Digital Commons Network^™

Witchcraft, Demons, And Spiritual Death: An Apologetic For The Bible's Prohibition Against Witchcraft, Joshua Dean Wrenn

Masters Theses

This paper attempts to apologetically defend the Bible's intolerance against witchcraft and other related activities that are prohibited in the Old Testament. It does so by showing that Witchcraft and other related activities gets one involved with demonic entities. It shows how demonic entities are deceitful, and how they are actually the ones behind the power of witchcraft. The paper starts by studying the history of ancient witchcraft, which is something that is useful for understanding the witchcraft of today. It then builds a profile of demons. The paper shows what demons physically do and what they attempt to get …

Sinking Ships And International Relations: The Washington Conference And America's Relations With Britain And Japan, Tucker T. Peterson

Masters Theses

Following World War I, the diplomatic relationships between the United States, Great Britain, and Japan were being strained to a breaking point and the risk of armed conflict was increasing. To stave off a naval arms race and war in the Pacific, U.S. President Warren G. Harding called for a conference to discuss disarmament and questions regarding the “Far East.” The Washington Conference was held from November 12, 1921, to February 6, 1922, and delegates from nine different nations attended. Through the lenses of naval and diplomatic history, this study explores the ascendancy of the U.S. Navy, the Washington Conference, …

Synthesis Of Durable Sio2 Nanoparticle Coatings For Self- Cleaning Solar Panel Surfaces, Pratima Parajuli

Masters Theses

The demand for innovations that improve the efficiency of solar panels has grown due to an increasing reliance on solar energy as a sustainable energy source. Great effort has been made to increase the conversion efficiency of solar energy to electrical energy. The accumulation of dirt, dust, and other environmental particulates on their surfaces is a challenge faced by solar panel technology. These contaminants can significantly reduce the overall performance of the solar panel. Recently, interest in developing self-cleaning surfaces has risen to maintain the performance of solar panels.To create self-cleaning surfaces, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles are emerging …

Variation In Maternal Alkaloid Provisioning And Its Effects On Antimicrobial Defense In Tadpoles Of The Poison Frog Oophaga Pumilio, Erica Berent

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Mindfulness & Mental Health: Balanced Time Perspective As A Mediator, Eddie Trueblood

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is a practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way. Being more mindful can decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, among other mental and physical health improvements. (Donald et al., 2016; Hofmann et al., 2010; Kabat-Zinn et al.,1992). This study examined if balanced time perspective (BTP) is one of the mechanisms of action of mindfulness in its relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress. BTP refers to a person’s ability to flexibly adapt their time perspective (attention to the past, present, or future, and positive or negative attitudes toward each) to suit the current …

Disease Diagnosis Using Natural Language Processing And Deep Learning, Manas Kumar Sherla

Masters Theses

This research presents an automated disease diagnosis framework that leverages natural language processing and deep learning to predict diagnosis codes from unstructured electronic health record (EHR) clinical notes. Using the MIMIC-III critical care dataset, clinical narratives such as discharge summaries and physician notes are extracted, validated, and preprocessed to construct a labeled corpus aligned with ICD-9 diagnoses. The study implements a pipeline comprising text cleaning, feature extraction, and supervised learning, and compares traditional models such as Logistic Regression and Bi-LSTM with transformer-based architectures built on BERT. Models are trained and evaluated with categorical cross-entropy loss and standard multi-class metrics, including …

Childhood Maltreatment And Social Anxiety In College Students: Examining The Role Of Distress Tolerance, Alexa N. Matthies

Masters Theses

This study examines the relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment and social anxiety, with a focus on the mediating role of distress tolerance. Emotional maltreatment has been linked to numerous adverse psychological outcomes, yet its specific contribution to social anxiety symptoms requires further exploration. Using a sample of 94 participants aged 18 to 24, this research employs validated instruments, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, to assess the prevalence and impacts of emotional abuse and neglect. Findings reveal significant correlations between emotional abuse, neglect, and elevated social anxiety symptoms. Distress tolerance emerged as a key mediator, partially …

Critical Behavior Ofthedilutedquasi-Onedimensionalquantum Ising Model, Logan Bradley Sowadski

Masters Theses

We explore the phase transition in the diluted quasi-one-dimensional quantum Ising model. We begin by giving an introduction to the Ising model followed by derivations of the properties and observables. A brief overview of Monte-Carlo simulations is also given focusing on two algorithms that make simulations for physically realizable systems possible, the Metropolis and Wolff algorithms. We finally discuss the concept of random disorder in the system and the effects this can have on the bulk of the system.

