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Nothing Is As It Should Be: Estrangement, Threshold-Crossings, And Cosmic Struggle In David Lynch’S Blue Velvet And Lost Highway, Susanne Wigorts Yngvesson

Journal of Religion & Film

This article examines estrangement as a structuring existential and aesthetic principle in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) and Lost Highway (1997). Through close, plot-attentive readings intended to remain accessible to readers unfamiliar with Lynch, it argues that the films stage three interlocking dynamics: becoming a stranger to oneself, the fracturing of the ‘ground’ of ordinary existence, and life as a cosmic struggle in which human agency is partial and contested. Paul Tillich’s The Courage to Be provides the main theological–philosophical lens, clarifying how anxiety, non-being and courage shape scenes of desire, violence and transformation. Film-theoretical work on thresholds and cinematic …

Making Meaning: Free Will And The Meaning Of Life In Barbie, Bertha A. Manninen Ph.D.

Journal of Religion & Film

Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film Barbie highlights both the empowerment and drawbacks of one of Mattel’s most famous toys. Although Barbie’s feminist messages have taken center stage, the film also has several theological dimensions and touches upon what it means to live a meaningful life. I will argue that Barbie can be interpreted as a defense of the free will theodicy in response to both the logical and evidential versions of the problem of evil. One common challenge to the theodicy is that even granting that free will is a great good, it is not so good as to be worth …

Moving On: Purgatorial Seriality And Unanswered Prayer In Lost’S “Ab Aeterno”, Christian Wilken

Journal of Religion & Film

“Ab Aeterno” (Lost, 6.09) distills the series’ religious logic with unusual explicitness by staging theodicy not as doctrine but as narrative procedure. This article argues that the episode converts Catholic sacramental form (confession, absolution, and penitential address) into a serial ethics of endurance in which closure is structurally deferred. Richard Alpert’s confession establishes a subject who seeks an authorized word that would stabilize suffering, yet the priest’s refusal (“I can’t”) installs a theology of unanswered prayer that becomes the template for Richard’s long durée of waiting. Jacob’s “cork” parable then supplies a katechontic justification of restraint: evil is not abolished …

Between Icon And State: Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan The Terrible, Milja Radovic

Journal of Religion & Film

Remembering the 80th anniversary of Sergei Eisenstein’s film Иван Грозный (Ivan the Terrible, 1944/1945), it is crucial to re-examine Eisenstein’s work, including his last film that became an unintentional ‘testament’ to cinema. Eisenstein’s mastery has been pivotal for understanding cinema and film language, the way this language operates, constructs and deconstructs and communicates historical realities. This paper focuses on a film that was made in two parts, Part I in 1944 and part II in 1945, to investigate Eisenstein’s approach to the subject of history, nation and religion. The research considers how this master of cinema contemplated intricate ideas and …

Piercing The Veil In Sinners: Theological Insights From The Juke Joint, Antonio D. Sison Cpps

Journal of Religion & Film

Celebrated as a critical and commercial success, Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying opus Sinners has also been considered as one of the most culturally significant films of 2025. It also promises to be one of the most theologically resonant films of the year. This is evinced not only in its thematic and literary bases but, importantly, in its very audiovisual language and grammar, its stylistic strategies qua film. As reasoned in this essay, Coogler’s film is a rich locus theologicus, a nexus for theological discovery and insight.Sinners kindles the hermeneutical impulse to dialogue with African American/Pan-Africa theologies exemplified by the …

Affirmative Transcendence: The Ethics Of Mazu And The Internal Expansion Of The Confucian Moral Imagination, Yu Pei

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper proposes and defends the concept of affirmative transcendence through a systematic analysis of the 2012 Chinese television drama Mazu (38 episodes, CCTV). Affirmative transcendence names a structure in which the protagonist achieves sacred status (shen 神) not by negating her human relationships but by maintaining them while exhibiting a mode of moral perception that exceeds the limits of role-based ethics. The paper argues that what is analytically distinctive about this structure is its internal character: the tradition is not rejected but exceeded, and the exceeding is accomplished through resources the tradition itself provides. The paper identifies two …

A Metaphorical Passage To God: Simone Weil And Robert Bresson, V. G. Voigt Hogg Phd

