Digital Commons Network^™

Crisis Of Command: Shaef, Strategy, And The War In Northwest Europe, Fall 1944, Josh Glover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the strategic debates among the Supreme Allied Commander, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and his subordinate commanders, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and U.S. Generals Omar Bradley and George Patton, in the fall of 1944. Most historians have focused specifically on the military campaigns throughout the fall of 1944, the commanders who executed them, and the missed opportunities and failures that occurred. The question left unanswered is why the Allies missed the opportunity to end the war in 1944. To answer this, I analyzed the numerous strategic debates among these four commanders and many others that took …

Factors Influencing High School Band Enrollment For Eighth Grade Students In Ohio Small Town School Districts, Jon Steven Kauffman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many factors influence the choices of eighth-grade students as they decide whether to enroll in high school band. While musical ability and achievement can play a role in this decision, research suggests that social influences, such as peer relationships, a sense of belonging, and the band program's cultural environment, often have a greater impact on students' decisions. The Ohio Department of Education classifies school districts into four categories: Urban, Rural, Suburban, and Small-town. Although similar to other designations, small-town districts require a distinct label because of the unique mix of factors in these locations. They lack the population density of …

Beyond Crisis: Patient Access And Sustainability, Miguel A. Mendoza

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Critical systems underwent drastic workflow adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these operational alterations persist today, while others have been reduced or eliminated. This is a qualitative study on the operational, technological, and human-centered challenges experienced by healthcare organizations providing primary care services in Southwest Ohio during and immediately after the pandemic. This flexible research design implements in-depth, semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals leading primary care operations to capture a longitudinal perspective on pandemic-era service delivery, and the legacy systems still in place today. Thematic analysis revealed seven themes that determine the effectiveness of care delivery models. Social Determinants …

Social Networking Influences In The Challenges Of West African Immigrant College Students In Kentucky – A Hermeneutical Qualitative Study, Martin Chukwusolum Akwari

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological study is to explore how social network groups modulate the lived experiences of West African immigrant students in colleges and universities in Kentucky. Grounded in Bourdieu’s social capital theory and informed by a social constructivist interpretive framework, this study explored how shared experiences within social network groups influence how West African immigrant students interpret their academic and social environments during college years. The study is anchored on a central research question: How does social interaction with others influence how immigrant students of West African origin interpret their lived experiences in higher education institutions …

James Wilson And His Republic Of Happiness, Seth Ryan Hodges

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The following dissertation examines the political and moral philosophy of James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Framers’ theorist whose synthesis of natural law, theology, and Enlightenment moral philosophy grounded what he referred to as the “Republic of Happiness.” It argues that Wilson’s concept of happiness was not rhetorical, but the structural foundation of his legal and constitutional thought. Drawing on Wilson’s Lectures on Law, revolutionary pamphlets, and convention debates, the study demonstrates that for Wilson, happiness meant moral excellence rather than pleasure or material satisfaction. The pursuit of happiness represented both a divine command and …

Assessing Non-Performance Based Standards Of The National Core Arts Standards In Georgia Public Middle And High Schools, Richard Brian Horne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing a well-rounded musician must be the goal of every music teacher. In today’s modern educational system, assessment is a tool used to help shape the curriculum of all subjects. Music assessment must be no different. The National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) utilize anchor standards for assessment in four categories: creating, performing, responding, and connecting. Standards that fall within performing are quickly evaluated in formal and informal assessments, but other standards, such as creation, responding, and connecting, often need exploration. One needs to craft assessments to determine student understanding of performance and non-performance standards and explore development in those areas. …

The Postwar American Occupation Of Japan: A Re-Evaluation In The Context Of The Cold War, Karen E. Knudson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It was all about the Cold War, when as soon as Germany and Japan surrendered in World War Two, Soviet Premier Stalin abandoned the alliance and became an enemy of the West. In Japan, he attempted to acquire Japanese territory as the spoils of war. However, President Harry S. Truman was determined that Japan would be reformed into a democratic, capitalist state firmly situated in the Western political and economic sphere. During the seven years of the American occupation of Japan, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) and the Japanese government extensively remodeled the Japanese government, economy, and …

