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A Strategy Toward Healing And Reconciliation Through Forgiveness Training For The Members Of The Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Glenford Baxter

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A focus group at the Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church, prior to the onset of this research, identified three key areas of conflict that must be addressed in order to improve its spiritual life and experience growth. One of the identified areas of conflict was the lack of forgiveness and a need for reconciliation among members. Unwillingness on the part of some members to both give and receive forgiveness has led to significant declines in attendance and loss of members over the past ten years.

Method

The project undertakes the development of a four-part biblical sermon series over two month …

Developing And Refining A Leadership Training For Pastors Of Multi-Staff Churches In The Georgia-Cumberland Conference, Virgil Alan Covel

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. There is a growing recognition that ministers must be trained and competent in leadership skills to pastor successfully. Successful pastors are skilled in leadership practices. An MDiv degree does not increase a pastor’s capacity to successfully lead his/her congregation. As a result many congregations are unhappy with their pastors and are unable to maintain momentum and a sense of direction. Pastors, for their part, are overwhelmed and disheartened, with many burning out and leaving ministry.

Method. Conduct a leadership enrichment program for the pastors of multi-staff churches in the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, using the four-year program developed …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Awareness And Educational Program In Dallas-Fort Worth Korean Church Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Jong Keun Han

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Research has established that Seventh-day Adventist families in the Korean community currently living in the United States of America are experiencing increasing levels of domestic violence. It has become increasingly clear that all is not well in the family unit, a core unit of any church and society. During numerous Korean ministerial association meetings, pastors have in the recent past been expressing their growing frustrations about family quarrels. Quarrels in the family have been seen to lead to violence in the homes of many congregation members. While domestic violence is well-known, yet not much talked about problem among Koreans …

Developing A Discipleship Ministry For Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In The West Central Korean Conference, Jae Sun Kim

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Purpose. The purpose of this Ministry Focus Project document was to develop a theoretical and practical framework for implementing a discipleship ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the West Central Korean Conference in South Korea and ultimately to cultivate a consciousness of discipleship among Adventists. The worldwide Seventh-day Adventist denomination is growing, but it seems that Adventist churches are failing in the area of discipleship. Making disciples needs to be an important part of our Adventist culture. A discipleship curriculum would help the pastors and members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Korea to become mature, committed, reproducing witnesses …

Promoting Spiritual Growth Among Camp Counselors Through Camping Ministries, Edmund E. Heinrich

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Many churches realize that large numbers of their young people are not engaged in their congregations. In response to this trend, churches look to local conferences for help. Unfortunately, few conferences have developed models for engaging, equipping, training, and retaining young people.

Method. Develop a program at Leoni Meadows camp to increase the effectiveness in developing leaders who are more fully committed to Jesus Christ through camping ministries.

Result. Increased the spiritual awareness among camp counselors, creating a desire for many to develop a deeper relationship with God and share His love with others.

Conclusions. Camping ministry is unique …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Intervention Strategy In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Evans Nwachukwu Nwaomah

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. Increasingly Seventh-day Adventist church families in the Port Harcourt area of Rivers Conference are experiencing domestic violence. During ministerial meetings, pastors express their growing frustrations and concerns about family quarrels which sometime result into physical attacks and such attacks then escalate beyond common understanding.

Method. This exploratory study utilized a survey questionnaire administered to 377 participants, ages 18 years and above, attending Seventh-day Adventist churches in PortHarcourt, Nigeria. The instrument for this research was adapted from the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979) and the National Violence Against Women Survey (NAVAW) (Tjaden & Thonnes, 2000). The CTS is a 39-item …

An Equipping Strategy For Numeric Growth At The Denver Korean Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Young Uoo Suh

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The numeric growth of the Denver Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church has been stagnant at best for the last seven years (1997-2004), with an annual growth rate of about 3 percent during this period. Yet, during this same period the Korean immigrant population in the city of Denver has grown to approximately 20,000; thus, the church is failing to reach a growing target population. A primary contributing factor to this lack of numeric growth seems to be the church’s reliance on the pastor to do all of the evangelistic work. And the lay leaders were not properly equipped and trained …

Factors Influencing Athletic Training Students' Selection Of Graduate Programs, Sonja E. Askew

Master's Theses

There is no published research known to the author on factors that influence athletic training student enrollment in the graduate programs. An investigation was conducted to determine the factors influencing students' selection of graduate programs and their relationship to gender, age, and ethnicity.

