Digital Commons Network^™

Reducing United States Military Involvement, Nicolas Pacheco

Perspectives

This paper addresses the effect that a tactical reduction of United States military personnel could potentially have on the threat of terrorism against the American homeland. While terrorist factions employ varying strategies to further their causes of opposition to western society and occupation, the United States continues to discreetly carry out policies that support incumbent governments and pursue high-risk targets at the risk of civilian casualties. The impact of this hostility can be derived from historical perspectives of neocolonialism and hegemony, but it is crucial to continue to maintain global security interests to prevent international terrorism. This paper explains the …

System Safety Principles: A Multidisciplinary Engineering Perspective, Joseph Saleh, Karen Marais, Francesca Favaro

Faculty Publications

System safety is of particular importance for many industries. Broadly speaking, it refers to the state or objective of striving to sustainably ensure accident prevention through actions on multiple safety levers (technical, organizational, and regulatory). While complementary to risk analysis, it is distinct in one important way: risk analysis is anticipatory rationality examining the possibility of adverse events (or accident scenarios), and the tools of risk analysis support and in some cases quantify various aspects of this analysis effort. The end-objective of risk analysis is to help identify and prioritize risks, inform risk management, and support risk communication. These tools …

A Historical Account Of The Conceptual Evolution Of Satan In The Abrahamic Belief Traditions, Hanan Huneidi

Senior Theses

This paper shows a historical account of the development of the Satan persona in the Abrahamic belief traditions beginning with early Judaism in which Satan evolves most vastly from beginning as merely an action verb to ending as a tempter of man, then moving into the Christian New Testament evil entity personified as a direct opponent to Jesus, and finally ending with Islam’s perspective of a leader of the Jinn.

Democratic Vs. Capitalist Peace: A Test In The Developing World, Faruk Ekmekci

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper aims to test the capitalist and democratic peace arguments within the developing world. Notwithstanding the theoretical arguments and empirical evidence which indicate two different dynamics of interstate conflict in the developing and the developed worlds, the proponents of both “democratic peace” and “capitalist peace” arguments did not take into account the distinction between developing and developed countries and tested their hypotheses within samples that included “all dyads” in different time periods. This study aims to fill this gap by testing capitalist and democratic peace arguments within the developing world. It tests the capitalist and democratic peace arguments through …

The Taliban And The Crises Of Afghanistan And Pakistan, Caitlin Murphy

3690: A Journal of First-Year Student Research Writing

Overview: Ziauddin Yousafzai is a man who was born and raised in Pakistan. He is a devout Muslim and takes pride in two things – his family and education. He is responsible for the building and running of multiple schools in the Swat Valley – for both boys and girls. His daughter has won multiple awards in school for her work and speeches. Their nation is not perfect, and that certainly needs reform, but Ziauddin believes that education can solve these problems. His life and the lives of his family and friends move on until one word stops everything – …

Emotional Doubt And Divine Hiddenness, A. Chadwick Thornhill

Eruditio Ardescens

This essay will seek to develop a possible model for addressing the existential problem of divine hiddenness and the emotional doubt that it might cause in the life of a believer. In doing so, it will identify several potential "root causes" for the experience of the existential problem of divine hiddenness and attempt to guide a hurting individual through dealing with their doubt by applying misbelief therapy.

Bridging The Gap: Understanding, Anticipating, And Responding To The Needs Of Student Veterans In A Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Program, Larry Michael Stowers

Doctoral Projects

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and the Post-9/11 Veterans Assistance Act of 2008 have afforded veterans the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Since October 2001, over 2 million American men and women in uniform have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). While thousands of returning combat veterans take advantage of recent legislation that helps pay for their education, they face new challenges in the classroom. This nation’s veterans represent a group of diverse individuals who bring different experiences, thus different perspectives than traditional college-aged students. …

Places That Change, Water That Remains: An Analysis Of Rio Arriba County Nm-Land Use And Figure Ground Study, J. Jarrett García

The Rio Chama Basin: Land, Water and Community

No abstract provided.

Grief In The Iliad, Patrick R. Stickley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper addresses the causes and effects of grief within Homer's Iliad. In addition, this paper argues that error, both committed and suffered, is the primary cause of grief, and that grief is particularly transformative in regard to Achilles, both in his motivations and his physicality.

