Digital Commons Network^™

Combat And Beyond: Predictors Of Post-Traumatic Growth In War Zone Veterans, Gabriela Crucianu

Dissertations

Veterans returning from combat often face psychological challenges, but many also experience posttraumatic growth (PTG), which refers to positive changes that can emerge after trauma. This study explored whether coping strategies, personal characteristics, social support, and combat exposure were associated with PTG in a sample of 42 war zone veterans using quantitative and qualitative methods. Participants completed validated measures assessing combat exposure, coping strategies, social support, personal characteristics (e.g., optimism), and PTG. Regression analyses showed that combat exposure, coping strategies, and optimism were not significant predictors of overall PTG. However, combat exposure was associated with appreciation for life, a dimension …

Eritrean Refugees Between Securitization And Survival Along The Sahara Route To Egypt, Zeina Shoukry

Theses and Dissertations

Eritrea remains one of the largest refugee-producing countries in the world, with mandatory military conscription serving as a primary driver of displacement. This thesis examines the precarious journey of Eritrean refugees across the Sahara Desert en route to Egypt, situating this movement within the broader context of border securitization. It argues that the journey itself constitutes a critical and often overlooked phase of the migration process, as significant as both departure and destination.

Drawing on migration infrastructure theory and migrant network theory, this study foregrounds Eritrean refugees’ agency and resilience. It analyzes how refugees mobilize knowledge, digital technologies, social networks, …

God's Not Neutral: Narrative Tropes, Spiritual Warfare, And The Construction Of Evangelical Political Identity In American Christian Fiction, Evelyn L. Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Evangelical Christian fiction has reached tens of millions of readers and viewers during the most sustained period of evangelical political mobilization in American history, yet its narrative construction remains largely unexamined. This study asks how recurrent tropes in this genre build the attitudinal and emotional preconditions for political engagement. Combining systematic qualitative content analysis of eight texts spanning four decades (1986–2024) with Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in van Dijk's sociocognitive framework, it traces how storytelling devices connect theological belief to political behavior. The analysis reveals a single organizing logic: the corpus holds one regressive heroic disposition constant while making it …

Polymer Nanocomposite Dielectrics For High-Temperature Superconducting Cables: Cryogenic Characterization And Testing Environment Development, Jared R. Ericksen

Theses and Dissertations

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables require dielectric insulation materials that can withstand cryogenic operating environments while maintaining electrical reliability, mechanical stability, and manufacturing compatibility. This thesis investigates polyamide-based polymer nanocomposites as candidate HTS cable insulation materials and develops cryogenic testing platforms for evaluating thin-film dielectrics at reduced temperatures. Two silicon-based filler systems are studied: sol-gel-derived silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Dielectric breakdown behavior is evaluated under DC and AC high-potential testing, while mechanical behavior is assessed through tensile testing. The results show that PA/SiO 2 nanocomposites provide the strongest overall balance of mechanical reinforcement and …

The Role Of External Factors In Shaping Carbohydrate Conformational Landscapes, Murat Yaman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Carbohydrates (glycans) are among the most structurally diverse biomolecules and participate in a wide range of biological processes, including molecular recognition, cell adhesion, immune response, host-pathogen interactions, and cellular signaling. Their biological functions are governed by a complex interplay between sequence, stereochemistry, conformational flexibility, and environmental factors. However, the structural heterogeneity and dynamic nature of glycans present significant challenges for both experimental characterization and theoretical modeling. In particular, the relationships between glycan structure, conformational dynamics, and the resulting potential energy surfaces remain incomplete.