Analysis Of Sol-Gel Encapsulated Aggregate-Prone Peptides By Circular Dichroism, Nathan James Birtwhistle

Master's Theses

Protein aggregation has been linked to many debilitating neurological diseases. In each case, a specific protein is thought to have a region of intrinsically disordered structure that seeds the aggregation. Highly cooperative in nature, protein aggregation is difficult to investigate. The current study aims to characterize two aggregation-prone peptides involved in Huntington's disease, polyglutamine (polyQ, D₂Q₁₅K₂), and Alzheimer's disease, amyloid-beta (A&beta). A protocol was developed to encapsulate the peptides by the sol-gel technique. Generated from a liquid state, the silica matrix is presumed to isolate the soluble peptide, preventing aggregation. In addition, the porosity …

The Investigation Of The Unc-6/Netrin And Unc-40/Dcc-Mediated Synaptic Partner Recognition Pathway, Kelli Benedetti

Master's Theses

Organisms receive, process, and respond to environmental cues via intricate neural circuits that form during development. Proper development of neuronal circuits is therefore critical to brain function. To form these circuits, a neuron must first extend its axons to the appropriate target. After reaching this target region, it must recognize its correct synaptic partners from multiple incorrect partners and form appropriate synapses. It is well understood how axons reach their target regions, but little is known about how neurons select the correct partners once there, a process called synaptic partner

recognition (SPR). Our work aims to elucidate the genetic programs …

Modeling Wildfire Hazard In The Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas, David Bylow

Master's Theses

Wildfire regimes are a leading driver of global environmental change affecting diverse ecosystems across the planet. The objectives of this study was to model regional wildfire potential and identify environmental, topological, and sociological factors that contribute to the ignition of regional wildfire events in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas. The environmental, topological, and sociological factors were used to model regional wildfire potential through multi-criteria evaluation using a method of weighted linear combination. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and geographic information systems (GIS) data were integrated to identify regional wildfire factors. Point pattern and inferential statistical analysis were used to analyze regional …

(Re)Defining < Marriage >: An Autohistoria Of An Ideograph, Robert Gutierrez

Master's Theses

This study explores as an ideograph in the law and everyday life through an analysis of private and public texts and embodied acts. The purpose of this study was to engage intersectionally as a power structure with wide-ranging influence over society to locate resistance. Utilizing rhetorical methods, this work examined archives and repertoires through an autohistoria of a queer Chicano male before the passage of Proposition 8, the California Constitutional Amendment that banned for LGBTQ couples. By exploring through metaphors and performative writing, this study constructs in the tradition of the shaman to present new possibilities for and queer theory.

Effects Of Stress And Co-Rumination On Creativity And Performance, Subha Govindarajan

Master's Theses

Stress is shown to have a negative impact on individuals, organizations, and society at large. Though research in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology has examined the relationship between stress and various organizational outcomes, the effects of stress on creativity and performance have seldom been investigated. Furthermore, despite the well-reported buffering effects of social support on the negative outcomes of stress, the potential effects of one type of social support, co-rumination, on organizational outcomes have not been examined. Therefore, using 100 undergraduate students, the effects of stress and co-rumination on creativity and performance were examined. Results did not show that stress and co-rumination …

Consequences In Alcohol Use Portrayals On Emerging Adult Attitudes, Stephanie Jwo

Master's Theses

Many factors may contribute to forming attitudes towards alcohol, such as peer groups, family history, and media influences. This study focused on the inclusion of consequences in portrayals of alcohol-use and the possible influences on emerging adult attitudes towards alcohol. The emerging adult population represents a relatively newly defined developmental stage that roughly spans the ages of 18 to 25 years. Emerging adult attitudes towards alcohol were expected to vary positively or negatively after reading a vignette of alcohol-use that included a positive consequence, a negative consequence, or no consequence. Emerging adult attitudes did not vary by the alcohol-use consequences …

Prey And Plastic Ingestion Of Pacific Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus Glacialis) Collected In Monterey Bay, California, Erica Lynn Donnelly-Greenan

Master's Theses

Marine plastic pollution affects seabirds that mistake it for prey or incidentally ingest it with prey. Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and seabirds that feed at the water's surface ingest the most plastic. This can cause health issues, including satiety that possibly leads to inefficient foraging. The objectives of this study were to examine fulmar body condition, identify cephalopod diet and ingested plastic, predict foraging areas, and determine if prey number and size was correlated with ingested plastics in Pacific Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii). Cephalopod prey were identified, measured, and enumerated; plastic and marine debris were categorized, enumerated, and weighed …

Symposium Introduction: Humanism Goes To Law School, Marjorie A. Silver

Touro Law Review

By now, the knowledge that law students experience more than their fair share of distress is old news. The studies about law student (and lawyer) unhappiness have been widely discussed in both academic literature and trade publications. Less well known, however, are the increasing number of programs that law schools, and individuals within those schools, have implemented to counter that distress,and to help students develop a positive professional identity,both as students and as the lawyers they are about to become.