Identifying Target Properties For The Design Of Meta-Material Tank Track Pads, Venkata Sampath Dangeti

All Theses

On track vehicle systems, track pads are designed to provide traction and support the weight of the vehicle, they have limited service life due to common failure by blowout. According to the literature, blowout is a failure mode caused by overheating due to hysteresis in elastomeric materials during high speed operations. Elastomers are used primarily for their high compliance, which is essential to protect the suspension components and maintain structural integrity of the track pad. The objective of the work is to explore the use of linear elastic meta-materials with optimized topology to replace elastomers and reduce or eliminate the …

Through Crimson Tides: Tarawa's Effect On Military Tactics And Public Perception Of War, Josh Hudak

All Theses

This study is on the battle of Tarawa, and how the battle altered military doctrine in amphibious warfare tactics and public perception of war. Tarawa was the first battle of its kind being the first amphibious assault against a fortified objective utilizing joint land, sea, and aerial attacks. It was also the first battle that was filmed from its beginning to its end and shown uncensored to the American public. This study will examine the historiography of the Battle for Tarawa, an overview of the fighting, and the aftermath of the battle. It will also examine the public's reaction to …

A Modernism Against Maestros: Horacio Quiroga And The Transnational Automaton, Jacqueline Fetzer

All Theses

In this paper I will explore the possibility that Horacio Quiroga's regional treatment of modernist themes is more than a creole adaptation or mimicry of the European maestros, instead placing Quiroga in dialogue with an international framework of contemporary texts that explore conflicting attitudes towards modernity through dark portrayals of science and technology. I focus on Quiroga's 1910 novella El hombre artificial (The Artificial Man), a text with an amalgamation of themes and plot devices that have caused the work itself to be dismissed for being of 'poor quality.' Yet these themes and formal features integrally connect Quiroga's novella to …

De-Territorializing The Child : Towards A Theory Of Affect In Educational Philosophy And Research, Marta Pires

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation explores the paradox between the normalizing and equalizing purpose of public education, stated in the rhetoric of policy and politics, and the social gaps it actually produces and perpetuates. The purpose of the study is to deterritorialize the ideal rational child of formal education and policy texts by juxtaposing it with the affective child found at the margin, outside of the rational regime of perception that permeates policy, and political discourse. I discuss what I believe are instances of children’s deterritorialized/ing experiences often missed, not only by formal education, but also by policy writers across the board, and …

Islam In France And Germany: A Comparative Study Of The Immigrant Religion’S Experience In The State Sphere, Kristen Callais

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The “Arab Spring” In The Discourse Of The Western Media, Logan De La Barre-Hayes

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

In Our Defense : Sheridan's The Camp, The Glorious First Of June, Pizarro And The Fate Of The British Nation In Late Eighteenth-Century England, Patricia Mari Valatka

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this thesis, I examine Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s plays The Camp (1778), and The Glorious First o f June (1794), and Pizarro (1799), and how they dealt with the British invasion crisis of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. I investigate how Sheridan’s theatrical works confronted and presented British fears of national/racial annihilation and in turn how society used these plays to understand them. In particular, I want to consider the ways Sheridan’s works attempted to influence the audience members’ feelings about participating in the military to defend the British nation. Although Sheridan’s play Pizarro is often examined in …

Deconstructing The In-Patient Behavioral Health Facility: Finding The Balance Between Safety And Therapeutics, Robert J. Schultz

All Theses

Casualty statistics resulting from 10+ years of combat action/deployments in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) have yielded multiple casualties. These casualty types include the visibly and invisibly wounded, where the visible (physical) wounds include but are not limited to gunshot/shrapnel, blunt trauma and blasts from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). The invisibly wounded include but are not limited to Combat Stress, Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI). Unfortunately and although operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have decreased, invisible wounds continue to persist yielding an increase in soldier behavioral health complications which at an …

Sea Power In The Precision-Missile Age, Walter E. (Ted) Carter

United States Navy: Publications

The article discusses how the use of long-range precision strike (LRPS) systems and other technological innovations have the potential to change the way sea wars are conducted. The increasing use of remotely piloted and autonomous air, surface, and sub-surface platforms can also impact sea wars. Advanced information and communications technologies also have an impact on warfare.

1. Key Trends 2. Implications for High-End Warfare at Sea 3. The Return of Command at Sea 4. New Approach to Logistics 5. Relevant Forces for the Future

Officious Intermeddling Or Protected First Amendment Activity? The Constitutionality Of Prohibitory Champerty Law After Citizens United, Bradley C. Tobias

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

No abstract provided.

‘Liberty Is The Word With Me’ The Ideologies And Allegiances Of Civil War Soldiers In Hamilton County, James J. W. Scott

Honors Theses

This case study of Hamilton County, Tennessee investigates Civil War soldiers to determine how the county was divided and why men chose to fight for the Union or the Confederacy. Using descriptive statistics and Grounded Theory Method, this study analyzes census data, military records, and personal correspondence to show that Confederate soldiers were concentrated in urban areas as wealthy businessmen or poor laborers, while Unionists dominated rural areas mostly as middleclass small farm owners. This research reveals that Confederates adopted an identity and ideology similar to other states in the Confederacy through railroad and business connections, and Unionists resented a …

Emitter Localization And Compressed Sensing: A Low Cost Design Using Coarse Direction Finding Antennas, Andrew Raymond Wagner

