Digital Commons Network^™

"Oh That I Had A Dozen Voices": Accessible Music For Volunteer Church Choirs, Nicholas D. Klemetson

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted church music ministries across the United States. In an era during which church attendance and interest in organized religion are declining, churches were forced to shut their doors, which only deepened the worsening issues in the US and internationally. Most houses of worship in the United States are modest in size but contain a small but enthusiastic group of volunteers who find great fulfillment in sharing their musical gifts to express God’s love. Despite these churches being the majority, mainstream music publishers’ offerings cater overwhelmingly to larger music ministries with sufficient participation to present SATB …

When You Consider The Radiance: Sergii Bulgakov, Beauty, Personhood, Daniel Adam Lightsey

Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation’s primary interlocutor is Sergii Bulgakov (1871-1944), the prominent Marxist economist later turned Idealist religious philosopher and finally Russian Orthodox priest and dogmatician who was forcibly exiled from his homeland in 1922 never to return. The thesis this manuscript pursues is that Bulgakov’s theology of beauty and metaphysics of personhood are inextricably enmeshed. Chapter 1 begins with beauty, specifically the problem or “tragedy of beauty,” a thematic to which Bulgakov consistently draws attention regarding the religious experience of postlapsarian persons. Chapter 2 assays Bulgakov’s chief rudiments of personhood as such, providing a kind of grammar for his metaphysical structuring …

Exemplars Of Faith: The Biblical Legacy Of Women In Chaplaincy, April M. Knoke

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Abstract This dissertation argues that women in Scripture are not marginal figures but foundational to both the theological understanding and practical expression of chaplaincy. By integrating biblical exegesis, historical theology, socio-cultural analysis, womanist interpretation, and pastoral theology, the study identifies a consistent divine pattern of inclusion and empowerment. This pattern affirms the essential role of women in providing spiritual care within contemporary institutional settings.

Chapter 2 examines four Old Testament figures, Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, and Abigail, highlighting their leadership within patriarchal contexts through prophetic, judicial, diplomatic, and intercessory roles. Chapter 3 turns to the New Testament and explores the ministries …

On Thursdays, We Wiggle, Beth Evers

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Churches of all stripes, including Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, and non-denominational churches, have early childhood learning centers (sometimes called daycares, preschools, or child development centers) as part of their ministry profiles. Many of these churches are missing an important opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ by not intentionally ministering with the children and adults of their early learning centers.

In September 2019, University United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, began a worship gathering specifically designed for the infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and adults of their Child Development Center. While the specifics of University UMC’s decision to begin Wiggle …

Incorporating Principles And Wisdom From Hospital Chaplaincy And Pastoral Ministry To Create A Ministry Model To Address Social Isolation And Loneliness In Black Churches, Albert A. Kemp

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

To address the growing and widespread epidemic of social isolation and loneliness, with special focus on Black churches, this dissertation developed a program with the following areas of application: 1) how healthcare trained chaplains can coordinate with churches to positively impact individuals identified as lonely and socially isolated with better social and physical health, 2) how principles of chaplaincy and pastoral care can mitigate and intervene competently when such people are identified, and 3) how the project’s model can be organized, taught, and incorporated into existing arenas of church ministry.

The purpose of the project was to create a ministry …

A Hospital Spiritual Care Volunteer Program: Embodying Vocation And Decreasing Social Isolation And Loneliness In Adults Sixty-Five And Older, Stacy L. Auld

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Social isolation and loneliness have become familiar terms since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the problem did not start there. We have seen a steady rise in the number of people who face social isolation and loneliness over the past fifty years, and now research shows that this problem is impacting people’s health, especially in adults sixty-five and older. These social diagnoses are being addressed by public policy and in health care settings, but they should also be addressed by United Methodist clergy in their care for their parishioners. Therefore, I am writing this dissertation to my clergy colleagues to raise …

The Church As Provider Of Pastoral Care: Relational Presence, Narrative Listening, Preaching, And Advocacy In African American Missionary Baptist Churches In Southside Fort Worth, Texas, Michael R. Timberlake

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Abstract

Michael R. Timberlake, Sr.

