Digital Commons Network^™

The Relational Fruit Of The Spirit In Youth Ministers: Do Youth Ministers Display Patience, Kindness, And Goodness?, Mary Ann Ridgley-Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Youth ministry is a crucial part of the church that can help teenagers strengthen their godly beliefs and spiritual formation. Youth ministers’ actions, characters, and behavior should reflect the fruit of the Spirit. This qualitative case study explored whether and how youth leaders displayed the fruit of the Spirit at seven Bible-based, baptistic Christian churches in southeast Georgia. Although seven was the goal, only five churches agreed to participate. A Christian church was defined as one with no more than 500 members that accept the Bible as the sole source and authority of genuine Christian faith. The fruit of the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Introverted Leaders, Sherita Dianne Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Society is comprised of individuals with different personality types who are frequently referred to as extraverted or introverted. Research has suggested individuals fall somewhere along the continuum of extraversion to introversion. Based on statistics, introverts are thought to comprise between 33% to 50% of the greater population, but introverts only comprise 4% of the management teams leading companies. The literature has vast amounts of information about leadership and extraversion but limited information about introversion and leadership. From the literature, what is not clear is how the introspective tendencies of introverted leaders may influence the strategic planning, decision making, or other …

A Predictive And Causal-Comparative Study Examining Emotional Exhaustion, Workload, Surface Acting, And Inclusion On Managers, Dana M. Morris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative and predictive correlational design study is to examine how workload, surface acting, work group inclusion, and emotional exhaustion impact African-American and Caucasian American managers in domestic, white-collar roles. A critical variable is emotional exhaustion which has been identified as a key characteristic and predictor of burnout in the workplace. While many current burnout studies have excluded underrepresented minorities and focused on job performance and job demands in human service industries, this study addresses relevant psychological workplace factors that have been associated with detrimental mental and physical conditions of underrepresented minorities - emotional dissonance and …

Worship Through The Visual Arts, Terry Tripp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite some Protestant churches holding the view that creating visual art is a spiritual practice of Christian worship, many still do not recognize it as a spiritual practice that Christians who are called to be visual artists should be taught and encouraged to practice. This qualitative research study focuses on the reasons that creating visual art is a spiritual practice of Christian worship and should be encouraged by church leadership. Visual art has been abused in the history of the Christian church. People have worshiped the creation instead of the Creator. Due to such unfortunate practices and abuses, some Protestant …

Student Anxiety In The Foreign Language Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Daniel Moffatt Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of foreign language anxiety or xenoglossophobia, for college students enrolled in foreign language courses at The Southern University. The topic was guided by Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition, as it relates to many aspects of the actual process of second language learning. The sample consisted of 10 college students enrolled in foreign language courses at the university level. Qualitative data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews, journaling, and document collection. Data analysis procedures were derived from methods set forth by Van Kaam, and modified by Moustakas, including …

Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance: A Review Of Related Literature With Cmp Based Unit And Lesson Plans For Middle School Band, Timothy M. Pietrofere

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The concept of comprehensive musicianship has been discussed since the mid-sixties referring to the interdisciplinary study of music. Many directors focus solely on teaching performing skills such as rhythm and musical notation, limiting the student’s exposure to a well-rounded musical teaching experience. Comprehensive musicianship has shown an increase in student’s musical knowledge in history and enhanced musical theory skills, aural skills, performance skills and improvisation. Although there is significant research on high school bands and their implementation of comprehensive musicianship, there is limited research pertaining to the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) and the middle school band. This qualitative study …

Culturally Induced Male Dominance: Addressing Breakdown Of Harmony In Asian Indian Christian Marriages, Benjamin Mulaparthi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marriage is an institution designed by God to fulfill the creation mandate and represent Christ and his bride in this world. Marriage is a universal social construct fulfilled in diverse ways across cultures and societies. In Asian Indian culture, marriages are mostly arranged where parents customarily choose a spouse based on the caste/ethnicity, religion, social and economic standing of prospective spouses and their families. Many Christians in India and those of Indian origin living in the United States adopt the cultural norm of arranged marriage. This DMIN action research project will explore the breakdown of harmony in Christian arranged marriages …

