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Refuting Ruscism: A Critique From Biblical Social Ontology, Paul Miles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the ideology of Ruscism is incompatible with biblical Christianity on the basis of God’s design for the individual, the family, and the country. Indeed, the extent of incompatibility between these two worldviews renders any attempt to syncretize them a significant departure from biblical Christianity. God’s design for society is an absolute standard by which political ideologies may be evaluated, and these three societal units will suffice to demonstrate that Christians must reject Ruscism.

This dissertation will describe these three societal units—the individual, the family, and the country—as they are described in biblical Christianity and contrast their …

Parental Understanding Of The Influence Of Ecological Systems On The Educational Experiences Of The Dependent Children Of Enlisted And Officer Families Stationed In Japan: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Nortia M. Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore how enlisted and officer parents stationed in Japan understand and described how different ecological systems influence the educational experience and academic performance of their dependent children. The theory that guided this study is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as it provided a comprehensive framework for understanding the inter-influential relationship between the children and the different ecological systems in their environment. The central research question provided a conduit for further exploration by asking how do enlisted and officer parents understand and describe how different ecological factors from Bronfenbrenner’s systems theory shape the …

The Effect Of Return-To-Office Mandates On Worker Engagement And Perceived Work-Family Conflict, Caleb M. Daughhetee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study was to examine relationships among employee perceptions of return-to-office (RTO) mandates, employee engagement (EE), and work-family conflict (WFC) among previously remote U.S.-based workers. Despite extensive RTO mandates following the COVID-19 pandemic, limited research has examined the relationship between worker perceptions, EE, and work-family dynamics. Grounded in personal engagement theory (Kahn, 1990), role theory, and the Job Demands-Resources model, this study investigates whether RTO perceptions predict EE and WFC, and whether WFC mediates or moderates the relationship between RTO perceptions and EE. Data were collected from 145 participants using a researcher-developed RTO perception scale …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For The Treatment Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Critical Review Of Evidence-Based Treatment Methods, Caroline A. Page

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting approximately 3% of the U.S. population. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the current psychotherapeutic gold standard for treating OCD. Although highly effective, ERP can elicit much distress, has a limited focus on comorbidities, and has notable drop-out and refusal rates. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave behavioral therapy that may address some of these limitations as it (a) fosters a more accepting stance towards feared stimuli (obsessions) and (b) targets core mechanisms of OCD as well as transdiagnostic mechanisms seen in many other mental health disorders, such …

Reducing Burnout And Compassion Fatigue: Chaplain-Led Peer Support Group Among Clinical Staff At Choices Healthcare, Matthew Lehman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry action research project was to help reduce burnout and compassion fatigue among the clinical staff at Choices Healthcare. Burnout and compassion fatigue are becoming a healthcare crisis, and hospice agencies are no different. The study was open to any member of the clinical staff, which included chaplains, social workers, nurses, home health aides, and the team leaders of each team in the organization. The study aimed to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue through a series of chaplain-facilitated group education and processing sessions. Humans are relational beings, and getting together to share experiences in …

Exploring The Role Of Multimedia Instruction In K-8 Curricular Curation: A Phenomenological Study In Rural Public Schools, Brooke Elizabeth Pelfrey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover individual experiences with instructional design, specifically in the area of multimedia instruction for educators in at the Sunnyside School System. The theory guiding this study was cognitive learning theory, as it provided a structure from which educator knowledge of instructional design could be examined. The central research question was “How do K-8 educators describe their lived experience of selecting, modifying, and creating curricular components of multimedia instruction?” This study followed a transcendental phenomenology approach to qualitative research. The study was conducted utilizing ten participants who were licensed elementary or secondary educators …

Unpacking Barriers And Enablers To Quality Early Childhood Education And Care In Lebanon: A Multi-Level Perspective, Rana Bassaj, Caroline Floccia

School of Psychology

This article investigates the barriers and enablers to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Lebanon’s complex and multilingual context. In this qualitative study, 56 stakeholders—ministry representatives, NGOs, educators, parents, and healthcare professionals—were interviewed. The study reveals a fragmented governance structure and inequitable funding that impact the quality and equitable access to ECEC provision. Despite the value placed on ECEC and OL, systemic weaknesses, including inadequate staff compensation and donor-driven priorities, constrain progress. Findings also highlight grassroots resilience, with committed educators and NGOs adapting to meet local needs. Using Kagan’s system-level framework and Torii et al.’s (2017) quality domains …