“What So Many Millions Before Us Have Borne”: Loss, Grief, And The Revolutionary Turn Of The Founding Father, Michael S. Desmond

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Loss, instability and grief provided a crucial interpretative framework for understanding George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, particularly in the years surrounding their emergence as revolutionaries in the early 1770s. Rather than treating their political commitments to the Whigs as the product of ideology alone, this study argues that deeply personal experiences with setbacks and loss shaped the crucial timing of their decisions to become revolutionaries.

For Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, grief was not a single event followed by an emotional response; it was a formative process that began with the setbacks and losses of their childhoods. In adolescence, …

Modern Band: Increasing Access To Music Learning For Individuals With Specific Learning Disability (Sld), Nathan Ogden Sheffer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the lived experiences of students with specific learning disabilities who participate in a modern band class, gaining access to and support for music learning in secondary educational settings. This study employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach guided by the theoretical frameworks of informal music learning theory, Universal Design for Learning, and the principles of modern band pedagogy. The problem is that the literature has not fully addressed strategies and methods for incorporating secondary students into music learning through participation in a modern band class, thereby providing more authentic opportunities for music-making. The …

Supporting Parents Of Pre-Adolescents: Equipping Parents Through Focused Instruction On Biblical Parenting Practices, Lillian Michelle Mitchell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project addresses the problem that parents and grandparents of pre-adolescent children at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church do not receive sufficient intentional spiritual support, biblical guidance, and instruction to teach them how to raise their children using parenting skills grounded in a biblical worldview. The purpose of this research was to equip parents and grandparents of pre-adolescent children with biblically based parenting skills using an eight-week group study. The project examined the results of the Bible study group, which focused on Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 6:5-9, Proverbs 22:6, Luke 2:46, Ephesians 6:1-4, and Titus 2:1-8. The study implemented …

The Cold War And The Weaponization Of Digital Technology: How The United States Government Partnered With The Private Sector To Create A Technology-Driven Strategy For National Defense, Stephen J. Hoover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Beginning with the National Security Act of 1947, the study traces the transition from conventional warfare to a sophisticated "Second Offset Strategy" defined by technological superiority. It argues that the Cold War necessitated the maturation of the alliance between the federal government and the private sector, transforming private enterprises into essential strategic partners for Cold War national defense. The research analyzes milestones in this digital shift, including the development of voice communications, air defense, space and nuclear technologies, command and control networks, and the transition from mainframes to microprocessors. Central to this analysis is the role of technology in key …

The Perceptions Of Social Workers On The Mental Health Needs Of Immigrant Hispanic Males In New York City: A Phenomenological Study, Mauline Lawrence-Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research was to describe the experiences of social workers as they provide services to meet the mental health needs of Hispanic immigrant males in New York City. The study was based on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Social Ecological Theory and Vygotsky's (1978) Social Constructivism to examine how social workers in New York City perceived and addressed the mental health needs of Hispanic immigrant men, while accounting for the influence of cultural and systemic factors. The main research question used in the study was: How do social workers in New York City describe their experiences providing services to Hispanic …

A Critical Examination Of Visions, Dreams, And The Authority Of The Holy Spirit In Biblical Prophecy, Michael Turner-Muhammad

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Holy Spirit's function as the mediating agent of perceptible prophetic encounter remains underdeveloped in the works surveyed for this study. Scholars in pneumatology, prophetic studies, and divine embodiment have each addressed at least one of these dimensions. Pneumatology explains the Spirit’s role in inspiration but not how revelation becomes perceptible; comparative studies provide context, but not its pneumatological structure; and embodiment scholarship affirms anthropomorphic encounters but does not identify the Spirit as their mediating agent. The result, in the works examined here, is the absence of a unified theological account of how the Spirit mediates perceptible divine communication across …