Perspectives Of Students’ Personal Disability Awareness Impacting Transitions: A Phenomenological Study, Joshua S. Crandell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students with disabilities (SWD) struggle with achieving positive postsecondary outcomes in training or schooling, employment, and independence. SWD’s transition plans should prepare them for these subsequent phases, but SWD are not finding that success. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of students with a personal disability awareness as they transition from high school. The central research question for this study was: What are the lived experiences of postsecondary students with a personal disability awareness as they transition from high school? The study used a transcendental phenomenological approach through interviews, focus groups, and journal …

African American Parenting Style Influence On Children And Adolescents' Academic Success, Elizabeth F. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine how parenting styles influence African American children and adolescents’ academic success. The theory guiding this study was Diana Baumrind’s parenting typologies authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. A sample size of 10 African American participants who had at least one child, 3 months to 18 years of age, were recruited and selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. Each participant was interviewed via recorded Zoom meetings and data were collected utilizing open-ended, semistructured, in-depth interview questions. Three research questions guided this study: (a) what response is given that characterizes parents’ relations …

Activation Of The Plasmodium Egress Effector Subtilisin-Like Protease 1 Is Mediated By Plasmepsin X Destruction Of The Prodomain, Sumit Mukherjee, Armiyaw S. Nasamu, Kelly C. Rubiano, Daniel E. Goldberg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Following each round of replication, daughter merozoites of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum escape (egress) from the infected host red blood cell (RBC) by rupturing the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) and the RBC membrane (RBCM). A proteolytic cascade orchestrated by a parasite serine protease, subtilisin-like protease 1 (SUB1), regulates the membrane breakdown. SUB1 activation involves primary autoprocessing of the 82-kDa zymogen to a 54-kDa (p54) intermediate that remains bound to its inhibitory propiece (p31) postcleavage. A second processing step converts p54 to the terminal 47-kDa (p47) form of SUB1. Although the aspartic protease plasmepsin X (PM X) has been implicated …

Molnupiravir And Risk Of Post-Acute Sequelae Of Covid-19: Cohort Study, Yan Xie, Taeyoung Choi, Ziyad Al-Aly

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether treatment with the antiviral agent molnupiravir during the first five days of SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with reduced risk of post-acute adverse health outcomes.

DESIGN: Cohort study.

SETTING: US Department of Veterans Affairs.

PARTICIPANTS: 229 286 participants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 5 January 2022 and 15 January 2023, had at least one risk factor for progression to severe covid-19, and survived the first 30 days after testing positive were enrolled. 11 472 participants received a prescription for molnupiravir within five days of the positive test result and 217 814 received no covid-19 antiviral or …

A Phenomenological Study Of Contexts Of Parent Responsibility For Middle School Student Achievement, Benjamin F. Erskine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe lived experiences of parents of middle school students who are engaged in their children's educational achievement as stakeholders within the overlapping spheres of influence. Eighteen participants were selected from three middle schools in a school district in central Delaware. The central research question is: What lived experiences motivate parents of middle school students to engage in their children's educational achievement as stakeholders within the overlapping spheres of influence? Research sub-questions deal directly with the participants' understanding of the theory guiding this study, Epstein's theory of overlapping spheres of influence, as …

Site-1 Protease Inhibits Mitochondrial Respiration By Controlling The Tgf-Β Target Gene Mss51, Muhammad G Mousa, Lahari Vuppaladhadiam, Meredith O Kelly, Terri Pietka, Shelby Ek, Karen C Shen, Gretchen A Meyer, Brian N Finck, Rita T Brookheart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The mitochondrial response to changes in cellular energy demand is necessary for cellular adaptation and organ function. Many genes are essential in orchestrating this response, including the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 target gene Mss51, an inhibitor of skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration. Although Mss51 is implicated in the pathophysiology of obesity and musculoskeletal disease, how Mss51 is regulated is not entirely understood. Site-1 protease (S1P) is a key activator of several transcription factors required for cellular adaptation. However, the role of S1P in muscle is unknown. Here, we identify S1P as a negative regulator of muscle mass and mitochondrial respiration. S1P …

