Digital Commons Network^™

Short-Term 2d And 3d Geomorphic Change Detection At A Public Park On Lake Michigan Using Uas Remote Sensing Techniques, Scott Patrick Fitzgerald

Masters Theses

The high-water level of Lake Michigan (LM) in the past few years has led to significant periods of erosion and increased the risk to private property owners on the coast. To cope with this, many property owners on the coast of LM have constructed coastal protections, some opting for seawalls. Previous studies have assessed the effects of seawalls but disagreed on their impacts, and only laboratory studies were able to establish their range of influence. Using a different method to study their effects will be pertinent to understanding them.

This research aims to use a higher temporal and spatial resolution …

Uplifting Voices: Implementing A Heritage-Based Civil Rights Program In The United States Forest Service, Amanda Jo Campbell Crawford

Masters Theses

The United States Forest Service holds in public trust hundreds upon thousands of historically significant sites. For decades, the management of these special places has focused on basic site identification and protection to meet legal compliance measures for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Standard practices within the agency led to cultural sites being identified on the ground in a cursory fashion, but with little research or follow up into the history of the site of the people that had created and occupied it. Sites reflecting the identity, history, or material culture of People of Color were especially …

The Potential Growth Of Synchronized Skating In The Midwestern Section Of Us Figure Skating, Hanna Marie Fussman

Masters Theses

Synchronized skating, a sport in which eight to twenty skaters perform a program in unison as a team, is the fastest growing yet least known and recognized discipline of figure skating in the United States. Skaters do not have control over whether they are exposed to synchronized skating due to their location not having a team, or due to a coach who has tainted the perception of their students to believe that synchronized skating is not as “worthy” of a discipline, causing them to have little to no interest to take advantage of the exposure and opportunities they may have. …

Parallel Resource Defined Fitness Sharing: A Study On Parallel Optimizations For Niching Algorithms, Blayne A. Rogers

Masters Theses

The exploitation of niches by genetic algorithms (GAs) is a computationally expensive, but effective, methodology for solving complex open problems and real-world applications. Niching, differentiated on the modality of sharing, casts problems in terms of the specific resources available. These concepts arise from the broader natural algorithms that encapsulate the ideas and theories used in artificial intelligence. In remediating the computational costs, a study on exploiting niche-defined parallel structures is performed in the contest of the resourcedefined fitness sharing (RFS) algorithm.

Sharing is a natural algorithm paradigm that emulates the use of resources within an environment or population. Defining these …

Fungal Chapel, Gabrielle Joy Cerberville

Masters Theses

FUNGAL CHAPEL is an interactive installation exploring the ties between people and place through the deconstructed visual language of Judeo-Christian religious iconography. Comprising five sculptures; BELFRY, OFFERTORY, BAPTISMAL, DOORWAY, and ALTAR, visitors are encouraged to interact on multiple levels of physical touch and consciousness, including pouring water, self-expression through writing, interacting with sonified fungal biodata, meditation, and offering and receiving gifts. Most of the objects in the chapel are “sounding sculptures” hooked up to contact microphones with added effects, and can be manipulated to produce a variety of musical sounds. Through the process of semi-guided ritual as an individual moves …

Popular Culture And World War Ii Propaganda, Baillie Victoria Catherine Bryan

Masters Theses

Popular culture in relation to World War II has been explored by various scholars over the years. They have deeply examined how radio, film, and other forms of media helped the war effort along and how Hollywood became engaged in the war effort, but there has been a lack of in-depth analysis of the major themes across the mediums. This thesis will examine how film, radio, cartoons, and comic books came together to become a powerful tool of propaganda and public information for the American home front and military. It is an in-depth examination of the major themes that were …

"The Third Power": James A. Everitt And The American Society Of Equity, Mark Kristian Myrdal

Masters Theses

The late 19th century marked a golden age for farmers’ movements in the United States. Crushing debt, deflation, increased urbanization, and industrial acceleration generated much discontent in America’s agricultural communities, and unleashed “a Populist moment” of farmer protest and organization. While the early 20th century witnessed significant economic improvement, farm organizations continued to operate and, in some cases, even thrived. Established in 1902 by seed merchant and newspaper editor James A. Everitt of Indiana, the American Society of Equity was one of the first major farmer’s movements founded in the twentieth century and helped to spread the concept of cooperative …

Mental Health Professionals' Beliefs About, Reactions Toward, And Overall Impression Of Stuttering, Elise Anne Nasser