These concepts are then directly applied to a quasi-one-dimensional Ising model. Motivated by recent experiments on the spin-chain material cobalt niobate, …

Influence Of Alloy Composition On The Process Robustness Of Steels Consolidated Via Laser-Directed Energy Deposition, Jonathan Kelley

Masters Theses

"To ensure consistent quality of additively manufactured parts, it is advantageous to identify alloys which can meet performance criteria while being robust to process variations. Toward this end, this work investigated the effect of alloy composition on the robustness of steels consolidated via laser-directed energy deposition (L-DED). Ultra-high-strength low-alloy steel (UHSLA) and pure iron powders were mixed in-situ to produce 10 compositions containing 10-100% UHSLA by mass. JMatPro material simulations roughly predicted phases and mechanical properties. Two sets of experiments were used to evaluate the sensitivity of as-built hardness (all 10 compositions) and tensile properties (5 select compositions) to process …

Frequency-Tracker And Power Supply For Piezoelectric Lunar Dust Removal Actuator, Praneeth Uddarraju

Masters Theses

"This work presents a reconfigurable phase-locked loop (PLL)-based control system for the resonant excitation of piezoelectric actuators aimed at automated removal of particulate contaminants from photovoltaic (PV) surfaces—particularly in extraterrestrial environments such as the lunar surface. Regolith or lunar dust buildup on solar panels is a serious hazard to the effectiveness of energy harvesting on extended missions. By using high-frequency structural excitation and inertial forces the suggested system removes surface impurities. Tunable Sallen-Key low-pass filters for reliable feedback conditioning are used in conjunction with a digitally implemented PLL on an FPGA (XLR8 platform) to precisely lock the drive frequency to …

Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (Ship) And Its Industrial Possibilities For The Replacement Of Oriented Strand Board (Osb), Anthony Ollins

Masters Theses

This study explores the feasibility of using industrial hemp fiber to create composite panels—termed Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (SHIP) as a potential competitor for oriented strand board (OSB), a commonly used structural wood product. Given hemp's historical and environmental advantages, including rapid growth, carbon sequestration capacity, and material strength, this research investigates its performance when combined with Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) resin, and in a hybrid form with Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). Two hemp-based composites were produced and tested: one with hemp and UF, and another with hemp and SYP. Using a custom-built hydraulic press, composite panels were fabricated and subjected to …

Overcoming Burnout: Resident Assistant Longevity And Resilience, Amberlyn H. Holman

Masters Theses

As demands on student affairs professionals intensify across United States colleges, resident assistants face increasing vulnerability to burnout while balancing roles as students, employees, and peer leaders. The purpose of this narrative study was to examine the experiences of three resident assistants who pursued a third year in their position after experiencing and overcoming burnout. It was determined that specific support systems and resilience components had substantial impact on their ability to persist, providing indication of what institutional support would be most beneficial. Participants discussed experiences with overwhelming stress balancing academic responsibilities, peer relationships, and administrative duties, alongside factors historically …

Investigation Of Arm Stiffness Modulation During Overground Physical Human-Human Interaction, Henry Tien

Masters Theses

The vision of advancing robots capable of direct physical engagement with humans begins with an understanding of how humans interact with each other. Even rudimentary interactive tasks, such as shaking hands, provides tremendous challenges for modern robotics and current research into the biomechanics of such interactions is limited. Thus, further analysis of physical Human-Human Interaction (pHHI) will bolster efforts to enhance collaborative robot capabilities. To this end, a custom Force Perturbation Handle (FPH) was developed, including the requisite mechanical, electrical, and software systems, to investigate the unique role of arm stiffness modulation in haptic communication between humans. The novel device …

Native Freshwater Mussel Communities In The Lower Grand River, Michigan: Assessing Tributary Confluence Effects And Updating Survey Information, Grayson L. Kosak

Masters Theses

Freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are ecosystem engineers and keystone species vital to stream ecosystems yet represent the most imperiled group of freshwater fauna. Conservation of unionids necessitates further understanding how assemblages interact with watershed features. This study investigates mussel occupancy, distribution, and assemblage structure upstream and downstream of tributary confluences in the lower Grand River, Michigan, alongside updated surveys of the unionid community with comparisons to previous assessments conducted by Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) in 2002–2003. Unionid density, richness, and diversity were greater upstream of confluences. No significant distance-gradient effects were observed. Assemblage structure differed between upstream and downstream reaches …

The Choir Effect: A Case Study On Adolescent Boys’ Academic Self-Confidence, Dedrick L. Guyton