Nk Cell-Derived Extracellular Granzyme B Drives Epithelial Ulceration During Hsv-2 Genital Infection, Ying Shiang Lim, Aisha G Lee, Xiaoping Jiang, Jason M Scott, Adjoa Cofie, Sandeep Kumar, Dania Kennedy, David J Granville, Haina Shin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Genital herpes is characterized by recurrent episodes of epithelial blistering. The mechanisms causing this pathology are ill defined. Using a mouse model of vaginal herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection, we show that interleukin-18 (IL-18) acts upon natural killer (NK) cells to promote accumulation of the serine protease granzyme B in the vagina, coinciding with vaginal epithelial ulceration. Genetic loss of granzyme B or therapeutic inhibition by a specific protease inhibitor reduces disease and restores epithelial integrity without altering viral control. Distinct effects of granzyme B and perforin deficiency on pathology indicates that granzyme B acts independent of its classic …

Coded Ceramics: Computational Design Of Persian Ceramics, Nasrin Iravani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research explores the use of computer-aided technology and robotics in the creation of digital art and crafts, while also considering the cultural history of digital design. It begins with an examination of the most recognizable styles of Persian ewers made between the years 1,000 and 1,400 AD in the Islamic era. After analyzing a hundred ewers from this period, I classified them based on distinctive features such as openings, necks, bodies, spouts, handles, and bases. Then I designed a series of 3D printed ceramic vessels – titled Coded Ceramics – that were inspired by elements of the historic ewers. …

Framing The Family: A Qualitative Exploration Of Factors That Shape Family-Level Experience Of Pediatric Genomic Sequencing, Hadley Stevens Smith, Emily S Bonkowski, Madison R Hickingbotham, Raymond Belanger Deloge, Stacey Pereira

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Families of children with rare and undiagnosed conditions face many psychosocial and logistical challenges that may affect their approach to decisions about their child’s care and their family’s well-being. As genomic sequencing (GS) is increasingly incorporated into pediatric diagnostic workups, assessing the family-level characteristics that shape the experience of pediatric GS is crucial to understanding how families approach decision-making about the test and how they incorporate the results into their family life. We conducted semi-structured interviews with parents and other primary caregivers of pediatric patients who were evaluated for a suspected genetic condition and who were recommended to have GS …

Multi-Center Retrospective Study Of Children With Sickle Cell Disease Admitted To Pediatric Intensive Care Units In The United States, Nicholas A Ettinger, Danielle Guffey, Shaniqua J Anum, Titilope Fasipe, Julie Katkin, Saleh Bhar, Gladstone Airewele, Arun Saini, Venée N Tubman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Data on outcomes and interventions for children with sickle cell disease (SCD) admitted to a pediatric intensive care units (PICU) are unknown. We provide the first comprehensive multi-center report on PICU interventions associated with death, the need for invasive respiratory support or stroke among critically ill children with SCD. We collected retrospective multi-center cohort data from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2019 utilizing the Virtual Pediatric Systems, LLC database. We identified 3388 unique children with SCD, accounting for a total of 5264 PICU admissions from 138 PICUs. The overall mortality rate for the PICU admissions cohort was 1.8% (95/5264 …

Analysis Of Adsorbed Polyphosphate Changes On Milled Titanium Dioxide, Using Low-Field Relaxation Nmr And Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Laura N Elliott, David Austin, Richard A Bourne, Ali Hassanpour, John Robb, John L Edwards, Stephen Sutcliffe, Timothy N Hunter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In this study, changes in the adsorbed amount and surface structure of sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) were investigated for aluminum-doped TiO2 pigment undergoing milling. Relaxation NMR was utilized as a potential at-line technique to monitor the effect of milling on surface area and surface chemistry, while XPS was used primarily to consider the dispersant structure. Results showed that considerable amounts of weakly adsorbed SHMP could be removed with washing, and the level of dispersant removal increased with time, highlighting destructive effects of sustained high-energy milling. Nonetheless, there were no significant chemical changes to the dispersant, although increases to the bridging oxygen …

Barriers To Care In Juvenile Localized And Systemic Scleroderma: An Exploratory Survey Study Of Caregivers’ Perspectives, Leigh A Stubbs, Andrew M Ferry, Danielle Guffey, Christina Loccke, Erin Moriarty Wade, Pamela Pour, Kaveh Ardalan, Peter Chira, Ingrid M Ganske, Daniel Glaser, Gloria Higgins, Nadia Luca, Katharine F Moore, Vidya Sivaraman, Katie Stewart, Natalia Vasquez-Canizares, Raegan D Hunt, Renata S Maricevich, Kathryn S Torok, Suzanne C Li, Childhood Arthritis, Rheumatology Research Alliance (Carra) Scleroderma Workgroup

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Juvenile localized scleroderma (LS) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are rare pediatric conditions often associated with severe morbidities. Delays in diagnosis are common, increasing the risk for permanent damage and worse outcomes. This study explored caregiver perspectives on barriers they encountered while navigating diagnosis and care for their child's scleroderma.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, caregivers of juvenile LS or SSc patients were recruited from a virtual family scleroderma educational conference and a juvenile scleroderma online interest group. The survey queried respondents about their child's condition and factors affecting diagnosis and treatment.

