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Transcriptomic Analysis Of Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C Skin Samples, Austen N. Gleave

Theses and Dissertations

Xeroderma Pigmentosum is a rare genetic disorder caused by defective DNA damage repair enzymes. This condition results in an increased risk of developing skin cancer and other symptoms in those affected. In this thesis, we examined the effects of Xeroderma Pigmentosum on gene expression in patient skin biopsy samples. To accomplish this, we utilized statistical analysis of spatial transcriptomic and single-cell RNA sequencing techniques to discover differences between patient and heterozygous carrier skin samples. We found that the skin samples from Xeroderma Pigmentosum patients showed elevated levels of inflammation, immune activation, and cellular stress, while the carrier skin samples leaned …

Memphis Street Academy Charter School At J.P. Jone V. Philadelphia School District

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Effective Postmerger Strategies To Enhance Shareholder Value In The Banking Industry, Olajide Farouq Adenrele

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bank mergers continue to produce unintended declines in shareholder value, posing risks to financial stability, customer confidence, and long-term competitiveness in the southeastern United States. This challenge is especially critical for senior banking leaders, who must ensure that postmerger activities strengthen rather than undermine institutional performance. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to examine the business strategies used by bank leaders in the southeastern United States to mitigate the unintended negative effects of postmerger activities on shareholder value. The study, grounded in agency theory, involved six senior bank leaders responsible for merger integration in the region. Data from …

The Impact Of A Mindfulness Meditation Program On Phq-9 Scores In Eskd Clients At The Dialysis Center, Christi Collins Weaver

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patients undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) experience high rates of untreated depressive symptoms, which negatively impact quality of life, treatment adherence, and therefore increased hospitalization and higher mortality rates.

PICOT: In adult patients receiving in-center hemodialysis (P), how does the implementation of a structured mindfulness meditation program (I), compared to usual care (C), affect depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (O) over an eight-week period (T)?

Evidence: Current literature demonstrates that depression is highly prevalent among individuals with ESKD and is associated with increased morbidity and decreased treatment adherence. Evidence supports mindfulness …

Ai Method For Classification Of Diagnosis Of Near-Infrared Breast Lesion Images, Kaiquan Chen, Fangyang Shen, Honggang Wang, Zhengchao Dong, Jizhong Xiao, Ming Ma, Afroza Aktar, Christopher Chow, Wenxiong Zhang

Publications and Research

In near-infrared optical breast lesion screening and diagnosis systems, high-speed four-dimensional scanners can dynamically acquire tens of thousands of lesion images within a five-minute period. Currently, manual computer annotation is required to generate standard samples from these scanned breast lesion images, a process that depends heavily on physicians with clinical expertise. On average, a single physician can annotate only approximately ten samples per working day. As a result, this process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the collected samples often suffer from low accuracy, large variability, and limited diagnostic reliability. Several AI-based annotation tools, such as QuPath, HALO AI™, and X-AnyLabeling, …

Intrinsic Motivation In The General Education Classroom, Rachel E. Deaton

Honors Theses

This research is investigating how to increase intrinsic motivation within the general education classroom using classroom lessons and procedures. Research was gathered using One Search on the University of Mississippi library website. After narrowing down the research, I used information to inform the making of my Unit by Design and procedural guide. Through research we found that in order to support intrinsic motivation that students need three psychological needs to meet: relatedness, competency, and autonomy. The best ways to meet these needs in classroom gamification, teacher motivation, and movement integration. There are things that you can do to help support …

A Prolonged Nightly Fasting Plus Telehealth Coaching Intervention (Pnf+) For Men On Androgen Deprivation Therapy For Pca: A Pilot Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial, Kuang-Yi Wen, Julianne Freedman, Kevin K. Zarrabi, Rachel Slamon, Rita Smith, Jessica Liang, Patrick Mille, William J. Tester, William Kevin Kelly

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a 3-month health coaching intervention to promote PNF and healthy diet for men on ADT for PCa.

Methods: The study was carried out via a two-armed randomized controlled trial including 40 patients with PCa at a medical center in Philadelphia. During the 3-month period, the intervention group (PNF+) received health coaching utilizing an interactive text message system, and the control group received healthy eating text messages for the same duration. The outcome variables were feasibility and acceptability.