Technology Idolatry: Daniel’S Fourfold Ancient Antidote To This Modern Problem Facing A Christian Singles Group In Dallas, Kimberlee Bousman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the rise of artificial intelligence and devices like cell phones, humanity is more connected to technology than ever. Increasingly, many people, including Christians, have become addicted to technology, spending hours scrolling. One biblical character who lived in an idolatrous culture yet remained entirely devoted to the Lord was Daniel. Making spiritual disciplines an integral part of his life enabled Daniel to stay obedient to God. This study was conducted to help a singles group that was struggling with spending too much time on technology and making it an idol. This qualitative phenomenological study was designed and implemented over seven …

Helicopter Parenting And Its Impact On The Well-Being Of Diverse Emerging Adults, Tamieka S. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Helicopter parenting involves excessive over-involvement, overprotection, and autonomy restriction. Research suggests that helicopter parenting often leads to poor outcomes for emerging adults (18-25). This style of parenting is incongruent with the appropriate developmental stage of emerging adulthood, which prioritizes autonomy supportive parenting for more positive well-being outcomes. Literature on this phenomenon consists of a majority White female sample. This study is an examination of the relationship between well-being outcomes (depression, anxiety, and autonomy) for a diverse population of emerging adults who were helicopter parented. This correlational quantitative study includes 120 college participants. Spearman’s rho correlation was employed to analyze the …

Post-Traumatic Contusion Of The Longus Colli Muscle: An Underdiagnosed Entity, Aliyah Baksh, Charif Sidani, Kevin J Abrams, Márcio Luís Duarte, Leonardo Furtado Freitas

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

The Necessity Of Human Taphonomy Facilities, Mia Frame

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This review explores the question of whether human taphonomy facilities (HTFs) are necessary for forensic science research. These facilities are used for multiple facets of research including postmortem interval (PMI) estimation or time since death, entomology, taphonomy, and the study of volatile organic compounds. The use of human analogues like pigs and rabbits will also be addressed to show why taphonomic research on human remains must be done. It is important to look at the physical and logistical limitations of these facilities, as well as ethical limitations including religious beliefs and public perception. This article will conclude by examining future …

A Clinical Practice Guideline On Phq-9 Screening And Follow-Up Management In An Outpatient Setting To Close The Gap In Depression Care, Tina Dongmo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Implementing A Standardized Social Determinants Of Health Screening Process To Improve Care Coordination In Primary Care, Catherine A. Addison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Teachers’ Experience With An Information And Communications Technology Program In A Ugandan Private Secondary School, Emily Rose Trujillo Himes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Improving Pediatric Mri Access In Academic Hospitals Through Operational Redesign, Caryn Karff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Male Perspectives On The National Rifle Association And Gun Reform, Holly Jo Tatman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pesticide-Treated Pork Meat On Insect Colonization: Implications For Postmortem Interval Estimation In Forensic Investigations, Alejandra Veja

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Forensic entomologists estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) by analyzing insect colonization patterns on remains. Colonization can be influenced by factors such as state of decomposition, environment type, weather, and chemical exposure. Household products and pesticides may be used to conceal remains by delaying decomposition and preventing insect activity. Despite this, their impact on PMI estimation remains unclear. This study examined the effects of 98.11% DEET, 20% picaridin, and 20% IR3535 on insect colonization, compared to a control. Twelve boneless pork chops were placed outdoors in a suburban setting and monitored twice daily at 12-hour intervals. Results showed that high concentrations …