Graduate Theses - Engineering Management

Research has been conducted to determine the location of uncooperative radio-frequency (RF) emitters, using low cost sensors employing broadband, low directivity antennas. Comparably lowered accuracy and longer response time may be appropriate trade-offs for size, weight, and power (SWAP). These sensors can then be deployed on numerous testbeds, and algorithms may take advantage of the reconfigurable, distributive network of sensors to precisely determine the location. To conduct this research, a network of three reconfigurable sensors, equipped for emitting and receiving RF signals, was designed based on Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP™) technology. This thesis details the experiments conducted and the …

How Trade Law Changed: Why It Should Change Again, John Linarelli

Mercer Law Review

One of the most enjoyable moments I have as an academic lawyer is when students, who have had limited exposure to the law on international economics and commerce, have the profound moment when they realize how many rules and institutions are at work in these fields. Students seem to come into the course thinking international exchange occurs in a Hobbesian state of nature. A few weeks into the course, I start to ask for the students' views on whether the law is more developed internationally than domestically. Their attempts to answer this question become an opportunity to reflect on the …

Reasoned Explanation And Irs Adjudication, Steve R. Johnson

Scholarly Publications

Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), an administrative action can be invalidated as arbitrary and capricious if the agency fails to sufficiently explain the reasons for its choices. This principle applies to agency adjudication as well as to agency rulemaking. How does this principle apply to IRS adjudications? Examining five paradigms of IRS decisionmaking, this Article first establishes that the IRS does engage in APA–style adjudication. The Article then examines tax-specific explanation requirements and asks whether a more robust explanation duty patterned on the APA should be imposed on IRS determinations. Based on a variety of legal and prudential considerations, …

A Form In The Road: U.S. Foreign Policy And The Path Toward Globalization In The Middle East, 1945-2014, Joshua P. Brotka

History Theses

This thesis examines the history of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East since 1945. From the start of the Cold War immediately following the conclusion of WWII and up to the present day (2014), U.S. policy has been subject to many revisions and simultaneously, upheld national security measures. As the world heads toward an era where globalization is most prevalent, the United States will have to make drastic decisions regarding its foreign policy in the Middle East. Its alliance with Israel, oil interests, Islamic fundamentalism, an evolving Muslim society, and supporting a national security agenda has forced the United …

Toward A Theory Of Practical Drift In Teams, Tiffany Bisbey

HIM 1990-2015

Practical drift is defined as the unintentional adaptation of routine behaviors from written procedure. The occurrence of practical drift can result in catastrophic disaster in high-reliability organizations (e.g. the military, emergency medicine, space exploration). Given the lack of empirical research on practical drift, this research sought to develop a better understanding by investigating ways to assess and stop the process in high-reliability organizations. An introductory literature review was conducted to investigate the variables that play a role in the occurrence of practical drift in teams. Research was guided by the input-throughput-output model of team adaptation posed by Burke, Stagl, Salas, …

An Overview Of The Medieval Iberian Peninsula Culture: From The Pages Of The Literature Of Medieval Spain To Its Cultural Context, Matthew Burner

HIM 1990-2015

The literature of Medieval Europe has been studied so extensively that there are a great number of academic contributions that can be analyzed by current and future generations. The purpose of this particular work is to examine this topic, but as it pertains to the Medieval Iberian Peninsula. The medieval age of Spain has been considered a period wrought with conflict and religious persecution throughout the confines of its borders. From the inception of the invasions of various European tribes into the Iberian Peninsula, the stage was set for a continual onset of conquest for many years to come. This …

The Hellenic Axel: The Greek Hellenization Of Central Asia And Its Impact Of The Development Of Buddhism, Ledio Hysi

HIM 1990-2015

The study of the Hellenistic period has produced a historical construction of the various relationships that formed between the Greco-Macedonian settlers and the natives they came into contact with. Hellenic kings established kingdoms as far as modern day Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, bringing them into contact with the Persian and Indian natives. The study herein is focused on the relationship that formed between the Greco-Macedonian descendants and the Buddhist group that emerged out of India. Numismatic evidence shows that Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings held political control over regions bordering the Hindu Kush; furthermore, the Indo-Greek coins indicate a relationship between …

Social Work Student's Perceptions Of Womens' Roles In The Military, Nichole Restivo

HIM 1990-2015

Women have continually become more visible in the military. With the recent changes that now allow women to participate in direct combat occupations, various questions and concerns emerge about how the public perceives these new role changes for women. This exploratory-descriptive study examined the perceptions of 50 University social work student's (B.S.W. and M.S.W.) about women's roles in the military. This research was conducted using Qualtrics.com, and included demographic questions. Frequencies, chi-squares and cross tabulations were used to examine relationships between variables. The results indicated that although no significant relationship between these variables was found, other possible considerations on the …

Is The Muslim Brotherhood Today The Same As The One That Existed Under The Autocratic Regimes In Egypt And Jordan?, John Joseph Losordo

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Today And Yesterday, Vol. 38, Summer 2014, Illinois State University, Department Of History

Today and Yesterday

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of History