This dissertation investigates how external factors modulate the potential energy surfaces of carbohydrates through a combination of …

Comfort In Cases Of Sickness: Health And Colonialism At The Eastern Pequot Reservation, 1800-1850, Katherine N. Brauckmann

Graduate Masters Theses

Health and sickness were major concerns for the Eastern Pequot community in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, the Eastern Pequot’s collective finances were controlled by a court-appointed overseer who rented reservation land to non-Pequot individuals and used the generated funds to purchase goods and services for those on the reservation. In an 1841 petition to remove an overseer for failing in his duties, issues of health were brought up twice among their grievances: that they received little support “in Sickness or in health” and that “our Land if family rented […] would add much to …

Going The Distance: How The Disney Renaissance Illustrated The Social And Cultural Changes In America During The 1990s, Deborah A. Bates

Graduate Masters Theses

The cultural and social history of America in the 90s is examined in this thesis by looking at the Disney Renaissance, a period of ten films made by the Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS). This thesis illustrates how the animators were able to seamlessly incorporate important societal trends of the 90s into their films, portraying a changing world within their films. As they were creating a new style of the animated movie musical, they were creating works that connected to the audiences watching in new ways, by putting up a reflection of society within their films. The way that the …

A Bostonian In Cuba: Edwin F. Atkins And United States Imperialism In Latin America, Miles Klotz

Graduate Masters Theses

Edwin F. Atkins, a native of the Boston area and member of a well-known Brahmin family, was the largest and most powerful American property owner in Cuba at the turn of the twentieth century, overseeing a massive sugar plantation called Soledad in the southern port city of Cienfuegos. Atkins’ ownership of Soledad coincided with massive changes in Cuba’s colonial system of government, concluding with the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898) and the War of 1898, which saw the United States defeat Spain, gain control of Cuba, and install a military government on the island. This thesis examines the attitudes and …

Bridging Fiscal Sustainability And Health Equity: A Policy Analysis Of California’S Healthcare Coverage Safeguards, Guadalupe Castaneda Martinez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Without structural policy intervention, approximately 4.6 million Californians remain at risk of being uninsured by 2030, worsening racial and ethnic health disparities and hospital uncompensated care burdens. This policy analysis advocates for a hybrid universal coverage model combining sliding-scale subsidies (California Senate Bill 78) with full-scope Medi-Cal expansion for all income-eligible residents regardless of legal status (California Assembly Bill 133). The framework relies on existing funding mechanisms, including the Managed Care Organization tax and the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund. Comparative analysis indicates that market-only subsidies leave severe equity gaps, whereas immediate single-payer transitions pose substantial fiscal and administrative risks. …

Comparing Principal Component Analysis And Sequential Fusion Deeponet With Varying Dataset Size For Design Space Exploration Of Hypersonic Flow, J. Dallan Trentman

Theses and Dissertations

Design space exploration and optimization of hypersonic vehicles is costly due to the difficulty of producing high fidelity CFD simulations in the hypersonic domain. Reduced order modeling can allow for design optimization at a fraction of the computational cost. This paper investigates the amount of training data required to produce an accurate Reduced Order Model. A PCA based ROM is developed and compared to a Sequential Fusion DeepONet by comparing model prediction accuracy, training time, and prediction time, across dataset sizes from 25 samples to 1024 samples. These models are applied to 2D hypersonic CFD simulations of the Orion reentry …

Evaluating The Discus Throw As An Ancient Greek Combat Training Tool Through Modern Performance Metrics, Daniel R. Porter

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study’s purpose was to explore the correlations between peak velocity in a rotational throw with a medicine ball, peak force (PF) and rate of force development (RFD) in an isometric mid-thigh pull, time to failure in a plank test, and peak velocity in a sword thrust task, which was also tested for reliability. Twenty-seven recreationally trained male participants between the ages of 18-35 completed the study. The sword thrust task was significantly correlated with the medicine ball throw (p = 0.012, r = 0.475, r² = 0.226, 95% CI [0.724, 0.116]) and PF (p = 0.045, r …

History In The Social Studies Classroom: Developing Historical Literacy And Skills Through Inquiry Lessons, Nancy J. Thatcher