May 1, 2026

THE CHURCH AS PROVIDER OF PASTORAL CARE: RELATIONAL PRESENCE, NARRATIVE LISTENING, PREACHING, AND ADVOCACY IN AFRICAN AMERICAN MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCHES IN SOUTHSIDE FORT WORTH, TEXAS

The purpose of this research project is to restore and maintain the resiliency in the African American Missionary Baptist churches in the Southside of Fort Worth, Texas. The research identified a high level of importance for African American churches in Fort Worth to resemble the historic legacy of spiritual leadership, communal care, and social advocacy while ministering within contexts marked by racial and economic marginalization. Enabling practical …

Essays On Development Economics, Environmental Economics, And Political Economy, Weihong Li

Economics Theses and Dissertations

Chapter 1 explores the strategic behavior of provincial leaders in China in response to visits by central government leaders. I find that such behavior is correlated with provincial leaders’ personal characteristics and their connections with the visitors. Meanwhile, acting strategically during these visits has a positive and significant effect on overall promotions, but a positive and insignificant effect on promotions to the most important positions in the Politburo.

Chapter 2 examines the impact of the Confucian norms on the spatial heterogeneity of fertility rates and sex-selective abortions in contemporary China. To overcome the challenge of quantifying cultural norms, I construct …

Predictive Natural Language Metrics Of Alzheimer's Disease And Cognitive Decline Trend Analysis, Zerui Ma

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Inspired by Dr. David Snowden's Nun Study, which linked early-life Propositional Idea Density (PID) to later-life Alzheimer's disease, this thesis investigates two questions: whether fine-tuned Transformer-based large language models (LLM) can detect cognitive decline from patient speech transcripts with meaningful feature attribution, and whether longitudinal PID trends are observable across large-scale internet and academic text corpora. We evaluate dementia prediction on the DementiaBank Pitt Corpus and conduct an exploratory longitudinal PID analysis across seven diverse datasets spanning up to 29 years and over 12.6 million documents. This work suggests that linguistic ability metrics, traditional PID metrics and novel LLM-based analysis, …

Machine Learning And Formal Methods In Quantum Chemistry: Theory And Application, Ishna Satyarth

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the progress in inter-disciplinary application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) have truly transformed various fields, from weather forecasting and drug development to medical diagnostics, energy, and sustainability. Computational chemistry uses computational tools to model, predict, analyze, and explain chemical phenomena, while the Quantum chemistry specifically uses techniques based on quantum mechanics (as opposed to classical mechanics or empirical models). Quantum chemistry or Computational chemistry has also observed a momentum in application of ML techniques over the past decade significantly accelerating results and providing valuable insights into vast datasets, often surpassing traditional methods.

This dissertation explores …

Three Essays In Applied Gender Economics, Ayus Mitra

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to intersection of applied microeconomics and economics of gender. Each chapter attempts to examine how natural experiments as well as endogenous selection processes impact overall outcomes in gender violence, women empowerment as well as mobility and work decisions. It also highlights the role of gender-specific attitudes and norms in shaping outcomes. The first chapter investigates the relationship between the rise in popularity of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2013 and reported crimes against women in India. The analysis utilizes state-panel data from 2009–2016, employing difference-in-differences and event study estimation strategies. The findings indicate that reported incidents …

Bayesian Spatiotemporal Model For Counterfactual Estimation In Socioeconomic Studies, Duwani W. Gonzalez

Statistical Science Theses and Dissertations

Impact evaluations of regional development programs often require estimating counterfactual outcomes for a small number of treated regions using survey-based areal data. In practice, evaluators typically rely on two-group quasi-experimental methods such as propensity score matching (PSM) and Difference-in-Differences (DiD). These approaches perform poorly when only a few regions receive treatment, and when the set of observed covariates is limited or only partially relevant. Moreover, they typically do not explicitly exploit the spatial and temporal dependence present in survey-based areal data such as in ACS (American Community Survey). This dissertation develops a family of Bayesian spatial predictive models for directly …