Journal of Religion & Film

VOIGT HOGG_Abstract (REVISED)_Journal of Religion & Film_30 April 2026

This article contrasts the metaphysical and religious philosopher Simone Weil’s concepts of attachment and detachment with auteur director Robert Bresson’s method of subtraction. It argues for a commonality in their philosophy and cinema, that guides the reader or viewer respectively, to perceive a metaphorical passage to God through the lived experience of suffering. The article considers by what means does Weil and Bresson share a mutual commitment to understanding the state of the soul in affliction, while also acknowledging an opposition in the interpretation of detachment in relation to suicide. The …

Statewide Sinkhole Susceptibility Mapping In Florida Using Explainable Geoai, Osama M. Altarawneh, Weiwei Zhan, Clint Kromhout

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Sinkholes cause persistent damage to infrastructure, property, and groundwater resources across Florida. Statewide sinkhole hazard mitigation has been constrained by incomplete inventories and the absence of a high-resolution susceptibility map. This study presents a statewide sinkhole susceptibility assessment using an explainable GeoAI framework that integrates the citizen-reported Subsidence Incident Reports (SIR) database and a geologist-confirmed collapse-type sinkhole inventory from the Florida Geological Survey (FGS). Random Forest (RF) is used as the primary learner with ten geologic, hydrologic, topographic, and anthropogenic predictors. The influence of negative-sample buffer geometry on model behavior is evaluated across five annular buffer conditions (100-1000 m through …

Karst Sinkholes And Civil Engineering: Overview Of Characterization And Treatment Options From A Geophysical And Geotechnical Viewpoint, Mia Painter, Stephen Welsh

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Sinkholes pose a significant geohazard to civil engineering infrastructure in regions underlain by carbonate karst terrain. Selecting an appropriate stabilization method requires balancing site conditions, infrastructure risk, environmental considerations, and cost, all of which depend on a thorough understanding of the planned or existing infrastructure and subsurface conditions. This paper provides an overview of common sinkhole characterization and stabilization methods used in the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions of the United States from both geotechnical and geophysical perspectives. The application of geophysical methods in conjunction with intrusive investigations is reviewed as a means of reducing subsurface uncertainty and refining treatment designs. …

Creating A Karst Features Map Of A 7.5-Minute Quadrangle In Northern New Jersey, Zachary Schagrin

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Extensive areas of northern New Jersey are underlain by carbonate rocks, ranging from Proterozoic marbles to Paleozoic limestones and dolomites. These areas include large portions of Sussex and Warren Counties, as well as smaller areas within Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset Counties. As part of its efforts to map the geology of the state, the New Jersey Geological and Water Survey (NJGWS) has undertaken efforts to create karst features maps of quadrangles within this area—known as the Karst Susceptibility Project Area. Through field mapping, GIS analysis, and interpretation of past data collection, NJGWS began publishing these 1:24,000-scale maps in 2023. …

Stratigraphic Controls On Recharge To The Confined Aquifer Of The North Coast Karst Belt Of Puerto Rico, Brian A. Smith

Sinkhole Conference 2026

The north coast karst belt of Puerto Rico is well known for its conical shaped, limestone hills (mogotes), the Río Camuy cave system, the Arecibo Observatory (now defunct) where a large reflecting antenna is situated in a large (but modified) sinkhole, and hundreds or thousands of other caves. The two main aquifers associated with the north coast karst belt of Puerto Rico provide water for industry, agriculture, municipalities, and domestic uses. Tertiary-age geologic formations associated with both aquifers consist largely of limestone. Significant karst features such as mogotes and sinkholes are common where these units are exposed at the surface. …

Investigating Sediment Accumulation Dynamics Via Integration Of Gis And Remote Sensing Tools Along With Physical/Chemical Characteristics Of Sediments In Owl Cave, Highland County, Virginia, Dhanuska B. Wijesinghe, Spencer Schmidt

