Digital Commons Network^™

Race And Greek Mythology: An Analysis Of A Racialized Hierarchy In Literary And Artistic Depictions Of The Line Of Io In Archaic And Classical Greece, Angie Pierre

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

Following the emergence of the Greek alphabet in 8th century B.C.E, Greece produced literary works which demonstrated contemporary beliefs, customs, and practices. Additionally, pottery during this era began to be more expressive. The use of geometric shapes and imagery from Egypt were later used to create stories and induce emotions in pottery. Following the Archaic period, the Classical era has produced a plethora of literary and artistic material that expands on material from the Archaic era while simultaneously providing commentary on its own period. While not in a consistent manner, an underlying theme within the art and literature of the …

The Rise And Fall Of U.S. Support For Operation Condor, Siegrid Tuttle

Munn Scholars Awards

Operation Condor (Condor) was a transnational terror network set up by six military dictatorships in South America with the support of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in order to kill and silence dissidents in the nineteen seventies. Research on Condor tends to focus on the individual dictatorships involved; the relationship between those dictatorships and the United States has been comparatively understudied. Unlike in other Cold War battlegrounds, the human rights violations committed by the Condor dictatorships caused Congress to take action, investigate the CIA, and tie human rights requirements to U.S. foreign assistance to the region.

Computational Investigation Of The Chemical Bond Between An(Iii) Ions And Soft-Donor Ligands, Naomi E. Rehberg

Honors Thesis

The nature of chemical bonding of actinide metal ions with arene and borohydride ligands is investigated through quantum chemical methods to understand how the transuranium elements differ from uranium with respect to their interaction with soft-donor ligands. Specifically, this study examines [An(arene)(BH₄)₃] complexes (An^Me₆; An = Np, Pu, U, arene = C₆Me₆). Density functional theory (DFT) shows that, when the complexes are neutral, electrostatic interactions dominate the interaction between the metal ions and the soft-donor ligands. Molecular orbital analysis, with both the DFT and the complete active space …

Evelyn Waugh And The Problems Of Representing Conversion, Alec J. Miller

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evelyn Waugh’s conversion to Catholicism in 1930 raised the question of how his writing would change. The satires he wrote before his conversion, Decline and Fall (1928) and Vile Bodies (1930), are hilarious but have no spiritual vision. Critics attacked his second novel after his conversion, A Handful of Dust (1934), for not being fitting for a Catholic writer to have made. Yet, Waugh makes a religious point in A Handful of Dust, exploring the wages of spiritual apathy without showing a path out. Later in Waugh’s career, he makes his finest attempt in the Sword of Honour trilogy …

Cybermapping Solutions: A Unified Approach In Us/Nato Military Applications And Development, Nicholas Macrino

Electrical & Computer Engineering Projects for D. Eng. Degree

[First paragraph] Cyber threats are evolving in complexity and frequency, posing significant challenges for cybersecurity professionals in identifying, categorizing, and responding to attacks in real time. Unlike traditional warfare, where battlefield awareness is based on fixed geographic warfare, cyber operations involve abstract attack vectors, non-linear threat escalation, and rapidly changing network conditions. Modern cyber threats, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs), polymorphic malware, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, require adaptive visualization techniques that provide real-time awareness and facilitate rapid decision-making. However, existing symbology standards, such as MIL-STD-2525D, were not designed to accommodate the dynamic nature of cyber warfare. The inability …

Human Rights And Foreign Policy: South Africa's Genocide Complaint Against Israel At The International Court Of Justice, Penelope Andrews

Articles & Chapters

On December 21st, 2023 the South African Government filed an urgent application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the wake of Israel's military activities in Gaza in response to the attack in Israel on October 7th in which more than 1,200 Israeli citizens were killed and several hundred were taken as hostages. The Israeli government responded to the attacks and the taking of hostages by launching a military campaign into Gaza, with the express purpose of destroying Hamas and especially its ability to attack Israel in the way that it did on October 7th. The first few days …

A Sysml V2 Implementation Of A Traceability And Verification Metamodel For “-Ilities”, Pacifique Munezero

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Multidisciplinary knowledge and exchange of information are two of the most important aspects of complex system design within the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) domain. The next generation of systems modeling language, SysML v2, is being developed to improve the precision, expressiveness, interoperability, consistency, integration of the language concepts relative to SysML v1, and the implementation and maturation of MBSE approaches. This research focuses on using SysML v2 to model structured notations for -ilities, referred to as non-functional requirements (NFRs), to address how they can be treated with the same rigor as functional requirements and mapped directly and explicitly from the …