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study is to better understand mental health professionals' beliefs, reactions, overall impression, and familiarity with stuttering to gain insight into areas where they may need more support. Some people who stutter develop increased levels of anxiety because of negative evaluation from the public (Iverach & Rapee, 2014). It is likely that a sub-group of people who stutter may benefit from mental health services; however, misinformation about stuttering may serve as a barrier in effective service provision for those who work with people who stutter (Ginsberg & Wexler, 2000). Quantitative survey data (Public Opinion Survey of …

Debunking The Curse Of Ham And Its Generational Impact On The Black Race, Fraendy Clervaud

Masters Theses

The so-called curse of Ham became a major issue for Christian Theology and apologetics. The false interpretation claimed that the Black race were to be enslaved. Therefore, these individuals were subjected to inhuman treatment through the institution of slavery for generations. Many believed that those from Africa did not receive Christianity until after they were kidnapped from their homeland. The false narrative that slavery introduced them to Christ is disingenuous. That is because Christianity prevailed in Africa even before it did in Europe. Individuals from African contributed immensely to the history and theology of Christianity. Three of the major Christian …

German And Mexican Music In Central Texas: Historical Connections And Present Possibilities, Amy Aline Beckman

Masters Theses

German and Mexican music have a shared musical ancestry due to immigrants interacting since the late 1800s in central Texas. Comparing these genres reveals both commonalities and distinctions regarding style, orchestration, and thematic material. The differences between the genres create cultural boundaries reflecting nationalism that sometimes reinforces racial tension, while the commonalities are opportunities for empathy and open-mindedness through the globalization that occurs from shared musical experiences. While the historical connections between Germans and Mexicans in Central Texas are well-documented, the present-day status and effects of these connections have not been researched thoroughly. This project builds cultural profiles of both …

Mislabeled: A Study Of Generational Labels And Gen Z Stereotypes, Levi Victor Smith

Masters Theses

Generation Z is the newest cohort to be introduced in the generational cycle and has earned the attention of marketers, researchers, and the general public alike. While individuals and members of other generations have been quick to stereotype and assign labels to members of Generation Z, little research has been done to see if such labels are accurate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discover whether generational labels can accurately communicate the characteristics of individuals within Generation Z. This study used Henri Tajfel's and John Turner’s Social Identity Theory to examine how group membership defines self-identity in terms …

Peter, The Apostle To The Gentiles? First Peter’S New Covenant Missional Strategy To Bless The Nations, Cole Victor Laing

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to further develop the message of First Peter within the context of the Apostle Peter’s life and witness. The majority of modern scholars suggest that First Peter is written to a predominantly Gentile audience. This begs the question as to why the apostle to the circumcised (Gal. 2:7) writes to a group of Gentile believers. The study aims to show that Peter, in fact, played a significant role in the earliest church’s mission to the Gentiles. Peter’s exhortation in his first epistle is to a group of believers who are suffering because of their …

We Shall Overcome: Designing An American Popular Music Curriculum To Promote Racial Equality, Kathryn Eileen Stiadle

Masters Theses

There is a strong relationship between American popular music and the fight for racial equality. In the past, music has been used to promote justice throughout slavery, segregation, and the civil rights movement. Racism remains a problem in American society, however, and music is not currently used to teach students about tolerance. This paper presents the argument that anti-racism education can be taught using an American popular music curriculum. Initial research was conducted using existing literature to determine the historical aspect of the project as well as current and future concerns. The acquired information was used to design a curriculum …

A Course To Prepare Undergraduate Music Education Students For Teaching Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amanda Lynn Whitmer

Masters Theses

In the field of music education, Autism Spectrum Disorder has become an area of importance requiring more thought and intentionality from teachers than normal lesson planning expectations. Because music educator programs only offer courses that cover the whole spectrum of special needs and do not focus on autism specifically, music educators are finding themselves unprepared to create music lessons that can accommodate learners with such a unique spectrum of learning abilities. Many college curriculums offer special needs courses that focus on all aspects of special education that can be found in music education but very rarely for autism as a …

The Old Testament’S Contribution To The Baptism Of Jesus In The Gospel Of Matthew, Andrew James Herbst

Masters Theses

The Baptism of Jesus is an often overlooked or misunderstood event. There are numerous interpretations of what the Baptism of Jesus reveals, some of which alternate between Christ’s work and ministry as a man or a revelation of His deity. A clearer understanding of the Baptism event may be discovered through examining the Gospel of Matthew and relevant OT texts. Matthew depicts Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, as the Son of David who would fulfill OT prophecies and become the messianic King and Servant of Yahweh. The voice from heaven, the dove, and the anointing of the Spirit may …