Masters Theses

Realizing the cognitive and social benefits of choral participation in early adolescent boys may be critical in understanding their academic self-confidence. This qualitative research study examines large public school choral ensemble participation and the academic self-confidence of boys between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Previous studies on formal music education in children suggest that active music participation has academic and social benefits. However, research has not addressed the effects of early music exposure on adolescent boys who sing in a large public school choral ensemble. The research illustrates the experiences of approximately 20 twelve-to-fourteen-year-old male choral ensemble members within …

Beyond The Uncanny Valley: A Tradigital Strategy For Emotional Connection In 3d Animation, Alan Gregory Wyatt

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates Tradigital art - combining the aesthetics of traditional animation with the optimization of digital 3D animation. This cross-disciplinary study investigates how traditional artistry can still be preserved and enhanced in modern digital workflows without causing the emotional disconnect often found in the "Uncanny Valley" of contemporary 3D animation. This research, based on a literature review, case studies, and visual analyses, identifies elements of traditional 2D animation that can still enrich digital 3D animation without compromising the flow and optimization of the pipeline in many studios. Research shows that the utilization of both methods has the potential to …

The Other War: The Evolution Of United States Psychological Warfare In The Vietnam War From 14 May 1965 To 11 September 1966, Brandon J. Libro

Masters Theses

The creation of the Joint United States Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO) on 14 May 1965 revitalized the psychological warfare (PSYWAR) campaign in Vietnam after decades of post-World War II drawdown and initiated a more targeted and efficient employment of psychological operations (PSYOP) throughout the American war effort. To understand the evolution of Vietnam-era PSYOP, it is imperative to explore the United States military’s implementation of PSYWAR and analyze how it changed throughout the conflict. The challenges the United States faced conducting the “other war” in Vietnam were evident from the start of its involvement in Vietnam, and the PSYWAR effort, …

The Impact Of The Virginia Department Of Education On Music Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Erica S. Denham

Masters Theses

This research was to identify how the Virginia Department of Education handled Music Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. When proper support from the Department of Education is given, music educators can run their programs efficiently without doing much research on their own. By examining the COVID-19 policies and procedures created by the Virginia Department of Education, this qualitative study investigated how much emphasis was put on the unique needs of an education in music. Therefore, this investigation examined these policies and procedures to note in what ways music education was taken into special consideration. This study explored three distinct phases …

Jesus's Use Of "Woman" In The Fourth Gospel, Cori Mcgrew

Masters Theses

In John's Gospel, Jesus uses the word "woman" in surprising ways: to address his mother at the wedding in Cana and at the Cross, to address a woman in Samaria, in a parable about a woman giving birth in his Final Discourse, and finally, to address Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb. This thesis uses the unusual way Jesus addresses his mother in the Fourth Gospel as a catalyst to find a connection between all five uses of "woman" by Jesus in John's Gospel, concluding that these instances evoke creation imagery, in particular of Genesis 3:15. The allusion to Genesis …

When Books Come Alive: Crafting A Clean Book-To-Screen Adaptation Worth Watching, Larah C. Cox

Masters Theses

The Things We Leave Unfinished is a screenplay adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rebecca Yarros. In this story, audience members will watch as the characters fall in love during both World War II and the present time, and experience how these themes become unbreakable family ties and strong women. This thesis, due to the importance of availability of clean entertainment for Christians to enjoy, explores what is necessary for a filmmaker to provide that kind of film, and seeks to find the answers in what makes a book-to-screen adaptation successful and worthy of an audience (both …

Design(Ing) Disruptions: Towards Intimacies Between Feminist Situated Knowledge, Gossip And Design, Senjuti Sangia

Masters Theses

This project highlights and problematizes the knowledge traditions and politics foundational to problem-solving paradigms in design education and practice. By emphasising the ontological nature and turn in design (Willis, 2006, Fry, 2012) , this thesis critically appraises the aforesaid formulations by extending intersectional feminist theories to dominant design epistemology. Drawing on the sociological framing of the matrix of domination, I investigate the dichotomy of the designer and user- as designers, users, and communities find themselves at different junctions in the matrix of domination. Further, I critique design frameworks from the analytical lenses of feminist situated knowledge, In so doing, I …

Mixed Race Futurity Through Contemporary Archetypes: Mutants, Cyborgs And Dhampirs, Kobe Jackson

Masters Theses

Analysis of Enlightenment philosphes reveals how the contemporary archetypes, mutants, cyborgs and dhampirs may be situated as sources for understanding mixed race positionality. Arranged on a trajectory of hybrid mythology reaching from ancient times into the present day, their contemporary relevance is put into context. Through modern speculative fiction, historical mythology and the theoretical frameworks of sociology, and philosophy, two tropes are revealed to be imposed roles for mixed race people. The first one, the tragic hybrid is a term which references a character specific to the context of American colonial slavery, the tragic mulatto. By reframing the term, tragic …