Receptivity And The Thing In Itself: Allison, Allais, And The Problem Of Outer Affection In Kant’S Transcendental Idealism, Amr Elmargoushy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Kant’s distinction between appearances and things in themselves within the framework of transcendental idealism, focusing on how this distinction is meant to secure objective validity while respecting the limits of possible experience. It critically evaluates two influential contemporary interpretations: Henry Allison’s epistemological reading, which understands the distinction as marking different ways of considering the same object, and Lucy Allais’s metaphysical reading, which attributes a grounding role to things in themselves. The thesis argues that while Allison’s reinterpretation successfully avoids noumenal causation by construing affection epistemically, it generates a structural epistemic circularity concerning the role of receptivity and …

Ecological Interest Theory Of “Lucid Waters And Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets” And Its Application In The Yellow River Basin, Guangqian Wang, Deyu Zhong

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

To address the core challenges of quantifying ecological value and converting it into economic gains, this study proposes a theoretical framework of ecological interest (EI) based on the principle that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Three fundamental origins of ecological interest are explained, including the temporal value discount, the spatial ecological compensation, and the civilizational occupation-compensation balance. These three dimensions establish the logical connection between ecological and economic values. Setting a 5% annual simple interest rate as the benchmark and adopting “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains” green certificates as the standardized ecological assets for property rights delineation …

Seizing Strategic High Ground Of Space Computing Power: Global Competition Landscape And China’S Path, Yan Chen, Wenbin Song, Ping Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The deep integration of artificial intelligence and commercial aerospace is accelerating the transformation of space computing power from conceptual exploration to engineering verification, becoming a key direction for building an integrated space-air-ground information infrastructure. This study delves into its strategic value, global landscape, industrial chain bottlenecks, and advancement paths. The research reveals that the core value of space computing power does not lie in replacing ground data centers, but rather in focusing on network coverage blind spots, data transmission limitations, and high-timeliness scenarios, providing a new supply model of “in-orbit computing + space-ground collaboration”. Currently, the world has entered a …

Dialogue Between Mind And Algorithm: Deep Symbiosis Of Psychology And Artificial Intelligence, Xiaolan Fu, Zheng Yan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves from a supportive tool into a collaborative partner, the convergence of psychology and AI is gradually shifting from one-way application toward deep symbiosis. This study discusses the mutual empowerment resulting from their interaction, as well as the challenges they face and potential pathways to breakthroughs. On the one hand, psychology empowers AI by enhancing its human-like intelligence and social adaptability through cognitive modeling and ethical constraints; on the other hand, AI empowers psychology by leveraging multimodal data and algorithmic models to revolutionize psychological assessment and intervention methods. This deep symbiosis requires a clear-eyed acknowledgment of …

Deep Search For Joint Sources Of Gravitational Waves And High-Energy Neutrinos With Icecube During The Third Observing Run Of Ligo And Virgo, R. Abbasi, M. Ackermann, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas Villarreal, Soma Mukherjee, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The discovery of joint sources of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves has been a primary target for the LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and IceCube observatories. The joint detection of high-energy neutrinos and gravitational waves would provide insight into cosmic processes, from the dynamics of compact object mergers and stellar collapses to the mechanisms driving relativistic outflows. The joint detection of multiple cosmic messengers can also elevate the significance of the common observation even when some or all of the constituent messengers are subthreshold, i.e., not significant enough to declare their detection individually. Using data from the LIGO, Virgo, and IceCube observatories, …

Conditional Product Sampling For Gaussian Process Implicit Surfaces, Song Shi

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Gaussian Process Implicit Surfaces (GPISes) provide a powerful and unified stochastic geometry representation for rendering surfaces, volumes, and the rich continuum between them. Recent work has shown that GPISes can model a broad space of visual appearances under a unified light transport framework. However, practical rendering with GPISes remains challenging: existing estimators can become inefficient for particular correlation structures, and highly anisotropic or heightfield-like GPISes require specialized treatment to obtain robust variance reduction.

This thesis extends recent work on GPIS rendering by introducing a new next-event estimation (NEE) technique for anisotropic GPISes.We show that standard NEE provides diminishing benefits as …

Deep Screens (1): Reliability-Driven Correction Of 3d Pose Estimation For Animation, Emma Vejcik

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Modern 2D and 3D human pose estimators silently fail on archival film footage. Their confidence channels do not surface these failures, and no annotated ground truth exists in the domain against which to evaluate or correct them. The result, in pipelines that lift archival 2D detections to 3D for downstream applications, is animation output with jittering limbs, hallucinated skeletons, and anatomically implausible poses. This thesis addresses these failures through three interventions, working from the data foundation upward.