Results: The PNF+ group (n = 27) had high …

Morality Meets Education: Transactional And Transformational Leadership Of Business Students, Arthur L. Conyers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In an era where ethical failures in business can destabilize markets and damage public trust, understanding how future leaders develop moral clarity is becoming increasingly urgent. Transformational leadership highlights relational influence and purpose, while transactional leadership provides structural clarity that supports organizational operations. Morality, broadly defined as adherence to a standard of righteousness, remains essential for leadership in commerce, policy, and organizational contexts. This qualitative phenomenological study looked into how business and management students experience leadership development, moral decision-making, and faith integration in their academic and personal lives. Students enrolled in accredited colleges and universities were interviewed, and transcripts were …

Introversion And Extraversion And Their Relationship To Perceived Micromanagement And Job Satisfaction, Jacqueline Corkin-Sheffield

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if and to what extent job satisfaction outcomes of perceived micromanagement were related to the subscales of the extraversion domain (introversion, ambiversion, extraversion). Extraversion, one of the five personality domains of the Five Factor Model (FFM) is the broad trait category characterized by traits such as outgoingness, gregariousness, and ambition. The domain scale of extraversion indicates the degree to which an individual possesses traits consistent with these descriptors. The trait extraversion scale consists of low, moderate, and high designations, also called introversion, ambiversion, and extraversion, respectively. Participants completed the International …

A New Testament Theology Of Evangelistic Prayer, Preston Gagnon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Evangelistic prayer is widely assumed to be appropriate, but the biblical basis for the practice has been insufficiently argued. Some evangelistic resources assume evangelistic prayer is necessary. Others overlook the practice, and many discuss evangelistic prayer by making minimal arguments for the practice. Due to the lack of comprehensive arguments for evangelistic prayer, some authors have been able to claim that prayers for the lost are unbiblical. This dissertation enters the conversation by arguing that the New Testament presents evangelistic prayer as a biblically mandated, exemplified, and theologically supported practice. This argument is made by expositing twelve key New Testament …

Empath: A Novel Treatment Modality To Improve Patient Outcomes, Barry Thomas Peade Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In recent years, increasing patient volumes in emergency departments, rising cases of overdoses, and strained resources have heightened the attention paid to behavioral health care in the emergency department setting. Currently, various models of care attempt to streamline the provision of care for behavioral health patients in the emergency department. EmPATH, developed by Dr. Scott Zeller, offers rapid stabilization for psychiatric crises. While preliminary studies show promise, further research is needed. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of EmPATH implementation on patient outcomes, including boarding times, readmission rates, and inpatient admissions. Data was collected before and after implementation of …

Mentorship Leadership Succession: Implementing Paul's Discipleship Practices, Matthew Scott Beagle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project addresses the lack of empowered, biblically qualified leaders at Pinecrest Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA, where discipleship has often been treated as complete with conversion, baptism, and initial ministry involvement, rather than as a process that produces future leaders within the congregation. The project proposed that a mentor-based discipleship succession process, modeled on Pauline discipleship, could help current leaders shift from a maintenance mindset to a culture of multiplication and leadership development. Using an action research design, the study implemented a twelve-week mentor-discipleship succession curriculum that guided participants through four phases of leadership development: calling that …

Educators Lived Experiences With Burnout: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Leiaje Sidberry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of burnout for high school teachers in an East Coast city. The theory guiding this study was Polidore’s resilience theory, as teacher retention depends on competence and longevity. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of burnout for high school teachers? Ten educators participated in interviews, focus groups, and reflective journaling. Data were thematically analyzed to identify shared meanings in their experiences. Four major themes emerged: causes of burnout, manifestations of burnout, needs related to burnout, and developing resilience. Participants described diverse causes of …

That Of God In Everyone: The Importance Of Indiana And Ohio Quakers In The Abolition Of Slavery In America, 1787-1865, Ryan P. Dreibelbis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Traditional conceptions of the abolition of slavery in America revolve around notions of the Underground Railroad thriving as a Northern operation, significantly in states such as Indiana and Ohio. While it operated extensively in Northern states, albeit not exclusively, due to the criticality of those states, it is important to understand why it existed in the manner it did in those states. Understanding this requires an analysis of the major proponents of the antislavery movement, the activities abolitionists organized and participated in, the beliefs on which they founded their efforts, the lengths they were willing to go to ensure African …

Music Teachers’ Perceptions And Actual Effects Of Youth Orchestra Participation On Students’ Playing Ability, Erika J. Pierce

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite research demonstrating a significant correlation between social and academic development with participation in a youth orchestra, few studies have examined whether participation directly affects students’ note-reading skills, the accuracy of pitch production, and musical expression. This information matters because students often join a youth orchestra to develop these and other playing skills beyond what school programs and private lessons teach. This applied research study examined youth orchestra participation by comparing teachers’ perceptions with demonstrated performance outcomes on middle school students’ development in note-reading, pitch production accuracy, and musical expression. This study analyzed rubric-scored student performance recordings alongside teacher survey …

