purpose of data storage, watermarking, or communication of secret messages. The ability to detect, extract, and decode messages from DNA is important for forensic data collection and for data security. We have developed a software toolkit that is able to detect the presence of a hidden message within a DNA sequence, extract that message, and then decode it. The toolkit is able to detect, extract, and decode …

Citation Methodologies In Eusebius’ Historia Ecclesiastica And Other Ancient Historiography, Justin Otto Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines ancient historiographic citation methodologies in light of Mikhail Bakhtin’s dichotomy between polyphony and monologization. In particular, this dissertation argues that Eusebius of Caesarea’s Historia ecclesiastica (HE) abandons the monologic citation methodology typical of previous Greek and Hellenistic historiography and introduces a polyphonic citation methodology that influences subsequent late-ancient Christian historiography to varying degrees. Whereas Pre-Eusebian Greek and Hellenistic historiographers typically use citations to support the single authorial consciousness of the historiographer, Eusebius uses citations to counterbalance his own shortcomings as a witness to past events. Eusebius allows his citations to retain their own voice, even when they …

The Rise Of Bulgarian Nationalism And Russia's Influence Upon It., Lin Wenshuang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The exercise of nationalism is the assertion of the political sovereignty of a community in the form of a nation-state. In the case of Bulgaria, nationalism, in practice, was a long journey towards the establishment of a Bulgarian nation-state. This dissertation aims to clarify the place and role of nationalism in the reconstruction of the Bulgarian state and to examine to what extent the development of Bulgarian nationalism was influenced by Russia at the vital stage - the 1870s, when the nation fought hard against Ottoman rule and finally achieved national liberation. My motivation for examining Russo-Bulgarian historical, political and …

The Role Of Invitational Theory On Minority Student Enrollment In Advanced Placement Courses, Jason Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) classes has been increasing in Florida and across the nation over the last decade. However, this trend is not happening for traditionally underserved groups of students such as African Americans, Hispanics, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These minority groups are underrepresented in AP classes, while Asian and White students are overrepresented. This trend is alarming because there are qualified minority students who have a great chance of being successful in AP classes according to AP Potential data. For some reason though, these qualified minority and low income students are nevertheless …

The Metalogicon Of John Of Salisbury: Medieval Rhetoric As Educational Praxis, Brian Gilchrist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the following question: what are the implications of John of Salisbury's rhetorical theory for his approach to education? The Metalogicon, John's defense of the trivium, represents the primary text analyzed throughout the project. John's medieval rhetorical theory explicated the reciprocal relationship between rhetoric and education. The art of rhetoric acquired educational elements by providing ethical-theoretical frameworks to inform the practices of students and teachers. Experiences from the practices of students and teachers influenced the art of rhetoric. John called for an approach to medieval rhetorical education that could be placed into the service of all people living …

The Kmea And Its String Program : Teaching Techniques Of String Teachers., Lyndsay Blair Joseph 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the teaching techniques of current string teachers within the Kentucky Music Education Association. Participants (N=31) completed a 17-question survey that focused on teaching techniques they use while teaching string orchestra. The participants included elementary, middle, and high school public string teachers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Results collected from the survey included demographic information about the teachers including the grade levels taught, number of years of teaching experience, the amount of time spent teaching per week, the participants primary instrument, and whether or not they gave private lessons. The survey questions also …

Traces Of Otherness In St. Thomas Aquinas' Theology Of Grace, Michael Luiz Fagge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation looks into the work of St. Thomas Aquinas and addresses his theology of grace through the lens of the postmodern concern for the other. The first chapter sets up the postmodern view using Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida to draw out the fundamental grounding for the concern for the other. In chapters two and three, St. Thomas' theology of nature and then grace are examined focusing on his particular focus on the other. In his work we find that there is a concern for the other and a structure to the human person that supports this concern. Using …

A Study Of Plato's Cratylus, Geoffrey Scott Bagwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last century, philosophers turned their attention to language. One place they have looked for clues about its nature is Plato's Cratylus, which considers whether names are naturally or conventionally correct. The dialogue is a source of annoyance to many commentators because it does not take a clear position on the central question. At times, it argues that language is conventional, and, at other times, defends the view that language is natural. This lack of commitment has led to a long-standing dispute over the outcome of the dialogue. I argue that the Cratylus provides no clear resolution to this …

The Formation Of "Outsider" Through Labeling And Sentence Lengths For Immigrants Of Hispanic Descent., Jeremy Jason Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who supported denying citizenship to children of foreign parentage and making English the sole language spoken in the United States held the opinion that a sentence length over 15 years was appropriate for non-U.S. individuals. Other purposes were to determine if individuals with high religiosity or who carried a lethal weapon also held the opinion that a sentence length over 15 years was appropriate for non-U.S. individuals.

Pearson's Chi-Square was used to determine if a significant relationship existed between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The data indicated that …

Justification And Good Works: A Study Of The Joint Declaration On The Doctrine Of Justification, Justin Chay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The doctrine of justification tells how the saving grace of God in Christ can be actualized in the believers. Because of the very importance of this doctrine, disputes broke out between Augustine and Pelagius, later in the medieval period, and most importantly during the Reformation period - which led to mutual condemnations and the division of the Western church. The church still does not have a unified voice in interpreting the doctrine despite recent ecumenical dialogues, which culminated in the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in 1999.

Cultural And Intellectual Responses To The Black Death, Brian David Yurochko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From the fall of the Roman Empire to the "Age of Translations," Western Europe endeavored to rise above the so-called cultural and intellectual "Dark Ages." That advancement was threatened with the arrival of the Black Death in 1347. Chapter one details the correlation between the spread of the plague and the location of the first universities. It also examines the expansion of the university system throughout the continent in the wake of the plague. The second chapter looks at the cultural, especially religious, explanations of and responses to the Black Death. It examines how medieval society used the religious tools …