Rape Shield Laws: A Call For Reform, Ava Cunningham

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Rape shield laws were originally created during the 1970s to prohibit the admission of a victim’s past sexual history as evidence in court. Such laws aimed to prevent prejudicial questioning that could alter the jury's perceptions. However, they are deeply rooted in gendered biases, do not ensure fairness in the courtroom, and fail to keep pace with advancing technology. This paper argues that a thorough reexamination of rape shield laws is necessary to address these limitations and achieve impartial legal outcomes. Authors of the justice community display widespread support for reform of such laws. Researchers such as Flowe et al. …

Diagnosing Mushroom Toxicities, Eetu Mäkinen

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Although mushroom poisonings or “mycetisms” occur more frequently than is commonly recognized, they are often misdiagnosed due to their relative rarity, diverse clinical presentations, and the broad chemical variety of the toxins involved. More than a hundred different mushroom-derived toxins have been identified to cause at least 14 different poisoning syndromes or “toxidromes”, several of which can result in death through means such as organ failure. Understanding the toxicology of these mushroom toxins is essential for diagnosis in both clinical and forensic settings. Modern analytical techniques, such as liquid-chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), have improved the …

The Prison Industrial Complex And The Exploitation Of Prisoners Through The 13th Amendment, Lindsey Adams

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This paper analyzes the relationship between the government and the private prison industry, specifically examining how the exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment permits conditions resembling modern-day slavery through exploitative prison labor. Neoliberalism and the War on Drugs have contributed to mass incarceration in the United States, which has led to an increase in prison labor. Mass incarceration has disproportionately affected people of color and those living in poverty. To address these issues, more intensive vetting processes are needed at all levels of law enforcement, particularly during hiring, to reduce racial bias and improve accountability.

Development Of Latent Prints On Glass After A Fire, Meg Ross

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

In the United States, there is no standard procedure to collect fingerprint evidence from a fire. The goal of this research is to determine if fingerprints can survive a fire and can be developed using three different techniques. In previous research studies, some fingerprints were able to be recovered. In Australia, they found fingerprints were recoverable at 300℃ and 450℃ after using a cremation oven. However, O’Hagan (2018) claims that fingerprints start to degrade after 100℃ as fingerprints are made of 98% water. For this project, six bottles consisting of 30 fingerprints were put in a fire, with temperatures reading …

Detection Of Blood On Glazed Ceramic Tiles, Alexis Puente

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This experiment tested how different bleach dilutions effectively remove blood from floor tiles and how they might affect the Kastle-Meyer (KM) presumptive blood test. Matte Calacatta 12 in. x 12 in. glazed ceramic tiles were used. Glazed tiles are considered non-porous on the surface but the ceramic body contains pores that can retain blood; this retained blood can be detected by the KM test. The bleach dilutions used to clean the tiles were 0% (water), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Trial 1 tiles were cleaned during the day while Trials 2-5 were cleaned at night. After the tiles were dried, …

The Impact Of Stigmatization On Professional Responses And Support For Trafficked Youth: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Kate R. Sandoval

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Child trafficking is among the most underreported and misunderstood crimes that affects vulnerable populations. Trafficked youth are often criminalized by law enforcement because they are ill-equipped in identifying them, resulting in arrest and involvement in the system. Signs of victimization are overlooked by healthcare providers, who are typically the first to interact with trafficked youth. As a result, very few investigations are carried out, and victims are discouraged from seeking support. The role of stigma is important in understanding how perceptions and responses to trafficked youth are formed, which impacts their outcomes. This study examined how stigmatization influences professional responses …

Record Clearance: Practical And Essential Justice Reform, Brendan Krepchin

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Record clearance is the process of expunging and reducing offenses listed on an individual’s Record of Arrests and Prosecutions (RAP). The current regime of laws surrounding the issue of record clearance is a patchwork of state laws that permit and restrict the process depending on the offense, the sentence, and multiple factors pertaining to the judicial process. The mere existence of a RAP sheet creates barriers to achieving any number of goals established at the individual or societal level. This article argues that record clearance should be universally proportional to circumstances across all levels of the justice system, as it …