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This Plan B project has created a series of inquiry-based lesson plans and activities for World History classrooms that emphasize historical literacy and disciplinary thinking. Rather than producing a traditional research thesis, this project emphasizes applied historical scholarship by translating historical and professional methodology into three classroom ready instructional lesson plans that are aligned with the Utah Core Standards for Social Studies. The project reflects the History MA’s emphasis on disciplinary rigor while addressing the practical needs of public history and education with pedagogical best practices. This project responds to ongoing challenges in World History education, including constrained instructional time, …

Bringing Women Into Focus: Adapting Traditional Lesson Standards To Incorporate Women In U.S. History, Emma M. Wilson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis Plan-B project is creating women centered lesson plans for middle and high school social studies curriculum. As a result of male dominance in education the standards, practices, and curriculum have largely focused on a male-dominant narrative. This project works to remedy this imbalance by taking standards directly from the State and adapting lesson plans to highlight historical women actors as the focus, while still aligning with core outcomes. The current male-centered approach to the broader social studies curriculum does not account for the wide array of viewpoints experienced for those living in the United States. Re-envisioning lessons to …

Association Between Stress Mindset, Psychological Symptoms, And Psychosocial Risk In Liver Transplant Patients, Sarah Kay Brill

Dissertations

Psychosocial functioning is a central component of liver transplant evaluation, yet less is known about how cognitive factors, such as stress mindset, relate to transplant readiness. The present study examined the association between stress mindset and psychosocial risk, as well as its relationship with depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress among patients undergoing liver transplant evaluation. Patients included 62 adults completing standard pre-transplant assessment measures, including the Stress Mindset Measure–Specific (SMM-S), Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that stress mindset was …

Seeing The Unspoken: A Pilot Eye-Tracking Study Of Moral Injury Among Veterans, Eva M. Valdez

Dissertations

This pilot study examined associations between self-reported moral distress, state distress, combat exposure, deployment history, and maximum pupil reactivity among veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Participants viewed neutral and morally relevant images while pupil responses were recorded using eye-tracking technology. Self-report measures included moral distress severity, exposure to potentially morally injurious events, Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings, total deployments, number of combat deployments, and Combat Exposure Scale scores. Maximum pupil reactivity was calculated by subtracting the mean z-scored maximum pupil response during neutral image presentations from the mean z-scored maximum pupil response during morally relevant image presentations. This variable …

Narrative And Video Games: How Mediums Can Expand Our Stories, Erin Hagy

Theses & ETDs

The objective of this paper is to examine the extent to which video games can be conceived as a narrative format, with specific regards to its consideration in the educational and social spheres. The paper outlines a variety of popular games for consideration, as well as some influencing technological factors, in arguments for the growing importance and inclusion of narrative within the field of gaming. It also exhibits a variety of case studies towards this point and concludes that while video games hold great potential in terms of narrative, the notable variation across the medium can make it difficult to …

Bending And Breaking The Boundary Between Horror And Comedy: An Exploration Of The Existentialist Function Of The Abject In The Works Of John Landis And Woody Allen, Alaynna K. Bromley

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis explores the line between comedy and horror in an increasingly postmodern world through the cinema of John Landis and Woody Allen. Chapter One explores the theoretical and historical material that link Landis and Allen, namely in their dealing with (1) Edgar Allan Poe’s effect, (2) Julia Kristeva and Judith Butler’s abject, (3) Sigmund Freud’s “uncanny,” and (4) Mikhail Baktin’s carnivalesque. The chapter will conclude with John Landis’ portions of The Twilight Zone: The Movie, as a linked history that welcomes exploration of Landis alongside Allen. Chapter Two conducts a comparative study of two horror-comedies: John Landis’ An American …

The Kings Are Dead. Long Live The Kings: The Legacy Of Roman Kingship In The Republican And Imperial Periods, Dylan Hillebrand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From Romulus through Tarquinius Superbus, Rome’s kings occupied a major place within the collective cultural imagination of the ancient polity long after the office was abolished. For generations, no accusation was as odious as “king” and the entire period was seen as a cautionary tale. While the legacy of the kings remained an essential part of Roman identity, how the people related to that legacy changed eventually resulting in a restoration of kingship. A complete picture of the establishment-rejection-restoration cycle becomes clear through examination of the works of Roman (and Greek) historians. Central questions which guide this study: Why were …