Sinkhole Conference 2026

The Valley region of Virginia, USA, features cave and karst systems. Variation in surface topography and vegetation within these systems significantly affects sediment accumulation in cave ecosystems. Remote sensing and GIS tools effectively analyze surface conditions, including vegetation cover and its influence on sediment buildup in caves. This study involved collecting high-resolution drone imagery, such as LiDAR, multispectral, and thermal data near Owl Cave in Highland County, VA, to understand the sediment accumulation process inside the cave system. High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) were created from LiDAR point clouds, and vegetation indices like Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were calculated …

Biogeomechanics Of Eicp Reinforcement Of Karstified Rock Masses, Mary C. Ngoma, Oladoyin Kolawole

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Sinkholes are among the most significant karst-related hazards, arising from the dissolution of soluble rock and subsequent collapse of overlying geomaterials, thereby compromising rock mass stability and underground infrastructure. Conventional sinkhole remediation approaches often rely on cement-based grouting to prevent failure; however, the associated environmental impacts underscore the need for eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives such as biocementation. While biocementation has been a widely applied technique in reinforcing soils and cemented structures, the potential of biocemented hybrid soil-embedded karstified rock systems remains unexplored. To address sinkhole-related post-hazard remediation, this work investigates the potential of biocementation as a sustainable reinforcement strategy for …

Constraining The Groundwater Pathways Driving Cave Formation In The Water Sinks Area In Highland County, Virginia, Usa Using Electrical Resistivity Imaging, Shamsuddin Ahmed, R Shane Mcgary

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Speleogenesis in carbonate bedrock occurs when water, acidified by CO2 , dissolves calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in rocks to form voids and dissolutional conduits. The near surface geology of the Water Sinks area is dominated by Silurian–Devonian limestones, accommodating numerous karst features including sinkholes, caves, and springs. Groundwater flow and cave development in the area is thought to be guided primarily by geologic structure (folds, bedding, and joints) and low-permeability layers. In this study, we use electrical resistivity methods to detect and characterize conduits and water flow paths in the subsurface. We collect dipole-dipole and Schlumberger array data along seven transects …

Documenting The Ineffable: A Comparative Analysis Of Mystical Representation In Kimiavi’S The Garden Of Stones And Western Sufi Documentary, Hessam Abedini

Journal of Religion & Film

This article examines how documentary film attempts to represent mystical experience through comparative analysis of Parviz Kimiavi's The Garden of Stones (1976) and American documentaries featuring Samuel Lewis, particularly Sunseed (1973). Rather than assuming terms like "sacred" or "authentic," the study grounds its analysis in empirical definitions from William James, historical scholarship by Carl Ernst and Annemarie Schimmel, and literary theory from Fatemeh Keshavarz. Through detailed examination of specific scenes—Darvish Khan hanging stones from dead trees, Lewis leading ecstatic dances—the article demonstrates how different cinematic strategies approach documentary's epistemological limits when confronting ineffable experience.

The analysis corrects historical misunderstandings about …

Navigating Renewable Energy Utilizing Public Administration, Abigail De Meo

PNHA Review

In the modern era of public administration, the rise of renewable energy presents new policy challenges and opportunities that impact not only global systems but also the physical and political environments of local governments. This paper examines the interconnected relationship between renewable energy and public administration, offering tools derived from academic literature to support effective policy navigation. The analysis focuses on Michigan’s Public Act 233 of 2023 and Public Act 235 of 2023 to illustrate the real-time implications for local administrators. Technical, ethical, and leadership competencies are explored through both literature and interviews to identify critical skills necessary for navigating …

Economic Development And The Revitalization Of Small Town America: A Comparative Analysis Of Four Michigan Communities, Christopher J. Marco

PNHA Review

This research article presents a comparative analysis of economic development efforts in four West Michigan communities: Grand Haven, Holland, Hudsonville, and Zeeland. These cities have developed economic development plans specifically targeting the revitalization of their downtowns and commercial districts. This paper discusses the history of each community, assesses their current economic development efforts, and frames them within a greater discussion of scholarship on economic development strategies in small and rural U.S. communities. It seeks to answer five core research questions and conducts a comparative analysis of the four towns employed as case studies for the paper. This comparative analysis assesses …