The Relationship Between Eviction, Rent Burden, And Poor Births In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Joseph Agati

Masters Theses

Millions of Americans get evicted every year, with thousands coming from Kalamazoo County, Michigan alone. Additionally, many more live with rent burden, paying over 30% of their monthly income on rent. Both eviction and rent burden have been linked to adverse health effects, such as depression and anxiety, and negative coping mechanisms, such as alcoholism and smoking. This study asks if eviction and rent burden are correlated with poor births in Kalamazoo County as there are hundreds of poor births in the county every year, as well as which social vulnerability themes are most predictive of eviction and poor births. …

Influence Of Soil And Land Cover On Chronic Wasting Disease Prevalence In White-Tailed Deer And Mule Deer Across North America, Madison L. Miller

Masters Theses

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that infects deer and is caused by a pathogenic prion. CWD is a concerning wildlife disease because it is incurable, potentially poses a risk to human health, and is spreading rapidly. CWD prions are transmitted both directly via bodily fluids and indirectly through environmental reservoirs such as soil. In this study, we investigated the influence of land cover and soil characteristics on CWD prevalence in white-tailed deer and mule deer. We acquired CWD prevalence data from seven North American regions and used ArcGIS to obtain land cover and soil characteristic data …

An Abductive Argument From Depression And Anxiety To Christian Personal Holiness, Kelly Douglas Burchett

Masters Theses

The science on pathological depression and anxiety (D&A) describes religion and spirituality's (R/S) insulating and immunizing effects in roughly 72 to 85 percent of all relevant articles. But the descriptivism of science cannot assign any normative value to a theological worldview. Deductive logic favors theism via Leibnizian contingency, Kalām cosmology, objective morality, fine-tuning of the universe, and abstract conceptualism. The information in DNA, the irreducible complexity of intracellular machinery, the improbability of folded proteins, and the support for common modular design over common ancestry establish a design inference for all of life. Unguided naturalistic simulations fail to surmount the complexity …

Collective Expressions Of Monacan Indian Nation Identity: A Communicative Arts Genre Study, Gretchen E. Casler-Cline

Masters Theses

This study considers the current communicative arts practices of the Monacan Indian Nation, an Indigenous Virginia tribe of approximately 2500 people located in Amherst County, Virginia. Historically the tribe was a large nation that extended from the falls of the James River near Richmond, Virginia to the Southwestern portions of the state near Roanoke and now the Monacan Indian Nation homeland is at Bear Mountain in Amherst County, Virginia. The study was conducted through interviews and observations at tribal events such as the annual Powwow and culture class, as well as consistent attendance and participation as a musician at St. …

Impact Of Gamification On An Online Middle School Classroom, Jeremy R. Hein

Masters Theses

Gamification is defined as the use of game elements in non-game contexts. The gamified element explored in this thesis is a leaderboard with various forms of engagement being tabulated. This study investigates the impact a leaderboard has on the behavioral engagement of an online middle school classroom. Research has revealed that elements of gamification can increase engagement but there is a gap in research that focuses solely on a leaderboard as an intervention to increase engagement. Also missing from the literature were studies conducted in middle school settings. The study presented in this thesis addresses these limitations and provides value …

Holy Manna: How Old Harp Singing In East Tennessee Is Surviving In A New Wilderness, Amanda Leigh Rogers

Masters Theses

This project explores the identity and sustainability of the shaped note singing tradition among the community of the Friends of the New Harp of Columbia. A pattern emerged in fieldwork of song ownership, songs that each member considered to be “theirs.” Songs of ownership intertwine with education, preservation, and mediation of multiple realities to provide a link between identity and preservation and between the past, present, and future. The community actively preserves their musical tradition through song ownership. The sustainability and survival of songs of ownership is emphasized in two ways: an emphasis on participation, not performance, and an emphasis …

Policing And Homelessness, Michael Ernest Bridges

Masters Theses

This research examines the barriers that exist between law enforcement and the homeless population of Lawrence, Kansas. Based on the criminalization of certain homeless practices and the treatment of homeless people by government officials, persons experiencing homelessness are less likely to report crimes to the proper authorities. Being the case, law enforcement methodology must change to a community-oriented policing style in order to create open lines of communication between law enforcers and this unique community. This study examined the homeless population's hesitancy to contact the police when they were in need of assistance and compared the results to both how …