Historical Imperative: A Key To Korean Unification, Paul Hong

KAUPA Letters

This essay explores the theory of historical imperative as a foundational framework for understanding Korean unification. It argues that Korea's unique and continuous national identity, resilience against external invasions, and modern aspirations for unity make unification an inevitable outcome of historical forces. The discussion highlights Korea's 5,000-year historical narrative, incorporating both documented dynastic transitions and the foundational Dangun legend (2333 BCE). While the Dangun legend is regarded as mythology by many historians, it remains a vital cultural and national symbol, reflecting Korea’s deeply ingrained sense of identity and continuity. The essay examines the survival of Korea’s identity through foreign invasions …

The Transition Process Of Syrian Refugee Families Separated By U.S. Immigration Law, Firas Aljijakli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Refugees are regarded as one of the most pressing humanitarian issues worldwide due to intricate social, economic, and demographic factors. Changes in U.S. immigration policy across successive administrations, particularly regarding the refugee ban and the duration of the resettlement process, have significantly impacted admission procedures. Consequently, family separations occur during the resettlement process, compelling families to navigate immigration policies while managing the challenges of being apart. This separation from their children greatly affects refugees’ ability to integrate into American society.

The research examines how Syrian refugee families cope with the separation resulting from U. S. immigration law. An important lens …

The Truth Is Out There: Ufo Conspiracy And Science Fiction, Gerry Canavan

English Faculty Research and Publications

The origin point of UFO subculture is typically dated to June 24, 1947, when an initial report of a "flying saucer" near Mount Rainier by Washingtonian Kenneth Arnold quickly sparked hundreds of similar reports nationwide (with varying degrees of irony, earnestness, originality, and reliability). The most famous of these claims is almost certainly one originating in Roswell, New Mexico, that July: a purported crash of an alien spacecraft that has remained a source of paranoid fascination for UFO watchers all over the world ever since. Many of the other 1947 claims also retain continued importance in the UFO community, like …

Rising From The Ashes : How African American Women From North Tulsa Overcame The Oppressions Of Race, Gender, And Class And Achieved Success, Cynthia A. Talley

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Rapid Review C: Knowledge Gaps And Future Vulnerabilities Arising From New And Emerging Uas Technology, George Grispos, Joel Elson, Tyler Mccoid

Reports, Projects, and Research

The National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center has been tasked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to support evidenced, novel frameworks that accurately represent the current nature and future trajectory of the terrorist use of unmanned aerial system (UAS) threat. In support of a subject matter expert summit meeting to be hosted in early 2025, the project team has completed three rapid review reports which focus on key dimensions of the issue, which include emerging trends, the logic of terrorist UAS exploitation, and related risk factors.

Leveraging Allies, Partners, And Technology: A Case Study Approach To Identifying Best Practices For Improving Us Military All-Domain Urban Training, Kevin Michael Felix

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In this study, the researcher explored urban training gaps, opportunities, and synergies across the United States and five Allied and partner nations, and how synthetic training environments (STE) technologies should be optimized now and in the future to improve US all-domain urban training. The researcher adopted a qualitative multiple case study approach, analyzing military doctrine, urban warfare training strategies, and infrastructure in the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Israel, and Singapore to establish best practices across these countries. Urban warfare requires specialized skills to negotiate terrain, including high-rise buildings, subterranean networks, and dense civilian populations. However, the existing U.S. military …

Cyber Security Of Autonomous Vehicles: The Implications For City Planning, Tegg Westbrook

Journal of Strategic Security

The rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has proclaimed positive consequences for urban quality, including reductions in accidents and deaths. As automobiles become digitalized, questions over cyber or electronic threats require further contextualization in urban security scholarship. Focusing on literature on radiofrequency interference of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-aided and -dependent systems, the aim of this article is to consider threats to vehicle safety from electronic interference and the implications for users, city planners, asset managers, and vehicle manufacturers.

