Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Lessons From Music Theory Websites On The Engagement Levels Of Fifth Grade Students, Casey Artis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this correlative research study is to determine if a significant difference exists between fifth grade students learning from musictheory.net and those who learn from 8notes.com. Student engagement and achievement will be measured after they have finished interacting with their assigned music website. The study will explore the relationship between music technology and student engagement and achievement in the music classroom. The results of the study will help music educators add to their list of tools for teaching music with technology and provide them with more data about technologically enhanced student achievement and engagement. It is important for …

Rapid Reaction Studies On The Chemistry Of Flavin Oxidation In Urocanate Reductase, Niusha Delavari

Masters Theses

Urocanate reductase (UrdA) is a bacterial flavin-dependent enzyme that reduces urocanate to imidazole propionate, enabling bacteria to use urocanate as an alternative respiratory electron acceptor. Elevated serum levels of imidazole propionate are associated with the development of type 2 diabetes and, since UrdA is only present in humans in gut bacteria, this enzyme has emerged as a significant factor linking the health of the gut microbiome and the metabolic disorder insulin resistance. Here we investigated the chemistry of flavin oxidation by urocanate in the isolated FAD domain of UrdA (UrdA’) using anaerobic stopped-flow experiments at 4 °C. This analysis unveiled …

Wake Up America: Conceptualizing The Social Determinants Of Sleep, Nicole Eve Bray

Masters Theses

This paper is an attempt to understand racial, ethnic and gender disparities in sleep as a sociological problem. Public health and sociological researchers have looked at the connection between sleep disparities among minorities and the impact it has on health. However, they haven’t explained and applied the social structural factors that cause these disparities, as well as address how stress can serve as a moderator. In my investigation, I found that sleep troubles differ across race, ethnicity and gender. These differences relate to the distinguishable life situations of women and minorities in American society, such as stressful life circumstances that …

Truth From Fiction: The Apologetic Use Of Christian Allegorical Literature In The 21st Century, Terri Nicole Boutte

Masters Theses

Christian allegorical literature is a genre that explores apologetic claims in a unique and creative way. Although this genre has attracted many readers over the years, there is hesitation and reluctancy to accept Christian allegorical literature as a genre that should be used as an apologetic method. Namely, the didactic intent of this genre has caused some critics to question whether Christian allegorical literature promotes critical reading and thinking skills in a way that leads readers to make their own spiritual decisions. Some skeptics believe that sharing theistic truths that are disguised by fictional storylines is a creative way to …

Reaching For A Higher Perspective: Exploring Elements Of Multiple Perspectives In Literature And Writing, Audrey I. Biggs

Masters Theses

In three parts, this thesis for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing dives into perspective in writing and in life. After a statement from the author, the critical essay defines and analyzes a craft used in fiction novels: writing from multiple perspectives. First, the author describes the three basic perspectives and their uses in fiction writing. Next, a history of the development of multiple points of view leads the reader from ancient epics to modern novels. Finally, the author's analysis of William Faulkner's novel, As I Lay Dying, gleans a broader understanding of writing clearly and effectively from …

Using Memoir To Explore And Heal Trauma Inflicted By Emotional Abuse, Accompanied By Excavating Me, A Memoir, Amy G. Partain

Masters Theses

"Using Memoir to Explore and Heal Trauma Inflicted by Emotional Abuse, accompanied by Excavating Me, A Memoir" by Amy G. Partain details the use of the memoir's literary genre to process trauma resulting from emotional abuse incurred during childhood and adulthood. The paper includes comparisons of three published memoirs about abusive childhoods. It culminates with the author's memoir recounting emotionally abusive experiences with both her parents and her former spouse.

The Healing Power Of Creative Storytelling: Utilizing Fiction As A Means Of Therapy In The Writer/Reader Relationship, Alicia Rose Klepper

Masters Theses

What if we wrote the challenging portions of our lives as comedies or the boring parts as grand adventures? What if we recast painful experiences into creative stories that allow us to live in proximity to our circumstances and not be overwhelmed? Storytelling is how we bridge our lives with creativity as a way to heal from the past, process the present, and hope for the future. This thesis explores how the tradition of creative storytelling has evolved to enable writers and readers to uncover and connect elements of life that would otherwise be too painful to process. By bridging …

World War Two Glider Borne Forces: The Role Of British Doctrine In Effective Military Change, John W. Stegall