Genetic Population Structure And Cryptic Speciation Of Ghost Shrimp (Neotrypaea Californiensis) In North American West Coast Estuaries, Daphne Anne Gille

Master's Theses

Many marine species produce larvae that disperse and develop into post-larvae in the open ocean over a period of weeks to months. However, the patterns and potential of larvae to disperse across long geographic distances are poorly understood. Here genetic variation found at the mitochondrial locus, cytochrome C oxidase subunit I, in adult ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, was used as a proxy to infer dispersal potential of ghost shrimp larvae found in estuaries along the west coast of the United States. Multiple haplotypes were shared among 346 adult ghost shrimp specimens collected from estuaries in Washington, Oregon, and California indicated …

Dynamics Of Vibrio With Virulence Genes Detected In Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii) Off California: Implications For Marine Mammal Health, Stephanie Nichole Hughes

Master's Theses

Given their coastal site fidelity and opportunistic foraging behavior, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) may serve as sentinels for coastal ecosystem health. Seals using urbanized coastal habitat can acquire enteric bacteria, including Vibrio, that may affect their health. To understand Vibrio dynamics in seals, demographic and environmental factors were tested for predicting potentially virulent Vibrio in free-ranging and stranded Pacific harbor seals (P. v. richardii) off the coast of California. Vibrio prevalence did not vary with season and was greater in free-ranging seals (29%, n = 319) compared with stranded seals (17%, n = 189). Of …

Individual Differences And Pet Ownership Status: Distinguishing Among Different Types Of Pet Owners And Non-Owners, Shannon Marie Merrill

Master's Theses

Research examining potential differences between pet owners and non-owners is prevalent in the scientific literature, but findings have often been inconsistent. Although some researchers have incorporated animal preference into their investigations of pet ownership, such research is scarce and inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences that may systematically vary based on pet ownership status, pet preference, and gender. It was predicted that the interaction of these variables would demonstrate differences among and between groups of pet owners and non-owners, which could help to explain some of the ambiguity of previous research.

A large sample of …

Utilization Of Protein Tertiary Contacts To Improve Protein Structure Prediction Using Sequence Homology, Trung Thanh Nguyen

Master's Theses

The structure of a protein ultimately determines its function; therefore, knowledge of three-dimensional structure is essential for understanding its function and mechanism of action. The two most common methods for determining protein structure are x-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These methods are quite successful but can be very time-intensive and costly. An alternative method is protein structure prediction, where structure is computationally predicted from amino acid sequence. As opposed to x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, protein structure prediction is not encumbered by potential experimental problems. In this research, we attempted to determine if certain protein structure features, …

Determining The Intracellular Concentrations Of Flavonoids In Mda-Mb-231 Cells Using Hplc-Coupled Mass Spectrometry, Anh Dang Pham

Master's Theses

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds found in a wide variety of plants. In recent years, flavonoids have been found to be beneficial to human health. Our lab has investigated the ability of flavonoids to induce cytotoxicity in human breast cancer cell lines. We have discovered that some compounds can induce cytotoxicity very readily, whereas others cannot. We hypothesized that this difference is attributable to a compound's ability to transverse the cell membrane. Therefore, we used LC-MS to measure the amount of each flavonoid that is able to enter into MDA-MB-231 cells, human breast cancer cells. We tested 14 flavonoids. MDA-MB-231 cells …

Profiling Flavonoid Cytotoxicity In Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Sina Yadegarynia

Master's Theses

Flavonoids are part of a large family of polyphenols that are found extensively in fruits and vegetables. This class of compounds has been of considerable medical interest due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Although extensive effort has been made to identify the biological effects responsible for the chemopreventive activity of these compounds, the exact molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. In this study, we focused on the cytotoxic effects of fourteen different flavonoids against a series of breast cancer cell lines and evaluated the induction of cell cycle arrest at G1 or G2/M phase as result of such …

The Effects Of Restored Aquatic Large Woody Debris Structures On Invertebrate Populations In The Napa River, Clayton Christopher Leal

Master's Theses

Agricultural encroachment and habitat destruction within the riparian zone of many California ecosystems have created a need for restoration of stream hydrology in order to enhance and support native flora and fauna. On the Napa River, adjacent vineyards have caused the channel to become deeply incised, so that the stream now lacks geomorphic variability and biodiversity. In order to restore channel complexity, large woody debris (LWD) structures were installed in the river in the summer of 2010. In this study I evaluated the effects of installing LWD structures within the Napa River on benthic invertebrates in the first year after …