First, we construct a hand-annotated reliability dataset of over 50,000 joint-frame rows across six segments from four films spanning multiple eras (1910, 1960, …

Employability Skills Development In Career And Technical Education: Administrators’ Perspectives, Emily Manuel, Bradley M. Coleman, Jon W. Ramsey, J. Shane Robinson, Mary Jo Self

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States have provided a combination of academic, technical, and employability skills to prepare students for college and careers. Employability skills, also known as soft skills, life skills, or behavioral skills, are developed through multiple CTE program components. This mixed-methods study explored administrators’ perceptions of Oklahoma CTE’s capacity to develop employability skills in students to meet the needs of the local community. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative findings suggest problem-solving, logical reasoning, and critical thinking were the highest-rated skills developed. …

Comparative Hematological And Biochemical Alterations Associated With Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections Of Lower Urinary Tract In Dogs And Cats, Mohamed Alasmar, Maged El-Ashker, Mohammed Albaloushi, Mayyadah Alkuwayti, Mohamed Marzok

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The aim of this study was to investigate hematological and biochemical alterations associated with gram-negative bacterial lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs and cats. For this purpose, 56 dogs and 36 cats were examined between October 2022 and May 2023. Twenty-eight dogs and twenty-two cats with clinical signs of lower UTIs were confirmed using ultrasonography, urinalysis, hematobiochemical analysis, and molecular identification of recovered pathogen. In dogs, UTIs were significantly associated with pyuria (82%), crystalluria (85.7%), and proteinuria. There was also significant decrease in total protein and globulin levels compared to those in the control. A significant increase in BUN, …

Modernisasi Hukum Notaris Masa Depan: Kajlan Hukum Terhadap Kemungkinan Cybernotary Di Indonesia, Edmon Makarim

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

The Importance Of Pedal Acceleration Time (Pat): A Case Study, Kelly N. Bui

Undergraduate Project Award

A case study manuscript about the importance of pedal acceleration time (PAT) exams in assessing lower extremity perfusion at the level of the foot and its role in clinical decision making. The diagnostic value of PAT exams is compared with other methods such as ankle brachial indices (ABI), toe-brachial indices (TBI), and lower extremity arterial duplex. This case presents a patient with a complex medical history and the ultrasound exams listed above displayed its strengths and limitations as to how it contributed to the patient's overall vascular assessment.

Echocardiography Evaluation Of Aortic Dissection: A Case Study, Alyssa Garvey

Undergraduate Project Award

Case study on aortic dissection.

Taxability Of Damages, An Analysis Of The Current Irs Position, David G. Jaeger, Kevin M. Owens, Eugene J. Fields

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

A Rare Instance Of Ogilvie Syndrome In A Pediatric Patient With A Complex Medical History; A Case Report., Kirby Lampe, Aileen Har, Victoria Sarata, Fernando Zapata

Research Showcase

Background: Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (ACPO) or Ogilvie’s syndrome is a disorder that most commonly occurs in the cecum and right colon but can extend to the rectum and is noted as an acute dilatation without presence of an obstructive lesion (1). Those patients who are usually diagnosed with this disorder are above the age of 60 and have a predisposing risk factor such as hospitalization, long-term care facilities, severe illness, post-surgery, or metabolic/medication causes like antipsychotics and chemotherapy medications (2). There is an association with hypothyroidism but otherwise there are no pathognomonic laboratory findings in these patients (3). Abdominal CT …

Pursuit Of A Full Night's Sleep, Kennison Adams Md, Andrew Donaldson Md, Brian Harvey Do

Research Showcase

Introduction: As hip pain increases in pediatric athletes, it’s essential to maintain a wide differential. With consideration of impingement, necrosis, tears, or even neoplasm, workup and management of hip pain is vast, sometimes without improvement. Knowing specific, distinguishing symptoms can help pinpoint a diagnosis.

Case Description: A 12-year-old female presents to the Sports Medicine Clinic for left hip pain. Pain of the anterior hip began 8 months prior as an insidious onset ache that radiates distally. Despite 2 months of physical therapy prior to clinic visit, no improvement is seen. The 8/10 pain worsens with prolonged sitting and activity and …

Isolation Of Essential Oils From Oregano Leaves Via Steam Distillation And Extraction, Alyssa Brasko, Madison Fauntleroy, Sophia Bordone