Masters Theses

The United States’ National Defense Strategy has shifted from fighting an asymmetrical, fourth generation adversary utilizing counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare to preparing for a peer/near peer conventional conflict focused on the Pacific and Central Europe. Modern maneuver commanders and operational planners can apply the economy of force, criticality of speed plus precision in kinetic engagements, value of highly trained, task organized small units, and technological incorporation knowledge gathered from analyzing the World War II glider operations executed by Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. Gliders were sailplanes that had a higher ratio of lift to drag than a motorized …

Framing Roles Of Protagonists And Antagonists In Visual Media, Jonas Braden Larson

Masters Theses

Many characters and stories have been interpreted over the past few thousand years. Humans are innate storytellers and make connections through various communication methods. Heroes and villains have affected many lives and given people a lens through which to view the world. The perception of stories and their characters in the visual media may not be as subjective as many people think. The framing communication theory was used to study the perception of audience member’s view of protagonists and antagonists in a visual story. Two short films were produced and screened to an audience that filled out surveys on their …

Evangelizing In Style: How Gen Z Youth Can Use Apparel As A Means Of Evangelism And Christian Self-Expression, Brittany Winter

Masters Theses

Generation Z, also known as “Gen Z”, has grown up with a negative viewpoint on Christian apparel due to outdated and overused designs. As a result, today’s youth do not express their faith through their clothes, causing a lack of potential evangelism. Generation Z makes up nearly half of the global population, and their unique qualities are vital to furthering the kingdom of God. Self-image is an integral part of this generation, and by giving them the means to express themselves through trendy Christian streetwear, they will not only take pride in representing Jesus but also evangelize to their Generation …

“A More Perfect World”: Posthumanism And Technological Integration In A Memory Called Empire, Garrett R. Johnson

Masters Theses

This thesis considers the relationship of technology to the human through a posthumanist lens, questioning what will become of the human an increasingly more-than-human world through an examination of the novel A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine. Through an examination of the imago device from the novel, the thesis evaluates the human experience of memory and the influence of empire. The thesis advances four key concepts: 1. The collapsed divide between the human and the technic through memory and imagination; 2. Technology’s development and use; 3. The user that is integrated with the technic; and 4. The poisonous influence …

Characterizing The Female Main Character, Addison Leana Butler

Masters Theses

The strong female character is a term tossed around writing groups, book clubs, and TikTok as something to both strive to see and critique in literature. This research paper transformed throughout the actual research as it went from a study on cozy fantasy emergence and its effects to strong female characters and how to write them well, to its current iteration along similar lines of writing strong female characters. Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered through the use of a survey that I wrote and put to the field, research done primarily through JSTOR, and interviews conducted with experts in …

Sexual Minority Students' Negative Experiences In High School, Abena Pinamang

Masters Theses

Schools are supposed to be a safe space for learning and development for all students regardless of race or gender however, many sexual minority students experience extreme forms of victimization in school which results in poor academic performance, suicidal ideation, illegal drug use, alcohol use and weapon carrying on school property. The current study aimed to identify the school experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual high school students and to determine whether they have the same school experiences as their heterosexual peers. Secondary data obtained from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was used for analysis. The results of …

Implementing Social Emotional Activities Into The English Language Arts Curriculum, Allison M. Sherbel

Masters Theses

Over the last decade social emotional learning has revealed itself to be an important element in students' academic growth. Social emotional learning requires students to learn the skills necessary to effectively communicate with others as well as maintaining a positive classroom environment, where all students feel supported, safe and heard. When students become more connected to their own emotions, they are developing an essential skill that will help them inside and outside of the classroom. Research shows that implementation of social emotional lessons can improve both immediate and long-term social-emotional ability as well as academic growth. Despite this research, teachers …

Enhancing Long-Term Outcomes: Implementing Community Engaged Research To Augment Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Kevin M. Quinn

Masters Theses

The Universal Evaluation Tool is an intuitive self-assessment instrument to enhance long-term treatment outcomes for Guiding Light’s residential addiction rehabilitation program. Designed as a versatile method for collecting primary data, the Universal Evaluation Tool can be administered to clients at any point during the recovery program (i.e., intake to discharge). The data collected from the survey can be used as a framework to guide treatment decisions, develop personalized care plans, offer insight into a client’s progress, and collect baseline data (e.g., sociodemographic characteristics) on a treatment population for use in grant applications.