Advanced Finite Element Modeling And Design Enhancement Of Slender Square Concrete-Filled Double-Skin Steel Tubular Columns, Mahmoud T. Nawar, Ayman El-Zohairy, Mohamed Emara, Raghda I. Halima

Faculty Publications

Limited research exists on the behavior of square CFDST slender columns, especially under the consideration of the relation global buckling and confinement effect. This study evaluates square concrete-filled double-skin steel tubular (CFDST) columns using nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate structural behavior under axial and eccentric loads until failure. Parametric analyses of extensive specimens of square CFDST pinended columns evaluate various parameters, providing design insights for engineering applications. The study was conducted over a wide range of slenderness ratios. Four concrete varieties with compressive strengths were tested: normal concrete (NC), engineered cementitious composites (ECCs), high-strength concrete (HSC), and ultra-high-strength …

Characterizing A Potential Cbp/P300 Histone Acetyltransferase Homolog In Tardigrade Germline Specification And Development, Brittney Michelle Hartshorn

Honors Projects

Germline specification is a fundamental process that ensures the proper development of germ cells. Germline specification occurs either through germ cell determinants maternally inherited through the mechanism of preformation or through induction, where cell interaction and epigenetic modifications direct specification. Determining how these mechanisms evolved and diverged remains an important question in developmental biology. Despite research on germline regulation in model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster, such regulation remains poorly understood in many other animal groups. Tardigrades are an emerging model system for investigating developmental mechanisms due to their phylogenetic placement and experimentally tractable embryos. CBP/P300 is …

Hybrid Densenet-U-Net Framework For Automated Grading Of Renal Cell Carcinoma, Rohini Jadhav, Banani Mohapatra, Bhavnish Walia, Sital Dash, Kailas Patil, Shrikant Jadhav, Ishwari Rohit Raskar

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: Precisely grading renal cell carcinoma (RCC) through histopathology slides is a requisite to predict the cancer prognosis and select treatments, however, there is a considerable variability in the assessment between observers. While some AI systems mainly rely on transformer-based and nuclei-centric models, they are computationally very demanding so their clinical use is thus limited. Hence, there is a need for practical and easy-to-understand solutions that can be integrated into digital pathology workflows. Methods: We built a hybrid framework that integrates U-Net-based tumor segmentation, convolutional feature extraction, nuclei-aware descriptors, stain normalization, and attention-based multiple instance learning for slide-level RCC grading. …

One Year Quality Of Life Outcomes In Critically Ill Children: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study, Oceanic Study Investigators, Joseph C Manning, Jos M Latour, Elizabeth Draper, Philip Quinlan, Emma M Popejoy, Grazziela Figueredo, Shreya Iyer, Thomas Trimble, Julie Menzies, Martha A Q Curley, Jane Coad

School of Nursing and Midwifery

BACKGROUND: Survivors of pediatric intensive care often experience prolonged morbidity, but recovery trajectories and features associated with impairment in general PICU populations remain uncertain. We aimed to explore the trajectory of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and fatigue in critically ill children over the first year following PICU discharge, and to identify baseline and PICU factors associated with worse outcomes.

METHODS: OCEANIC is a multicenter prospective cohort study across 10 English PICUs. Children aged 1 month-17 years with PICU stay ≥ 48 h were enrolled (2019-2022) and followed for 12-months (to 2023). HRQoL (PedsQL™ 4.0 Acute Versions) and fatigue (PedsQL™ …

Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies At 25 And 50, Rebecca Fitzsimmons

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Session abstract:
The histories of our institutions, spaces, collections, and communities come to life through the stories we tell with exhibits. As a tried and true way to promote collections, facilitate collection development, and engage users, the best exhibits go far beyond strategic goals and informational value. Exhibits have the power to connect people. As technology changes and our audiences evolve, exhibit strategies and impacts evolve, too. This session explores four recent case studies of exhibits, both physical and digital, pop-up and longer term, that support a range of outreach, deep collaboration, and collection development opportunities. Projects from the Ohio …