Pastoral Burnout: Applying Spiritual Gifts As A Buffer Against Burnout In Members Of The Clergy, Jeffrey S. Parsell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dramatic decline in pastoral ministry satisfaction, physical well-being, psychological well-being, and spiritual well-being has been reported. Recent polls have discovered that nearly half of pastors have given serious consideration to leaving and abandoning their ministry due to the physiological, psychological, and spiritual toll their work takes on them and their families. Burnout has been cited as one of the primary factors contributing to this growing trend. Pastors are not alone in this epidemic, as many helping professions are experiencing similar trends. Despite sharing many similarities with helping occupations such as fulfilling the …

A Culture Of Care: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Trauma-Informed Practices Among Teachers In Christian Elementary Schools, Christina Michelle Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions and utilization of trauma-informed practices of Christian elementary school teachers in classrooms in the southeastern United States. The theory guiding this study was Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development, as it highlights how teachers are instrumental in promoting developmentally healthy practices for trauma-affected children through building relationships and interacting with others at varying levels of their ecosystem. The study was designed to answer the following central research question: How do elementary Christian school teachers utilize trauma-informed practices in the classroom? The study used a qualitative transcendental phenomenological design …

The Decline Of Theology And Apologetics Teaching For Laity In Church: A Portfolio, A. Marquis Faison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Theology and apologetics are fundamentally invaluable assets to the believer. This sentiment is not only true of modern Christians; theology and apologetics have been a pivotal ingredient in the formation of the Christian faith since the time of Christ. From the birth of the Church in Acts to the present, believers have looked to church leaders for guidance and understanding of the tenets of the faith and how best to use that understanding when engaging with an often hostile, unreceptive, and unaccepting world. For the believer, proper theology and apologetics are the tools necessary for hammering out orthodoxy—right belief, orthopathy—right …

A Phenomenological Study Of Thai Adult Christians’ Experiences Of A Secure Attachment To God, Sujirat Sirichai

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe Thai adult Christians’ experiences of developing a secure attachment to God. Many Thai children experience insecure attachments with their primary caregivers and attachment trauma. This study was guided by attachment theory to examine how attachment to primary caregivers, life crises, and relational and spiritual factors influenced the development of a secure attachment to God. This research used a transcendental phenomenological approach with a snowball sample of eight Thai adult Christians who demonstrate a secure attachment to God. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed through coding. Data analysis revealed six themes …

The Development And Leadership Implementation Of Strategies Promoting Church Health In The Presbytery Of The Central West, New South Wales, Australia, Mark S. Armstrong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Churches in the Presbyterian rural landscape have plateaued or are in decline. Little research has been done to address the causes and provide strategies for remediation. This study examines this problem in the Presbytery of the Central West, New South Wales, Australia. The purpose of the project is to identify factors causing church decline in rural areas and develop revitalization strategies for ministers and elders across the Presbytery. The research consists of two layered responses. The first layer identifies factors causing church decline and develops five strategies suitable for implementation. The second layer utilizes Mezirow’s transformative learning framework to …

‘Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam’: The Religious And Political Missions Of The American-Catholic Military Chaplaincy During The Mexican-American War, Daniel Thomas Louis Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The historical community has neglected to deeply analyze the American-Catholic military chaplaincy in the Mexican-American War, 1846-1848. With exceptions, most historians, who have discussed this chaplaincy, have run the spectrum of dedicating an entire chapter to a few sentences on it. “‘Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam’” offers a first, in-depth monograph of this chaplaincy. “‘Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam’” argues that the political mission from President James K. Polk to the chaplaincy, which was to help reconcile Americans and Mexicans, did not truly suffer the failure or the mediocrity that certain historians have portrayed it to be. Instead of analyzing the chaplaincy’s …

From Apathy To Apostasy: The Danger Of Dullness In Hearing God’S Word, Daniel D. Mann

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation contends that the issue of apathetic hearing among some of the audience in the book of Hebrews is a pivotal aspect in the threat of apostasy. The central theme of Hebrews is that God has spoken in the last days by his Son (Heb. 1:2). Thus, God speaking (1:1–2, 5, 13; 2:3; 3:10; 4:3, 4, 8; 5:5; 10:15, 30; 12:25; 13:5) and man hearing (2:1, 3; 3:7, 15, 16; 4:2, 7; 5:11; 12:25) emerge as twin pillars of emphasis throughout Hebrews. The author’s overarching emphasis is that God has spoken definitively in His Son and that Word deserves …

A Study Of Church Attendance Fluctuation Among Millennials In African American Baptist Churches Located In Washington, Dc, Kiralfy C. Forte

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the qualitative phenomenon associated with perceived fluctuation of millennials’ church attendance. The researcher sought to explore lived experiences of African American millennials within the context of Baptist churches in Washington, DC, who experienced a period of childhood and adolescence in the Baptist church. This study examined the underlying factors influencing millennials’ church attendance, known as lived experiences. Studies by Pew Research (2015a, 2015b, 2018, 2019a, 2019b, 2019c, 2025), Barna Research (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024), and Lifeway Research (2019, 2022, 2023, 2025) shaped the researcher’s open-ended questions, delimitations, and underlying assumptions. This researcher exposed that …