Helicopter Pilots’ Safety Behaviors: Identifying Factors That Affect Risk Perception Among Helicopter Pilots, Khaled J. Alzaabi

Theses and Dissertations

Helicopter operations frequently take place in complex, high-risk environments, where pilots continuously assess hazards and make critical decisions under pressure. Despite standardized procedures, regulations, and training designed to enhance safe operations, helicopter pilots may perceive risk differently when encountering similar flight situations. Understanding the factors that influence helicopter pilots’ perception of risk is essential for improving helicopter operation safety.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various factors on risk perception among helicopter pilots. Using an explanatory correlational design, the study assessed whether helicopter pilots’ demographics, flight experience, and affective domain factors explain differences in their …

“Dynt Of Dede:” Reading The Medieval Combat Scene Through The Helmet-Cleave Motif, Andrew Sherwood Thomas

Dissertations

This research explores the continuity of chivalric combat descriptions throughout medieval literature. By tracing the history, development, and distribution of the helmet-cleave motif, this study is able to examine combat scenes spanning a wide reach of time, genera, and language. The purpose of this work is to suggest a reading methodology for the chivalric combat scene that appropriately situates it in its cross-textual context and so reveals the nuance of its expression and the value in its study.

Despite the volume of surviving combat descriptions in medieval literature, they remain underrepresented in the scholarship due to their apparent repetitious and …

Womanhood On The Veranda: Maternalism And The Expansion Of American Women's Public Life, Abigail J. Swanson

History ETDs

Motherhood and child welfare became central organizing principles for reform during the United States Progressive Era.  From these guiding principles, the government formed the United States Children’s Bureau. It was the country's first governmental agency that focused solely on the welfare of children. Mothers writing to the federal government for motherhood advice was a phenomenon that was completely new to twentieth century mothers. Women took pride in their roles as mothers, particularly when it came to child health matters. To the generation of mothers who came before these early twentieth century letter writers, asking the government for advice on child …

Unbroken Sovereignty: Land, Water, Education, And Nakoda And Oc̣Eti Ṡaḳowiŋ Tribes Of The Fort Peck Indian Reservation, 1850–1935, Richard Joseph Maska

History ETDs

This dissertation explores the intersection of sovereignty and development among the Nakoda (Assiniboine) and Oc̣eti Ṡaḳowiŋ (Sioux) Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Methodologically, it draws on a critical reading of archival sources in conjunction with community input. It traces the emergence of reservation policy, government sponsored education, the imposition of allotment policy and private landownership, and the impact of state-sponsored irrigation and other development projects. I argue that the Tribes forged webs of affiliation and kinship to both assert their nationhood and navigate their involvement in such projects. These expressions …

Effects Of Variable Light On Sexual Competition In Kelp Species, Jaycee Lanza

Master's Theses

As foundation species, kelps significantly influence the structure and composition of their surrounding habitat by modifying environmental conditions, including light levels, currents, nutrient availability, sedimentation, and seawater chemistry. Light, in particular, is a critical resource that varies greatly within kelp forests, affecting kelp reproductive processes such as gametogenesis, fertilization, and recruitment, which are vital to population persistence. Biological factors, such as density-dependent competition for resources and sexual competition with other kelps, can also affect such processes. To understand how environmental variables influence kelp populations, it is crucial to recognize their combined effects. This study investigated the impacts of light levels …

Object Avoidance Onboard An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle In Support Of Geomagnetic Based Navigation System, Eric Benavidez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to collect and analyze magnetic field data in the vicinity of the Mercy, Tracey, and Jay Scutti with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and a forward mounted magnetometer. The collected data was used to develop geomagnetic contour maps and magnetic thresholds of known anomalies to compare the results with validated sources such as NOAA.