Predicting Online Sexual Victimization Among College Students: Sexting, Solicitations, And Other Risky Online Behaviors, Tianna Joy Knight

Masters Theses

With the high prevalence rates of internet usage and smartphone ownership, risky online behaviors have become more and more widespread. These behaviors include sexting, online sexual solicitations, and online sexual interactions. Research indicates that these risky behaviors are related to online sexual victimization (OSV). OSV has been associated with poorer mental health, loneliness, lower life satisfaction, and other negative outcomes. Another phenomenon linked to OSV and sexting is sexual exploitation, but no study has yet analyzed the predictive ability of beliefs and awareness about sexual exploitation and human trafficking on OSV. Optimism bias, or the tendency to think that one’s …

One Shell Of A Problem: Cumulative Threat Analysis Of Male Sea Turtles Indicates High Anthropogenic Threat For Migratory Individuals And Gulf Of Mexico Residents, Micah Ashford

Masters Theses

Human use of oceans has dramatically increased in the 21st century, with some of the highest rates of change found within the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors in the marine environment as they make lengthy migrations between foraging and breeding sites often along coastal migration corridors. Sea turtles face severe population pressure from humans, yet little is known about how movement and threats interact specifically for male sea turtles. To better understand male sea turtle movement, and the threats they encounter within their expansive ranges, we tagged 40, adult male sea turtles …

“Celtic Things” In Tolkien’S Mythology, Erin Kriz

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Repeatability And Behavioral Syndromes In Genetically Distinct Clades Of Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), Kelsey Garner

Masters Theses

Animal personality implies limited behavioral plasticity and behavioral traits which are correlated across contexts. Correlated behaviors, sometimes referred to as behavioral syndromes, have the potential to inhibit behavioral traits from evolving independently. Limits on behavioral variation can influence a population’s ability to invade new geographic areas and exploit new niches. One way to explore such variation is to examine behavioral syndromes in genetically distinct populations of wide-ranging species that exhibit different dispersal pathways and distances. The personality-dependent dispersal syndrome suggests that certain traits, such as exploratory and risk-taking behavior, are correlated with dispersal success. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon …

Survey Of Diatom Periphyton Assemblages In Lake George, Joy Jackson

Masters Theses

Lake George is an oligotrophic lake that has been monitored by the International Biological Monitoring Program (IBM) since the 1960s. The 51 km long lake is separated into two deep basins, one in the south where the major stream inputs are located, and one in the north where the lake feeds the La Chute River, which empties into Lake Champlain. The two basins are separated by a shallow channel named the “Narrows.” The southern basin has experienced a higher level of development than the northern basin. The aim of this study is to characterize the diatom assemblages in the northern …

Variation In Alkaloid Composition And Sequestration In Dendrobatid Poison Frogs, Katherine R. Waters

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Alkaloid-Based Chemical Defenses In 11 Species Of Bufonid Poison Frogs From Brazil (Bufonidae: Melanophryniscus), Emily Staufer

Masters Theses

The term ‘poison frog’ describes members of five anuran families that are capable of sequestering lipophilic, alkaloid-based chemical defenses from their prey. Alkaloid defenses can vary widely within and among poison frog species, mostly linked to differences in availability of arthropod prey at different scales. While research has mainly focused on alkaloid variation within the dendrobatid and mantellid poison frogs, bufonid poison frogs in the genus Melanophryniscus demonstrate high inter- and intra-species alkaloid variation, and some members are capable of both sequestering dietary alkaloids and synthesizing alkaloids metabolically. However, of the 31 species of Melanophryniscus, only eight have ever had …

“Albertania” And “Egbenema”, Panding Biodiversity In The Oculatellaceae (Cyanobacteria)., Mildred Akagha

Masters Theses

To conduct molecular studies of cyanobacteria of Lagos, Nigeria, a total of eight soil/subaerial samples were collected in Lagos State, Nigeria, and used to isolate cyanobacterial cultures that were characterized microscopically, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Within the resulting set of cultures, a number of Synechococcales were observed, particularly belonging to Oculatellaceae. “Egbenema” and two new putative species of the recently described genus Albertania were found. Both genera belong to a supported clade within the Oculatellaceae that includes Trichotorquatus and Komarkovaea. The two new putative species of Albertania, “A. egbensis” and “A. latericola”, were from …