Instructors' Lived Experiences Of Using Authentic Assessments In College Calculus Courses Across The United States: A Phenomenological Study, Christy Hart Kains

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of instructors with authentic assessments in college calculus courses across the United States. The theory guiding this study was Astin’s student involvement theory, which provided a framework to study the involvement of students in higher education. The central research question for this study was: What are the lived experiences of instructors who utilize authentic assessments in college calculus courses across the United States? This study used a qualitative design following the transcendental phenomenological approach of Moustakas. The sample included 12 instructors from two-year and four-year colleges in …

Integration Of Aged Brain Multi-Omics Reveals Cross-System Mechanisms Underlying Alzheimer’S Disease Heterogeneity, Lucas P Scheidemantel, Katia De Paiva Lopes, Chris Gaiteri, Vilas Menon, Philip L De Jager, Julie A Schneider, Aron S Buchman, Yanling Wang, Shinya Tasaki, Roberto T Raittz, David A Bennett, Ricardo A Vialle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The molecular correlates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increasingly being defined by multi-omics. However, findings from different data types are often difficult to reconcile. Here, we apply a data-driven multi-omics framework integrating seven omics layers from up to 1,358 aged human brain samples from the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project. We demonstrate sprawling cross-omics biological factors relating to AD phenotypes. The strongest AD-associated factor (factor 8) is characterized by elevated immune activity at the epigenetic level, decreased heat shock gene expression in the transcriptome, and disrupted energy metabolism and cytoskeletal dynamics in the proteome. Unsupervised clustering …

Samson As Judah/Israel: Parallelism And Metaphor In Judges 13–16, Roy A. Scorup

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the Samson narrative in Judges 13–16 functions as a metaphorical parallel to Israel and Judah. By employing rhetorical criticism methodology, this study will trace the parallelism between Samson and the twin nations of Israel and Judah and analyze the unique flourishes and oddities that are replete in the account, which largely serves to advance this metaphor.

The parallels between Samson and his nation are striking, tracing a shared trajectory from divinely appointed origins, chronic rebellion, and ultimate decline. While many scholars have noted a strong parallelism between Samson and the Israelite nations, aside from Greenstein’s “The …

Answering The Call: Resiliency, Gender, And Growth Following Secondary Trauma In Emergency Dispatchers, Brandi D. Colding

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined secondary traumatic stress (STS), resiliency, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and gender among 911 emergency dispatchers, a population exposed to high levels of indirect trauma yet underrepresented in research. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether resiliency moderates the relationship between STS and PTG, and whether gender moderates the relationship between resiliency and STS. Data were collected from 99 U.S. emergency dispatchers using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results indicated that most participants reported elevated STS, and correlations revealed that resiliency was negatively related to STS, while STS was …

Backstory And Conflicts Of Character Development, Kayla Smith

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the role of character development and its effects on the characters in the story. Through detailed research into literary works, this study will identify key factors that contribute to backstories and conflicts that keep the audience engaged. By comparing characters who have experienced trauma, the research will show how character development is affected by supporting characters, cultural background, and the illnesses they have experienced. The findings will suggest that character development is important and can change throughout the story. The thesis aims to provide insight to create characters that will make a difference in the story and …

Disability Laws: An Instrumental Case Study Exploring Staff Capacity To Support Incarcerated Juveniles With Disabilities In The Mid-Atlantic Region, Jennifer L. Howarth Mira

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore how juvenile detention staff are prepared to understand and comply with disability laws when working with incarcerated juveniles with disabilities. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s social learning theory as it suggests a person’s environment can be directly influenced by themselves or by others. The central research question this study investigated was: How are juvenile detention staff prepared to understand and comply with disability laws when working with incarcerated juveniles with disabilities? This qualitative study included 11 staff members employed in mid-Atlantic juvenile detention centers with at least six …

Economic Independence And Professional Legitimacy: Colorado Businesswomen Of The 19th Century, Tyler Brinn Hobbs Freytag

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the tension between legal reform and lived reality for women in Colorado during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although Colorado became the second state to grant women suffrage in 1893 and was widely celebrated as a national leader in women’s rights, the experiences of three influential women—Augusta Louise Tabor, Mary Elitch Long, and Mary Florence Lathrop—demonstrate how legal progress often failed to translate into genuine social, economic, or professional equality. Using a multidisciplinary analysis of primary sources, including court records, newspapers, diaries, and legislative documents, this study explores the disconnect between written law, its application, …