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Organum vulgare, also known as Oregano, is a fragrant herb in the mint family widely used in culinary and medical applications. The essential oil of oregano contains various compounds, with carvacrol and thymol being the primary constituents responsible for the herb’s distinctive aroma and antimicrobial properties. Carvacrol, a chemical compound found in oregano oils, has a molecular formula of C₁₀H₁₄O, with carvacrol presenting a phenolic structure that contributes to its biological activity. Additionally, the compound has three double bonds giving the compound four units of unsaturation. Due to its properties, oregano oil has historically been used …

End-Effector Stabilization Of A Robotic Arm Using Model Predictive Control, Jasmine Nakladov

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

As robots become increasingly capable of navigating difficult terrains, their ability to perform tasks requiring precise manipulation while maintaining mobility has continued to be an area of interest. One of the most common configurations of such robots is the combination of a quadrupedal base with a mounted manipulator arm that can perform complex tasks. However, stable manipulation becomes a challenge with this configuration due to disturbances introduced by the robot’s gait. Inspired by “chicken-head” stabilization, this project aims to investigate the effectiveness of Model Predictive Control (MPC) in maintaining a stable end-effector of a robotic arm mounted on a quadruped …

Using Discrete Event Simulation To Optimize Flight Dispatch Routes, Joshua B. Mcgurn

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

While flight is among the most important methods of travel over long distances, it is also among the most subject to delays; thus, much effort has been put into ensuring airport operations run smoothly. Though there have been many attempts to streamline operations within the airport itself, less attention has been given to optimizing aircraft movement and dispatching on ramps, taxiways, and runways. Part of the reason for this is the randomness and complexity of aircraft movement, making standard modeling techniques difficult and ineffective. This research has utilized discrete event simulation software (SIMIO) to model the ramp and runway operations …

Uncrewed Aerial Applications Of Precision Agriculture, Sriram Rajamani

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This capstone project will encompass the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles to detect pathogens and diseases at an early stage and taking corrective measures avoiding losses. Precision agriculture integrates technology to promote sustainable farming, with crop monitoring providing agricultural researchers and engineers reliable insights into crop health and damage. The purpose of this research is to show efficient crop health monitoring with the use of autonomous technology, in this case an uncrewed aircraft with an RGB (red-green-blue) camera as the payload. To tell whether plants are infected with such diseases, physical discrepancies like holes can be shown easily from the …

Learning Rock Pushability On Rough Planetary Terrain, Gulsum Tuba Cibuk Girgin, Emre Girgin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Obstacle avoidance is a critical aspect of autonomous mobile robot navigation, particularly in dynamic and static environments. However, traditional avoidance strategies often increase travel time or render traversal impossible, which is problematic in scenarios requiring repeated navigation, such as planetary sample return missions, post-disaster search and rescue, or hazardous environments like nuclear power plants. A more efficient alternative is to manipulate and remove easily displaceable obstacles. Manual intervention, such as astronaut-led operations, is time-consuming, diverts focus from primary tasks, and can be hazardous. Autonomous robotic manipulation offers a solution but introduces challenges in determining whether an obstacle is relocatable based …

Meta-Learned Keypoint Recovery For Vio In Space Robotics, Emre Girgin

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project proposes a robust framework for enhancing visual-inertial odometry (VIO) in autonomous space surface robots operating in challenging conditions, such as the Moon's dimly lit terrain or Martian dust storms. In such environments, traditional vision-based systems encounter difficulties due to the presence of poor visual features. The proposed system integrates few-shot meta-learning with keypoint detection, enabling real-time adaptation to sparse or obscured visual inputs. This approach leverages minimal training data to identify geometrically consistent landmarks and restore missing keypoints when sensor performance is compromised. The approach is integrated within a tightly coupled inertial-vision framework, which combines probabilistic IMU pre-integration …

Quadcopter Uav Control Systems Using A Robust Nonlinear Framework, E.O. Ijoga

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This work presents a robust nonlinear control framework for a Tilt - Rotor Quadcopter (TRQ) system, addressing challenges associated with model uncertainties and external disturbances. The proposed nonlinear control strategy is shown to achieve reliable trajectory tracking performance in the presence of external disturbances. The control method is based on the robust integral of the sign of the error (RISE) control method, which is modified to address the control challenges inherent in TRQ dynamic model. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first result that applies a RISE-based nonlinear control method to a TRQ system. A challenge …

Internal Fluid Dynamics Of Oil And Gas Reservoirs, Christopher Miller

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project aims to explore the mathematical principles governing the fluid dynamics of underground oil and gas reservoirs. Within the field of petroleum engineering there are many different variables and factors that change the way fluid within petroleum reservoirs behaves. Mathematical models can be developed using what we know about fluid dynamics and other areas of study to predict how fluids within reservoirs behave, making research like this very important to industry applications.