Limited Long-Term Changes In Tree Physiological Function Despite Shifts In Forest Stand Structure Following Moth (Lymantria Dispar L.) Outbreak And Drought, Diane Radwanski, Tomer Duman, Kenneth L. Clark, Dirk W. Vanderklein, Karina V. R. Schäfer

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Introduction: In this study, we investigated forest stand dynamics and leaf gas exchange of co-occurring oak and pine species in an oak-pine forest in the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the Northeastern United States following defoliation by a moth (Lymantria dispar L.), and severe drought.Methods: We used forest stand inventory and leaf gas exchange data spanning from 2005-2015 to analyze the effects of drought and defoliation.Results and discussion: The defoliation and subsequent drought caused great mortality in a selected group of species and moderate mortality in others. Investigating these dynamics on a decadal time scale (2005 – 2015) revealed a shift …

Fueling Reactions: Three Empirical Essays On Behavioral Responses, Economic Shocks, And Energy Markets, Euclides Coelho De Medeiros Correia

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how shocks in energy and commodity markets propagate through local economies and reshape human behavior, spanning three empirical essays that connect energy markets to electoral behavior, commodity price dynamics, and criminal violence.

Increasing Task Performance Through False Positive And False Negative Feedback, Craig M. Gilmore

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Feedback is commonly used to increase future performance of the individual receiving the feedback. This study focused on the implementation of false negative, false positive, and true feedback procedures to measure its impact on task performance. Performance was measured through both accuracy of correct responding and response latency across conditions. The participants of this study were recruited from Pittsburg State University and participated in a series of computerized tests while receiving various feedback types using a multielement design. The findings of this study aligned with some previous studies indicating the feedback types did not produce meaningful changes task performance in …

Mapping Homogeneous Configuration States For Learning Based Motion Planners, Yazied Hasan

Computer Science ETDs

Reinforcement learning (RL) excels at solving complex tasks, but training times can become prohibitively large for challenging motion-planning problems. Methods that address this cost often require additional training or tuning, counteracting the goal of reducing training time. A more effective approach is to exploit inherent task equivalences: many elements of the state space, dynamics, or structure are functionally interchangeable, enabling simplification or knowledge reuse. We present learning solutions that leverage these equivalences to enhance the RL process. First, we leverage the symmetry of homogeneous multi-agent teams to simplify the task to a single strategy. Second, we map correspondences between distinct …

From Sparse To Precise: Modeling Beam Profiles Using Wavelet-Based Implicit Neural Network (Winn) For Linear Accelerator Commissioning And Quality Assurance, Maryam Ali Albuainin

Computer Science ETDs

Commissioning and routine quality assurance (QA) in radiotherapy require extensive measurements using bulky water tank systems, making the process time-consuming and costly. This research proposes an efficient framework for radiotherapy commissioning and QA by generating complete LINAC physics data from sparse measurements and developing a portable solid-water detector with embedded diodes for high-resolution dosimetry.

At the core of the framework is a Wavelet-based Implicit Neural Network (WINN) that reconstructs full measurement datasets from limited inputs while maintaining clinical accuracy. The model achieves gamma passing rates above 95% (1%/1 mm) and mean absolute errors below 0.5%, while reducing parameters by 99.46% …

Computing Certificates Of Members In Archimedean Quadratic Modules In A[X] And Certifying The Emptiness In Inconsistent Monogenic Archimedean Quadratic Modules In A[X_1, ..., X_N], Jose A. Castellanos Joo

Computer Science ETDs

Polynomials have been found to be a powerful tool over hundreds of years for modeling problems in numerous applications in science, engineering, medicine, and other domains. In the context of formal methods, polynomials arise in modeling in aerospace software and robotics, cyber-physical and hybrid systems, autonomous vehicles and controllers based on neural networks.