But Mommy, I Can See!, Paul B. Freeman Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Book Review: Slotnick S, But MOMMY, I can SEE! Illustrations Daniel W. Miller, Newman Springs; 2024. 76 pages, Paperback, $20.95, ISBN: 979-8-88763-556-9, Hardcover, $32.95, ISBN: 979-8-89617-040-2, eBook, $9.99, ISBN: 979-8-88763-557-6

Technical Disclosure Specification: Project Tectonex - Spec 172, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This technical specification details the structural architecture, mathematical governing frameworks, and biological boundary safety parameters for TECTONEX, a modular metamaterial panel mesh engineered to isolate critical infrastructure from transient high-flux thermal, kinetic, and elastodynamic loads. Moving away from passive, mass-based armor systems, the TECTONEX matrix synthesizes porous macrovascular fluidics, wave-trapping single-crystal grids, and active near-field acoustic levitation boundaries into a self-powering, closed-loop structural unit.

By converting external threat momentum into localized internal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) currents, the panel autonomously scales its internal dampening properties. The design incorporates a reverse-angled Helmholtz acoustic louver pathway to guarantee complete attenuation of toxic infrasonic, ultrasonic, …

Trusted Payment Device Identifier Generation And Validation Based On Trusted Authentication Events, Tun-Chieh Huang Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

A method performed by a payment network server includes receiving trusted authentication event data associated with a trusted authentication event (101, 102) for provisioning a first device token to a device digital wallet, wherein the trusted authentication event data includes a device token identifier, a timestamp, and a cryptographic element. The method includes generating a trusted payment device identifier based on the trusted authentication event data, storing the trusted payment device identifier in association with the first device token in a token vault, and determining that the first device token meets an assurance criterion. The method includes receiving a token-for-token …

Tree-Based Evaluation Of Univariate Polynomials Over Mersenne-31 On Fpga, Ali Mkhida Mr

Defensive Publications Series

This work presents a tree-based FPGA architecture for evaluating univariate polynomials over the Mersenne-31 prime field F_p, where p = 2^31 - 1, a finite field used in modern zero-knowledge proof systems and STARK-oriented arithmetic. Instead of the serial dependency structure of Horner evaluation, the proposed method stores polynomial coefficients in bit-reversed order and evaluates them through a complete binary tree using the powers r, r^2, r^4, ..., r^(2^i) of the evaluation point.

For a polynomial with N coefficients, where N is a power of two, the construction requires exactly N-1 finite-field multiplications and N-1 additions, matching the arithmetic work …

Cvtcc-1.0 Caldwell Cranio-Venous Thermal Coupling Challenge System A Non-Invasive Research Architecture For Simultaneous Detection Of Jugular Flow-State Changes And Cranial Thermoregulatory Response During Simulated Microgravity, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

CVTCC-1.0 is a research system designed to investigate a previously under-integrated physiological question:

Does an abnormal cranial thermal response occur together with measurable changes in internal-jugular venous transport, and can the coupled response be detected earlier or more reliably than either measurement alone?

The system does not assume that such coupling exists.

Instead, CVTCC-1.0 deliberately creates a small, controlled thermal perturbation at the body surface and measures the resulting time-dependent thermal response at multiple locations while simultaneously recording:

• left and right neck thermal response,

• local heat flux,

• skin temperature,

• environmental temperature and humidity,

• respiration,

• cardiac timing,

• body position,

• motion,

• and …

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Delay-Based Forwarder Election For Evpn Multihomed Ethernet Segments, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

Techniques are described for selecting which of two or more network nodes attached to a shared access device forwards traffic for that device, using measured delay rather than configuration or addressing. Each node measures the delay of its own attachment circuit to the access device with an active measurement protocol, filters the samples, and advertises the resulting value to the other nodes of the redundancy group in a control plane message scoped to that group. Each node applies a common selection rule to the advertised values, identifies the node reporting the lowest delay, and applies a relative hysteresis test, an …

The Decentralized Quantum-Resistant Attestation Mesh (Dq-Ram) For Edge-Enclave Metric Coupling In High-Connectivity Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

THE QUANTUM-CLOUD INTERCEPT INTERFACE

With commercial processors achieving random-circuit sampling advantage via multi-coupler arrays, a severe systemic security vulnerability emerges: Centralized Infiltration of the Telemetry Pipeline. When an open edge network queries a centralized quantum cloud foundry, the returning computational state is highly susceptible to man-in-the-middle phase manipulation, tracking payloads, or deliberate institutional censorship.