RESULTS: The response rate was 61% (73/120), with …

The Role Of Web 2.0 Technologies In Empowering Librarians: The Case Study Of University Libraries In Iran, Hadis Khedri

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study aims to investigate the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on empowering the librarians of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries. This applied research was conducted using a survey method. The population of the study consisted of 135 librarians in the the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and the University of Isfahan libraries in Iran. Due to the limited number of participants, data were collected from the whole population and sampling was not carried out. Two questionnaires for assessing the Web 2.0 Library Tools and empowerment of staff were utilized to collect …

Miscellaneous, Bruce R. Johnson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Submission guidelines, Style guide, copyright notice, and order form.

Review Of After Humanity: A Guide To C. S. Lewis’S The Abolition Of Man, Brenton D. G. Dickieson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Brenton D. G. Dickieson Review of Michael Ward, After Humanity: A Guide to C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Park Ridge, Illinois: Word on Fire Academic, 2021). 253 pages. $24.95. ISBN 9781943243778.

Review Of C. S. Lewis Pre-Evangelism For A Post-Christian World: Why Narnia Might Be More Real Than We Think, Josiah Peterson

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Josiah Peterson: Review of Brian Williams, C. S. Lewis Pre-Evangelism for a Post-Christian World: Why Narnia Might be More Real Than We Think (Cambridge, Ohio: Christian Publishing House, 2021). 308 pages. $15.95. ISBN 9781949586152.

Review Of Splendour In The Dark: C. S. Lewis’S Dymer In His Life And Work, Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Crystal Hurd: Review of Jerry Root, Splendour in the Dark: C. S. Lewis’s Dymer in His Life and Work (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2020). 240 pages, including Contributors and Indices. $20.00. ISBN 9780830853755.

Review Of The Making Of C. S. Lewis: From Atheist To Apologist, Crystal Hurd

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Crystal Hurd: Review of Harry Lee Poe, The Making of C. S. Lewis: From Atheist to Apologist (1918- 1945) (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2021). 344 pages, including Notes and Index. $32.99. ISBN 9781433567834.

Review Of Holly Ordway, Tolkien’S Modern Reading: Middle-Earth Beyond The Middle Ages, Lauren Spohn

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Lauren Spohn: Review of Holly Ordway, Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth beyond the Middle Ages (Park Ridge, Illinois: Word on Fire Academic, 2021). 382 pages, including pictures and Appendix. $28.47. ISBN 9781943243723.

Review Of C. S. Lewis And The Christian Worldview, Jennifer Neyhart

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Jennifer Neyhart: Review of Michael L. Peterson, C. S. Lewis and the Christian Worldview (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020). 227 pages. $29.95. ISBN 9780190201111.

Review Of The Shared Witness Of C. S. Lewis And Austin Farrer. Friendship, Influence, And An Anglican Worldview, Grayson Carter

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Grayson Carter: Review of Philip Irving Mitchell, The Shared Witness of C. S. Lewis and Austin Farrer. Friendship, Influence, and an Anglican Worldview (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2021). 312 pages. $55.00. ISBN 9781606354179.

Review Of The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek And Roman Mythology Through Christian Eyes, Charlie W. Starr

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Charlie W. Starr: Review of Louis Markos, The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology Through Christian Eyes (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: Classical Academic Press, 2020). 448 pages. $27.99. ISBN 9781600513954.

Review Of The Reading Life: The Joy Of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes, Corey Latta

Sehnsucht: The C. S. Lewis Journal

Corey Latta: Review of C. S. Lewis, The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes, ed. by David Downing and Michael Maudlin (Harper Collins: New York, NY: 2019). 171 pages. $14.79. ISBN 9780062849977.