Investigation Of The Role Of Dietary Flavonoids On Cell Death: Evidence To Support A Non-Classical Apoptotic Mechanism, Tetiana Lialiutska

Master's Theses

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds widely distributed in plants and have been shown to be cytotoxic to cancer cells. Our lab has previously shown that some flavonoids are able to induce cytotoxicity and inhibit caspase activity in human breast cancer cell lines. The goal of our study was to identify the specific molecular pathways required for flavonoid-induced cytotoxicity. MDA-MB-231 cells, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking caspase 3 and 7, and primary baby mouse kidney epithelial cells lacking Bax and Bak were cultured. Flavonoid-treated MDA-MB-231 cells showed cytochrome c release. We detected caspase 3 activation and PARP cleavage in MDA-MB-231 cells after …

Ethics And Wolf Management: Attitudes Toward And Tolerance Of Wolves In Washington State, Julie Callahan

Master's Theses

Approximately seventy-five years after extirpation from Washington State, gray wolves (Canis lupus) returned. As of December 2012, eight packs had arrived from adjacent states and provinces. Delisted from the Federal Endangered Species List in the eastern one-third of Washington, state wildlife managers now have the authority to manage wolves without federal supervision. As a result, one seven-wolf pack has been destroyed. The current study was developed to provide information for managers and policymakers to modify wolf management policies to fit the new regulatory context. Effects of a range of cultural and demographic factors on attitudes toward wolves and tolerance of …

Should Environmental Taxes Be Precautionary?, David A. Weisbach

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

This paper considers whether environmental taxes should be accelerated (or delayed) if the environmental harm from pollution is uncertain and irreversible, and where we are likely to learn more about the nature of the harm or about mitigation technologies in the future. It concludes that environmental taxes should be set equal to expected marginal harm from pollution given the currently available information and should be neither accelerated nor delayed because of the prospect of learning or irreversible harm. The reason is that taxes equal to expected marginal harm decentralize decisions to market participants who will, facing these taxes, make appropriate …

Vital Tooth Whitening Effects On Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life In Older Adults, Ann M. Bruhn, Michele L. Darby, Gayle B. Mccombs, Carleen M. Lynch

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if vital tooth whitening affects oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in adults age 50 years and older, and if tooth whitening causes increased participation in social activities.

Methods: Using a 2 group, single blind, randomized, pre-test, multiple post-test design, 62 participants were enrolled. The experimental group used a whitening product twice daily for 3 weeks. The control group used no whitening products. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) served as the pre- and post-test measure. The OHIP measures OHRQOL on 7 subscales: functional factors, psychological disabilities, psychological discomforts, physical disabilities, …

Magnification Loupes In U.S. Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Programs - Occupational Health And Safety, Leslie Mchaney Congdon, Susan Lynn Tolle, Michele Darby

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine policies and practices regarding magnification loupes among faculty and students in accredited dental hygiene programs as measured by a 31 item, self-designed questionnaire. In addition, the study compared policies among dental hygiene programs in 2 year versus 4 year programs in terms of requirements for the use of magnification loupes.

Methods: After institutional review board approval, a 31 item self-designed questionnaire was emailed via Survey Monkey to 303 entry-level dental hygiene programs. An overall response rate of 75% was obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test of independence. …

Oil Pulling: An Ancient Practice For A Modern Time, Gina M. Bekeleski, Gayle Mccombs, W. Lee Melvin

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

The practice of oil pulling or oil swishing is a time-honored Indian folk remedy that involves swishing edible oil in the mouth for oral and systemic health benefits. Oil pulling offers a naturalistic approach to oral health care for a growing body of individuals who desire alternative and complementary medicine. The purpose of this paper was to summarize published research on the effectiveness of oil pulling on oral health. Literature was retrieved from 1992-2011 through databases including Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), and …

Aggregation And Law, Eric A. Posner, Ariel Porat

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

If a plaintiff brings two claims, each with a 0.4 probability of being valid, the plaintiff will usually lose, even if the claims are based on independent events, and thus the probability of at least one of the claims being valid is 0.64. If a plaintiff brings two independent claims, and each of them is too weak to justify a remedy, the plaintiff will usually lose, even if the claims are jointly powerful enough to justify a remedy. Thus, as a general rule courts refuse to engage in what we call factual aggregation (the first case) and normative aggregation (the …