In addition, this collected data was used to develop a Gazebo simulation which accurately modeled the magnetic field data and ocean effects of the Fort Lauderdale Shipwreck Trail. This Gazebo simulation allowed for proper testing and refinement of object avoidance …

From Seductress To Sovereign: A Reassessment Of Cleopatra Vii’S Power, Gender, And Historic Representation, Jordan L. Myrick

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous women in history. As Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BCE and a major player in the Augustan age, she had the power to change the fate of empires. Despite her powerful position in history, however, Cleopatra’s historical narrative is often focused on the alliances that surrounded her. She has been portrayed as a seductive ruler who snared Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius and whose drive for power led to the downfall of her kingdom. This original image of Cleopatra seems to have stemmed from the Augustan …

Irrigation Water Conservation And Accelerated Composting: An Exploration Of Environmentally Conscious Practices For Ornamental Horticulture, William James Carson Dunford

LSU Master's Theses

Best management practices for ornamental horticulture include proper management of irrigation water resources and substrate components. The first study investigated the effects of wind speed, wind direction, water pressure, and spray stake height on irrigation efficiency in nursery containers. Results indicated that lower spray stake height positions and lower wind speeds significantly improved the irrigation water volume captured within nursery containers by as much as 18% to 39%. Orienting spray stakes against prevailing winds further enhanced water retention, particularly at 0 and 1 inch heights. In contrast, higher stake elevations led to increased irrigation water loss by as much as …

Radiation Effects On The Amd Versal Running An Automatic Modulation Classification Model, Allan D. Howe

Theses and Dissertations

With the recent increase of interest into artificial intelligence (AI), graphics processing units (GPUs) have been used as the main hardware architecture for AI computation. Because of their high power consumption and large size, it is necessary to consider other architectures to perform AI computing in outer-space where size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) are tightly constrained. One such architecture is the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Versal Adaptive Compute Acceleration Platform (ACAP), which can achieve acceptable AI throughput at a lower power and size compared to a GPU. As the Versal ACAP gets used in space applications, it is necessary …

Perceived Level Of Preparedness For A Terrorist Event Between State, Local And Tribal Law Enforcement Officers, Herbert Henderson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In this quantitative cross-sectional study, differences in perceived preparedness among state, local, and tribal law upon Kingdon’s multiple streams approach and Baumgartner and Jones’ punctuated equilibrium theory to explain administrative changes in law enforcement following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Data were collected from 53 full-time police officers across state, local and tribal agencies using a web-based survey instrument measuring enforcement officers in a northern border region were examined. Officers’ perceived preparedness to identify, prevent, and respond to future terrorist threats were evaluated. Whether perceived preparedness differed by agency type and whether officers with military experience or advanced homeland security …

Scraping The Earth: Testing Ndvi As An Indicator Of Military Ground Maneuver Within The Israeli Invasion Of The Gaza Strip, Thomas A. Bergeron

LSU Master's Theses

The advancement of open-source (OSINT) and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) has allowed independent researchers to study human conflict in new ways, with tools that were previously reserved only for state intelligence agencies. In order to advance methodologies, researchers must continue to evaluate new tools to study war.  Valued for its accessibility and moderate spatial resolution, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is one such tool that has not been widely systematically tested for its use in an open-source GEOINT investigation of modern conflict. This study tests NDVI as an indicator of military maneuver by leveraging a mixed-method approach against open-source kinetic …

Examining The Moderating Roles Of Religious Coping And Belonging In The Relationship Between Moral Injury, Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Within The Israeli Defense Forces Reservist Soldiers, Rotem Z. Moshe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the moderating roles of religious coping and belonging in the relationship between moral injury and psychological distress, among Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reservist soldiers. This study investigated whether religious coping predicted moral injury, depression, anxiety, and stress, and examined whether religious coping and belonging moderated the relationship between moral injury and psychological distress. Exposure to potentially morally injurious events during military service is associated with increased risk for adverse mental health effects, particularly in times of prolonged conflict. Research on protective factors that mitigate these outcomes remains limited. Pointed by religious coping and belongingness frameworks, this study …