A quadratic module is a linear combination of polynomials in a set of generators (including the constant 1) with sum of squares polynomials as multipliers. The membership problem for a finitely generated quadratic module can be decided; however, computing a certificate exhibiting why it is nonnegative under …

Where Is Home: Finding Belonging In God Through Expressive And Drama Therapy Processes Among Chinese Diaspora International Students, Minmin Pan

Expressive Therapies Theses

Being an international student for 12 years in the United States, this research engages with personal reflection and literature around international student identity formation situated in the current social and political context of increasing visa and employment uncertainty. International students’ ongoing movement across cultural spaces, limited representation of cross-cultural narratives and supportive spaces in academic settings, can contribute to fragmentation in experiences and identity that are shaped by dominant narratives and social positioning, thus further leading to disconnection from self and surroundings.

Relational spirituality literature suggests that one’s relational experience with God can deeply impact their interpretation of experiences, social …

Quiero Ver Dónde Dejé Mi Ombligo (I Want To See Where I Left My Belly Button), Karina Ramirez

Art Theses and Dissertations

My MFA thesis investigates the emotional and material bonds between the places I have visited and those I call home through painting. Family histories, cultural inheritances, and personal memories connect me to each location, transforming landscapes into repositories of lived experiences. Through careful observation and the gathering of materials influenced by local architecture, landscapes, and changing atmospheres, my work aims to understand how places are felt, remembered, and carried through time.

My work centers around places I have lived and visited, including Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas, Texas, USA; and San Juan del Río Durango, Mexico. Throughout my life, I …

What Is Mine, Yours And Ours: Bodily Metaphor And Neuropsychology, Alicia K.E Parham

Art Theses and Dissertations

Mapping the landscape of the brain has taken human lifetimes to navigate, both structurally to understand how our biological functions interact and functionally as our thoughts and emotions shape our existence. Neurological stimulus and response inform our reality, shape our thinking, and affect our bodies in profound physiological ways. Our nervous system acts as a bridge from what we experience physically to what we feel emotionally, through the sending of electrical signals to all parts of our body.

My art practice explores the interactions of neuroscience with outside stimuli. It is rooted in the personal: learning that a neurological condition …

Synecdoche: Archiving Violence In Schools, Jillian Whitney

Art Theses and Dissertations

K-12 Educators often find themselves thrust into a swamp of politics they never asked to enter. It is in this swamp that educators strive to meet students’ social, emotional, and educational needs. However, issues such as school shootings, racism, and gender inequality all make it difficult for schools to be what they should be: an equalizing, safe place where children can learn. These problems weaken the school system and harm public interest while leading to teacher burnout.

Synecdoche: Archiving Violence in Schools is a body of paintings and experimental artist books that responds to the everyday experiences of the educators …

Symbolists Beyond The Magic: Appropriation In The Art Of Elihu Vedder And Gustave Moreau, Rebecca B. Shalliker

Art & Art History ETDs

This thesis examines the paintings of Elihu Vedder and Gustave Moreau as examples of how the late nineteenth-century Symbolist movement drew on Eastern regions as aesthetic sources for representing the spiritual. Considering the iconographic and conceptual overlap with the Spiritualist movement, it explores how these groups contributed to constructing an image of the “East” as inherently mystical. While existing scholarship analyzes the Symbolist movement’s engagement with psychoanalytical concepts such as the subconscious and dream state, the role of cultural appropriation in shaping the Symbolist aesthetic has been largely overlooked.

The depiction of Eastern iconography as fantastical will be explored through …

Harold Dean Mccray, Sr.

African American Funeral Programs

Program for the funeral of Harold Dean McCray, SR. held at Matthew H. Lovett & Son's Funeral Home on May 16th, 2026.

Alumna Hopes To Help Address Shortage Of Health Care Workers, Bill Dabney

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi alumna hopes to ease the path for students pursuing careers in health care.