A pilot study to generate preliminary data was …

Effects Of Dietary Phytoestrogens On Spermatogenesis And Male Reproductive Tract In Mice, Trenton A. Dalm

Masters Theses

Increases in infertility over the past 50 years are linked to environmental exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). One type of EDC is phytoestrogens, commonly found in soy-based diets and foods such as cauliflower, tofu, and broccoli. Phytoestrogens may bind estrogen receptors and have positive or negative effects on receptor signaling. The developing male reproductive tract is potentially susceptible to endocrine disruptors leading to changes in adult reproductive function and possibly infertility. We hypothesized that dietary phytoestrogen exposure would have a dose dependent effect with the high diet yielding the lowest sperm count and worst performance compared to the medium …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Treated Sewage Sludge From Michigan Wastewater Treatment Plants, Garrett Wesley Link

Masters Theses

Concentrations, compositions, and variability of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge are characterized using an extensive dataset of 350 samples from 190 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Michigan. All samples are comprised of final treated sewage sludge generated at the end of the wastewater treatment process. Concentrations of Σ₂₄ PFAS are log normally distributed with a range of 1 to 3200 ng/g dry wt. and of average 108 ± 277 ng/g dry wt. Compounds with carboxyl and sulfonic functional groups comprised 29% and 71% of Σ₂₄ PFAS concentrations, respectively, on average. Primary sample variability is associated …

A Comparison Of Pm-Nato3’S Influence On Neural Progenitors And Mature Dopamine Neurons, Mary E. West

Masters Theses

This thesis presents significant findings regarding the role of PM-Nato3 in its interaction with developing neurons in the context of Parkinson's disease (PD) and regenerative medicine. We investigated the effects of PM-Nato3 on dopamine (DA) neurogenesis under different culture conditions, both in vitro and in vivo. In the standard dopaminergic culture condition, PM-Nato3 potentially increased the speed of DA neuron production but did not significantly increase the yield of DA neurons. In a minimal culture condition, there was no notable difference between the control and PM-Nato3 conditions, suggesting minimal impact on DA neurogenesis. In vivo studies using a mouse model …

The Misadventures Of Expectations, Laura Elizabeth Solano

Masters Theses

The following research and manuscript discusses the art of using characterization and storytelling to teach younger generations. If used effectively, characterization has the power to transport a reader into the story’s world. The manuscript that follows is the first attempt at a story about friendship, loyalty, and self-actualization. Against all odds, a young man leaves his country to uncover the truth about his family’s demise and reported treason. As he ventures forward, he meets all kinds of people and learns the value of true friendship.

The Borgia Reexamined: A New Look At The Borgia Family And The Influence Of Adoptions Within The Family, Nicholas Ryan Mason

Masters Theses

The Borgia’s were a powerful family that garnered a great deal of their influence through the Catholic Church during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The height of the Borgia was between 1492 and 1503, when Rodrigo Borgia was elected Pope Alexander VI. Throughout history they have been known for the rumors of murder, incest, greed, and corruption that have surrounded the family ever since they first came to power. An examination of the family may not only lead to a different perspective of the family but may also lead to a deeper understanding of how one's enemies may …

Apologetics And Popular Culture Phenomena: A Critique Of Ted Turnau's Method Concerning Anime, Matthew Hunter Hamilton

Masters Theses

Limited work has been performed in the field of Christian apologetics and popular culture, much less the intersection between anime and Christian apologetics. One scholar who has attempted to broach this gap has been Ted Turnau, who has developed a five-step diagnostic method for apologetically engaging popular culture phenomena. However, his method contains key flaws. Using the work of Thomas Lamarre, a scholar in the field of anime studies, a central contention will be made: that the material and technology of anime have processes that affect how viewers inhabit and orient themselves in the world, which in turn influences their …

The Evolution Of The Artesh: 1980 To Present, Ryan Charles Touchstone

Masters Theses

Despite the large media coverage around Iran’s military actions, the role of the Artesh in Iran’s national security structure is often unmentioned. Looking at the evolution of the Artesh since the fall of the Shah of Iran, this study uses firsthand accounts, recent research, and governmental statements and reports to trace the Artesh’s journey to present day. It examines several battlefield successes and failures during the Iran-Iraq War to gauge the ability of the Artesh to adjust in a wartime environment. These adjustments are mixed with some valuable lessons being implemented to later battles while other important lessons remained unapplied. …

Metal/Emo Music And Their Effect On Millennials In The United States, Kevin Mcpherson

Masters Theses

The goal of this paper is to understand the relationship between two related genres and a generation. Both genres have different interpretations, some catharsis, and others self-destruction. Finding modern and historical evidence of a need for sad music revealed a need for music that empathizes with a person’s current state. These genres did have the potential to engage in self-destruction, however, it was found this was due to external factors far more than the cause itself. When music is involved in destructive behavior it gives the individual permission to do so, rather than be the motivator towards it. As art …