SPEC-171 establishes the Decentralized Quantum-Resistant Attestation Mesh (DQ-RAM). Operating natively inside the physical 64-pin BGA Secure Enclave (SPEC-169), DQ-RAM treats incoming high-connectivity cloud metrics not as trustworthy software text, but as a continuous, unverified phase manifold that must pass through a local, hardware-enforced matrix mask before …

Technical Disclosure Manifest: Spec-171-Index Title: Eckes Taxonomy : Unified Prior Art Index, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This master manifest links the historical and physical progression of 171 interconnected technical papers. It maps the unbroken engineering evolution from the core Holographic Projection model up to the sub-2-bit ternary enclaves of Project Rocky and the quantum meshes of 171.

This index establishes an absolute legal barrier against retroactive corporate patent capture or system grouping.

The Topological Wave-Shaping Compiler For Closed-Loop Isospectral Substrates Under The Universal Semantic Unity Engine Dual-Node Architecture, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

This specification establishes the architectural foundations for SPEC-170, the Topological Wave-Shaping Compiler. Moving away from traditional binary von Neumann processing and autoregressive token-shifting, the compiler treats computational routines as continuous, high-dimensional geometric wave manifolds. By enforcing the Universal Semantic Unity Engine dual-node internal processing architecture, the compiler maps abstract informational intent between an uncollapsed initial boundary condition, defined as the Alpha Wave, and a deterministic ground-truth constraint, defined as the Omega Wave. The compilation process is executed by calculating discrete Topological Signature Points, which represent the exact interference vertices where wave-amplitude density peaks. This approach forces the underlying quantum or …

The Round That Never Ends: The Inverted Alms Round As Post-Labor Infrastructure — Location-Based Anonymous Micro-Donations To Opted-In Stationary Public Meditators, Triggered By Presence Rather Than Need, With Ai-Funded Forward-Only Giving Balances For Recipients, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We describe a location-based voluntary giving system in which pedestrian donors give small, fixed, anonymous micro-donations to opted-in participants who sit still in public places, such as public meditators. Eligibility is triggered only by the verifiable fact of opted-in, stationary public presence, never by an assessment of need or of any inner state, and a participant's presence is surfaced to nearby donors' devices without displaying need, housing status or any ranking. The system sits above an unconditional baseline-support floor that it may never gate, replace or draw down. Above the floor it specifies three channels: the donor-to-sitter micro-donation layer, with …

Comprehensive Prior Art Defensive Publication: Technical Innovations In Near-Earth Asteroid Mining, In-Situ Resource Utilization, Processing, And Cislunar Supply Chains (2035–2060), Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of Gemini 3.6 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (中华人民共和国专利法), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (特許法). This comprehensive document discloses 51 patentable engineering innovations and industrial processes covering prospecting, microgravity anchoring, optical mining spallation, carbonyl gas refining, centrifugal vacuum pyrometallurgy, orbital biomining, …

Appreciation As World-Building: A Location-Based Virtual World Rendered From A User's Signed Ledger Instead Of Purchasable Cosmetics, With Location-Verified Content Creation And Read-Only Remote Visiting, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We disclose a location-based gratitude application built from geotagged user photographs. Each user's persistent virtual world, terrain and avatar, is rendered deterministically from that user's signed contribution ledger rather than furnished with purchasable cosmetic virtual goods: there is no store and no path from money to appearance, which lets a scheduled annual reset of ledger balances remain a forgiveness rather than a confiscation. Cosmetic forms unlock non-regressively on the first qualifying ledger pattern, with no display of locked items or progress, and a design-time test requires that unlockable sets not form a ranking ladder. Creating content, whether a capture or …

Cadre D’Infrastructures Et Procédés D’Approvisionnement Spatial Intégré, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of Gemini 3.6 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). Consolidated technical disclosure of 38 key innovations encompassing space resource extraction, orbital manufacturing, cislunar logistics, nuclear transmutation, and high-purity material processing. Original Zenodo url: https://zenodo.org/records/23045701