The Apostle Paul's Teaching On Life After Death: A Model Of Christ's Life, Death, And Resurrection, Keri A. Thompson

Masters Theses

There are many questions and differing views surrounding what happens to the soul after death. Through his letters collected in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul offers insight into the existence of the believer's soul in an intermediate state following death and prior to the resurrection of the body. Through a brief overview of Old Testament teachings on the subject, Jewish views on life after death during the intertestamental period, and common Greek thought on the body and soul, the possible presuppositions and influences on the Apostle Paul's view of life after death and the intermediate state are uncovered. Detailed …

Mindful Design For Adolescent Minds: Moving Away From Digital Hook Models To Mindful Innovation Models, Donald R. Hendriksen

Masters Theses

In the domain of digital technology, an ethical issue surfaces from the design of user interfaces and applications tailored for adolescent users. Techniques frequently incorporated into these targeted systems, such as continuous scrolling, rewards for uninterrupted use, and game-like features, are increasingly linked to addictive inclinations in adolescents. Central to this issue is the stimulation these apps provide for the dopamine system. Adolescents, being in a vital phase of psychological growth, are especially vulnerable to the dangerous consequences of such designs. These effects are extensive and include a perceptible drop in academic achievement, a weakening of relational skills, and an …

Understanding The Performance And Perception Of Odawa Warfare, 1615–1700, Eric P. Morningstar

Masters Theses

This research employs the ethnohistorical method to explore how the Odawa people perceived and carried out warfare from 1615 to 1700. While historians have examined the Odawa, these Native peoples have frequently not been the central focus in the secondary literature. Many primary sources also offer a vague answer as to how the Odawa conceived and carried out warfare. This study aims to clarify historiographical inconsistencies by quantitatively analyzing a database, constructed by the author, of specific primary references to known hostilities between the Odawa, other Native groups, and Europeans. The analysis includes specific variables germane to hostilities such as …

Two Roads To Cornwall: The Cornwall, The Cornwall & Lebanon, And Gilded Age Rail Competition, Shane A. Keenan

Masters Theses

Historians have devoted much attention to the overbuilding and excessive competition among railroads in the 1880s. However, they have mostly focused on larger railroads like the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad (Reading). Smaller railroads like the Cornwall Railroad and the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad are less well known but play an important part in that larger story. Both railroads ran between Lebanon, Pennsylvania and Cornwall, Pennsylvania. Their primary purpose was to ship iron ore from the mines in Cornwall. Few outside of Lebanon County or Lancaster County, Pennsylvania know about these two railroads, yet they are a …

Moral Injury In Military Corrections, Jeremy Ryder Meyers

Masters Theses

Over the past thirty years moral injury has been a topic of concern regarding the behavioral and spiritual health of military members. Part of that work has given a voice to Vietnam veterans and the events they faced while in combat. Some of these events were acts of betrayal at the hands of another military member or their own. This act led to an injury to their moral code. Military chaplains may have morally injured soldiers in need of pastoral care as they serve. This includes soldiers working the military prisons like the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth. …

The Two Gospel Hypothesis, Nicholas Wischman

Masters Theses

The Two Document Hypothesis, the view that Matthew and Luke used Mark independently alongside a lost source called Q, has become the predominant theory of the order of the Synoptic Gospels. This is a defense of the Two Gospel Hypothesis, the theory that Luke used Matthew and Mark used both Matthew and Luke.

"Where The Heart Is Really Attached": Partner Compatibility In The Works Of Jane Austen, Mary Amick

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the works of Jane Austen and how the author depicts marriages throughout her novels. It examines the values that Austen recommends to attain a happy marriage and argues that these values were shaped by Austen’s Christian heritage. Austen encourages people to marry but cautions them to choose their partner wisely. She makes it clear that an unwise choice would lead to future strife in the relationship. Austen claims that the traits necessary for a healthy and happy marriage relationship are a partner that encourages intellectual stimulation, a partner that is compatible both morally and temperamentally, and a …

Settling Dust, Unsettling Ground, Olivia Newroz

Masters Theses

Understanding dust as a material system that blurs the line between ground and atmosphere, I developed a dust machine as a tool for making dust legible at the human scale. While the blurriness of ground is visualized at both particle and planetary scales, at the human scale, it becomes less evident. Drawing from Lisa’s Moffitt’s discussion of “environmental models”–that is, models that don’t merely simulate phenomena, in this case dust, but rather produce the underlying force itself––I produced visualizations of how dust, as both a grounded and atmospheric element, intertwines ground and weather across scales, through a cyclical process of …