Music Literacy And Worship Theology For Volunteer Choir And Worship Teams, Timothy Ray Marsden

Masters Theses

When building a worship team and a worship-leading choir, worship pastors seek gifted volunteers within their congregations to add to the numbers of their groups. Assessing team members' music literacy and theology of worship often comes later in the process, if at all. This project aims to determine the essentials of music literacy for a volunteer choir or worship team member. It will create a curriculum for developing those skills further through weekly rehearsals. The project will also seek to define a theology of worship for the First United Methodist Church of Red Oak, Iowa, and a plan to study …

Change Through Learning: Observing The Need And Benefits Of A Multicultural Music Education Through Applying Coursework About The Korean And Korean American Musical Diaspora, Austin Eamnarangkool

Masters Theses

Music education is often synonymous with Western Music education, or more specifically, Classical music education. Music theory and analysis surrounding the styles of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven have been central to the pedagogy of a collegiate musical background, while expertise in Carnatic, Gamelan, or African drumming—to name a few—is seen as nonessential. This research project aims to uncover the reasons why (higher) music education is so narrowly focused and provides the skeletal framework for a practical method to begin constructing diverse, holistic curricula. While the overarching goal is to diversify music education in all cultures, the project focuses on the …

Virtual Fantasy, Joey Petrillo

Masters Theses

Virtual Fantasy is a proposition in opposition to virtual reality. Fantasy is essential to queer survival; we daydream to escape the hetero-normative structures we’ve been forced to live in — imagining new futures without binaries, linearity, or traditional notions of success. By exploring immersion, escapism, and agency in our virtual worlds through a queer lens, VF offers a reframing of our relationship to VR — embracing digital spaces and their potential to imagine new futures and possibilities, while remaining present in the world around us, as we are here in our bodies, now.

Input / Output, Zach Scheinfeld

Masters Theses

Input/Output emphasizes the processes and systems that create engagement, narrative, and meaning in graphic design, as opposed to singular inputs and outputs. In a series of experimental frameworks, ranging in form from 3D printed objects to browser-based painting tools, variables are put into the hands of the audience and user, creating conditions that are prime for retooling, repurposing, world-building, and play. Throughout, an open dialogue and feedback loop is formed between interface and user, author and reader, and teacher and student, where power, agency, and structure are in constant circulation, resulting in the emergence of unexpected forms, speculative technologies, and …

In A Condition Of No Light, Alana Perino

Masters Theses

In a Condition of No Light is an autofictional investigation into lineages of familial domesticity. The performances therein circumnavigate one family in one domestic environment, yet are in dialogue with repertoires learned and rehearsed within legacies of myth, literature, theater, film, music, and image; as well as through the otherwise untraceability of embodied memory and inherited trauma. The methodologies used are primarily photographic but also encompass practices reaching towards sculpture, installation, and performance. The line of questioning reserved for this inquiry is how a home, its objects, and inhabitants generate, spacialize, and embody the conditions of wealth, whiteness, and gender. …

The Border Crosser's Pocketbook: A Guide To Engaged Pedagogy In After School Arts, Britney Coppick

Masters Theses

The questions that sparked this research were developed after spending time working internationally and locally with youth in after school arts programs. These inquiries aim to critically examine the way after school arts programs are run in relation to the culturally and racially diverse communities they serve, discuss how these methods engage with the field of arts education as a whole, and ultimately provide practical approaches, strategies, and tools that educators can implement in these programs. Written from the perspective of a white, female educator who works in racially diverse learning spaces, this project is aimed at enabling educators in …

Instances Of The Spirit (Glossary), Kamari A. Smalls

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a performative methodology to engaging with the worlds and ideas that these words have generated in the form of a glossary. The list of words include: Ancestor, Anointing, Attune, Breath, Conjure, Conversion, Dance, Erotic, Ephemera, Ethervism, God, Girlhood, Hallelujah, Imagination, Improvisation, Jazz, Knowledge, Love, Liturgical, Magic, Memory, Performance, Prayer, Remnant, Repetition, Ritual, Root, Sacred/Secular, Silence/Stillness, Sound, Spell, Spirit, Testimony, Water, and Witness. Personal reflections, contemplations and expansions from other writing, and passages that come out of Black feminist thought, Black girlhood studies, and Black performance theory exist here simultaneously. This glossary demonstrates the theory, theology and lineages …