While well-known issues such as privacy aversion, tax avoidance, and fraud are documented, it expands on other less-well-known threats to autonomous vehicles …

Understanding The Strategic Value Of The Assassination Of President Juvénal Habyarimana, Jonathan R. Beloff

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines the assassination of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana through the utilization of strategic theory. The President's assassination on the night of April 6, 1994, ignited the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which killed up to a million Rwandan Tutsis and non-extremist Hutus within 100 days. While the assassins are still unknown, speculation exists of whether the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) or the former ruling akazu ordered the attack. It concludes that the akazu was the most likely actor behind Habyarimana's assassination, given that the structure of strategic incentives favored its position over the alternatives.

Frenemies? Fascists And Conservatives In Interwar Britain, Dylan R. Cameron

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the attitudes, beliefs, and arguments of British Conservatives (Tories) in discussions about British fascism through the lens of two mainstream Conservative newspapers, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, focused primarily on the buildup and aftermath of the infamous Olympia rally in June 1934. This thesis identifies two key factions within the conservative movement which arose in reaction to the rise of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF): (1) the staunchly anti-fascist “mainline Tories” who detested the BUF’s “foreign” character, propensity for violence, and antithesis to traditional liberal democratic principles, and (2) the fascist-sympathizing “reactionary Tories” …

Examining Genomic Islands To Trace The Evolution Of The Urinary Microbiome, Elena G. Renshaw

Senior Theses

There has been a longstanding misconception that the healthy human urinary tract is sterile; however, increasing evidence demonstrates the presence of a dynamic resident urinary microbiota. Emerging research suggests that the urinary microbiota plays a protective role against urological symptoms and infection, but interactions between urinary bacterial species remain understudied. Genomic islands (GIs) are large DNA segments acquired through horizontal gene transfer between bacteria and can provide fitness advantages, particularly to uropathogens. This research utilizes 1,301 genome sequences isolated from urine samples representing the bacterial diversity found within the human urinary tract. GIs were annotated using IslandViewer 4 and TreasureIsland. …

Could It Be Cold War? How Sino-American Tensions Are Unfolding In The South Pacific., Peter R. Caldwell

Senior Theses

This thesis assesses the impacts of geopolitical competition between the United States and China, focusing on the South Pacific as a primary theatre for this great power contest, and investigating the uses of foreign aid by regional powers to effect both the geopolitical alignment and domestic policies of the developing states of the South Pacific. This paper finds that foreign aid to these South Pacific States is geopolitically motivated, and induces greater attention from competing regional powers, furthering the ongoing competition. This paper first provides an overview of the evolving political situation in Kiribati, a Pacific Island Country which has …

Drowning In The Patent Pool: Is Statutory Invention Registration A Lifeguard?, Henry H. Perritt Jr.

West Virginia Law Review

Patents for inventions, available since the first Congress enacted the Patent Law of 1790, have been controversial. Defenders justify patents on the grounds that they are necessary to protect inventors from free riding—copying that would deprive the inventors of an opportunity to recover the costs of development. Detractors attack patents as unnecessary monopolies, thwarting innovation. The debate continues, even as the law itself has remained remarkably constant. Technology and industry structure have not remained constant, however. Patents have proliferated, resulting in patent thickets that make it impossible to create and market any innovative product without infringing hundreds of patents. Patent …

A Nexus Of Evil: An Analysis Of The Terror-Crime Link At The U.S.-Mexican Border, Miranda Brewen

Senior Honors Theses

As the nexus between terrorism and crime continues to expand, the threat of terrorism is now on our doorstep. The collaboration between terrorist groups and cartel operations at the U.S.-Mexican border is stimulated by the mutual benefits gained by both parties, and the instability in Mexico and the simultaneous market for drugs in the United States have created fertile soil for the growth of this nexus. The terrorist group, Hezbollah, has already demonstrated its alliance with Mexican cartels, and more alliances are likely to continue to be revealed. The ramifications of these alliances go beyond money laundering and fundraising, as …

What Are The Games For?: The Hunger Games And Reality Tv, Audrey Perez

Senior Honors Theses

In Suzanne Collins’ series, The Hunger Games, a dystopian Capitol holds an annual televised gladiator-style competition in which child participants fight to the death. These Games function as a psychological tool of propaganda that influence both viewers and participants to sustain an oppressive government. Collins prominently explored the Games’ medium as a reality television show through the way it reinforces an ideology of oppression and control through visual messaging and emotional complicity to create division between classes of people. Real world reality TV also has ideological underpinnings that can negatively influence both viewers and participants through its depiction of a …

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems In Environmental Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Curriculum To Foster A More Inclusive And Holistic Approach To Science Learning, Emilie Potocki

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project explores how elementary science curriculum can be adapted to become more culturally responsive (CR), with a particular focus on integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into 4th-grade instruction. Grounded in the belief that many Indigenous cultures have long held deep ecological knowledge and sustainable practices, the curriculum seeks to challenge the dominant, Eurocentric framework of traditional science education. Research highlights that culturally responsive teaching not only affirms students’ identities but also improves engagement, academic achievement, and long-term retention of scientific concepts. However, few curricular models at the elementary level meaningfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives in ways that are respectful, authentic, …

You Can Never Have Too Many Flowers: Nature As A Support For Survivors Of Genocide, War, And Conflict, Adam Hettler

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

One in five children around the world are surviving war or other violent conflicts. The trauma of disruptions to community, safety, and loss of friends, family, and home can have wide-ranging and life-long impacts on children who survive. While impacts will vary from individual to individual, the trauma can impact mental health, feelings of safety, relationships, ability to learn, and many other aspects of their lives. Many educators in the US and globally are working with refugee students or other students who are navigating the impacts on their brains and bodies of different traumas. This project seeks to answer the …

The Routine War Crime? Double-Tap Drone Strikes Under Customary International Humanitarian Law, Nathan Swenson

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

The "double-tap" drone strike tactic, in which a drone hits a target twice in rapid succession, has garnered much international attention in recent years. This paper assesses the legality of those strikes under conventional international humanitarian law, specifically within the framework of the Geneva Conventions. I argue that the double-tap tactic is not necessarily illegal if proper steps for compliance with international humanitarian law are taken by commanders. However, many circumstances demonstrate that appropriate measures are often not taken in the status quo. I argue that such situations should be deemed as war crimes and prosecuted accordingly by international legal …

Using Digital Word Puzzles To Develop Executive Functioning Skills In Adolescent Males With Known Skills Deficits, Lisa K. Griffith

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research shows that game-based interventions can effectively help develop some executive functioning (EF) skills. However, the majority of the interventions previously studied involve specialized and/or expensive games. The author believes that using commonly available word-based digital puzzles to “warm up” students’ brains can lead to improved EF skills, leading to students being more motivated to engage in learning, which in turn promotes greater success in the classroom as well as in life in general. Two adolescent males were studied for five weeks (total of 17 school days) using Merriam-Webster’s Blossom (2025) as an intervention for EF skills at the start …

The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 103, Issue 1, Spring 2025

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

No abstract provided.

Constitutional Iconoclasm, Andrew J. Lanham

Michigan Law Review

A review of The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them. By Aziz Rana.

Seabed Characterization Using Ambient Sound For A Range-Dependent Track In The New England Mud Patcha, Martin Siderius, Stan E. Dosso, Brian Granger

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wind-generated, ocean ambient sound data were used to characterize seabed properties along a track in the New England Mud Patch. A 15-m vertical array, consisting of 16 hydrophones, collected ambient sound data across the 50–5000 Hz frequency band. The array drifted for 1 h, covering a 1.7 km track. Seabed characterization was performed using beamforming techniques, which limited the analysis to the 400–700 Hz band. Passive fathometer processing was applied to estimate the water–seabed interface and sub-bottom layering. Additionally, the data were used to estimate the power reflection coefficient, which was then used as input for a trans-dimensional geoacoustic inversion. …

Rethinking Cyber Deterrence: Adapting To The Realities Of The Digital Battlefield, Peter Pijpers, Kraesten Arnold

Journal of Strategic Security

The question of whether deterrence is achievable in or through cyberspace has sparked considerable debate among academics. Over time, arguments have evolved, further entrenching this discourse and moving it out of the mainstream spotlight. This article examines how recent armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza may reinvigorate discussions surrounding this issue. It emphasizes that cyber activities can indeed produce deterrent effects while also recognizing the necessity for a new terminology to accurately capture these effects. In cyberspace, traditional deterrent logics—such as deterrence by denial or punishment—along with core principles including credibility, communication, and cost-benefit analysis, do not uniformly apply due …

Subversion: The Strategic Weaponization Of Narratives. By Andreas Krieg. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2023., Chad M. Briggs Phd

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.