Digital Commons Network^™

Christocentric Discipleship At Faith Baptist Church Of Tuscola, Allan Clyde Harris Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Faith Baptist Church of Tuscola and many other churches worldwide do not currently conduct Christocentric discipleship. Discipleship, in general, is not being achieved as well. A significant disconnect between the gospel and discipleship exists today. There is ignorance regarding the gospel and its message and how believers are to fulfill the Great Commission. The disconnect is a result of the type of gospel preached and implemented. This study aims to discover a means and method to correct the ignorance of the gospel that results in improper or lack of discipleship, thus creating converts to Christianity and not disciples of Christ. …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Regarding Teachers' Attitudes And Efficacy Toward Students With Disabilities In An Inclusion Classroom Environment, Kimberly Lovett Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand elementary-level general education teachers’ attitudes and efficacy regarding teaching students with disabilities in an inclusion classroom environment. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory guided this study of teachers’ relationships with their attitudes and efficacy levels with educating students with disabilities in the inclusion classroom environment. The research questions addressed the teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the inclusion classroom environment. Ten teachers from local elementary public schools participated in individual interviews, and 4 engaged in a focus group interview. The individual and focus interviews were recorded, digitally transcribed …

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 …

Exploring Academic Librarians' Lack Of Experiential Learning In Teaching College Freshmen Information Literacy Skills: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Pearl Gloria Adzei-Stonnes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore academic librarians’ lack of experiential learning in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills in four-year higher education institutions across the United States. The central research question was – “what challenges do academic librarians experience in teaching information literacy skills?” – Twelve academic librarians who were involved in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills were examined on the phenomenon. Three different data collection methods used were questionnaire, letter writing and interviews. The theory that guided this study was Kolb’s experiential learning. Kolb’s experiential learning theory emphasized the process of learning in …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Southern Community College Mental Health Services Program On Persistence And Academic Performance, Rosa Maria Rodriguez-Alvarez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

College students presenting with mental health concerns are increasing as is the severity of those issues. Researchers agree that mental health issues are associated with negative academic outcomes. This college student mental health crisis along with decreased enrollments and budgets has caused administrators to examine the return on investment of services programs. The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine the impact of receiving counseling services on persistence and academic performance measures by grade point average (GPA). This study conducted a quantitative analysis of archival data from the Southern Community Colleges Mental Health Services program. One hundred records were …

Relational Evangelism: Family-To-Family Through Recreational Activities, Kimberly R. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The goals of this Doctor of Ministry thesis project are to explore and implement an approach to evangelism that has the potential of family connection through relational evangelism. The approach delivers the gospel message through family to family encounters in recreational activities. The church, Idlewild Baptist Church (IBC) has a unique communal opportunity to enhance ministry efforts through relational evangelism. The church leaders at IBC realize that they can do more with their recreation center on their campus by using it as a resource for outreach connecting with unchurched families and families without a church affiliation. An identifiable dilemma in …

Musical Excellence And Faith: A Study Of Service-Learning As Pedagogy For Instrumental Ensembles At Northwest University, Naomi Lynn Fanshier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite several studies indicating its importance, there is a lack of information regarding service-learning as a pedagogical tool for instrumental ensembles. Existing studies suggest service-learning creates culturally sensitive music teachers who are apt to create inclusive classrooms with a mind to diversity. Incorporating service-learning techniques into instrumental ensemble courses could be a helpful tool in combining faith and musical excellence. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study explores student experience and director observations concerning service-learning use to increase musical excellence and faith integration into performance-based instrumental ensemble courses at one Christian university. It is essential to consider both student and instructor experiences. …

Online Doctoral Candidate Preparedness For Practical Matters Associated With Their Dissertation Research: A Phenomenology, Grace Michele Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the dissertation research preparation and IRB-review experience of online doctoral candidates attending a medium-sized university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The theory that guided this research was Knowles’ theory of adult learning, which addresses how and why adults learn and why they choose to do so. The chosen design was transcendental phenomenology, which is used when the purpose of a study is to describe a phenomenon, and this is accomplished by collecting information about the phenomenon from a group of individuals who experienced it. The sample pool …

A Phenomenological Study Of Lived Experiences Of Drug Treatment Court Judges, Jennifer Smith Ramey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe current judges’ experiences presiding over drug treatment courts in Virginia. These experiences include the factors that led them to serve as a drug court judge, their training (if any) in behavioral health, and their perspective on how they apply therapeutic jurisprudence and procedural justice. The theory guiding this study is the diversionary justice theory. This theory explains the importance of diverting individuals charged with a crime from entering the punitive criminal justice system. The study was guided by the following research questions: How do judges describe their experiences presiding over drug …

Assessing The Lack Of Project Management Soft Skills Toward Project Completion Rates, Rene Orlando Aleman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Project managers have a challenging yet rewarding occupation that directly affects everyone within the community. To overcome their challenges, project managers rely on their training, experience, and the skills they develop throughout their careers. This research aimed to determine if there is a correlation between applying interpersonal skills as a project manager and higher completion rates within the construction industry. Additionally, this research aimed to assess the relationship between interpersonal skills and quality completion rates in the construction industry. The study was conducted within the construction industry, specifically focusing on road and building construction, surveying project managers working for private …

A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …

Deploying Secular Historian's Rules As An Apologetic Method To Persuade Secular Naturalists/Humanists That Demons Exist, Mark P. Ragsdale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Secular Humanists/Naturalists presuppose a priori that the existence and activity of non-material, incorporeal, spirit beings are not possible. Like a First Order Skeptic argues that one cannot be sure of anything beyond perception, the Secularist accepts existence of all that is material while rejecting any spiritual realm. The dissertation qualitatively ties together themes arguing that the same standards secularists apply to vetting any commonly accepted historical event whatever also inductively supports the existence and activity of demons.

Perfectionism And Religious Well-Being: Exploring The Mediating Effects Of Sense Of Belonging Among Christian College Students, Charity L. Frazier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Perfectionism has predominately been linked to lower relational and religious well-being among young adults. Perfectionists who report more positive relationships with others, however, tend to experience better outcomes such as life satisfaction, lower self-criticism, and greater religious well-being. The perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM) provides a framework for understanding how relational factors, such as a sense of belonging, may contribute to divergent outcomes among perfectionists. The purpose of this study was to explore (1) whether adaptive and maladaptive aspects of perfectionism have opposite effects on belonging and religious well-being, and (2) whether perfectionists who feel they belong experience greater religious …

Using Online Collaborative Learning To Improve Learning Gaps After Covid-19 Impacts On Higher Education: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study, Teresa M. Henning

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple-case study was to understand and discover the learning gaps created by emergency online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it has had on instructors and students in institutes of higher education. A look at how online collaborative learning theory and the effect it has had on online learning was also examined. The theory that guided this study was the online collaborative learning (OCL) theory, which stresses the process involving memory, thinking, reflection, abstraction, and motivation. The central research question that this study investigated was how COVID-19 impacted institutes of higher education and …

A Patristic Christological Defense: Utilizing The Patristic View Of The Incarnation As A Defense Against The Problem Of Suffering, Scott Steven Hyland Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

At issue is the question of whether it is logically consistent to embrace the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent God in the presence of evil and suffering. Many factors prima facie seem to indicate that the existence of such a God in the presence of an abundance of pain, evil, and suffering is logically incoherent. If such a God does exist, why does He allow the evil and suffering that He does? Hume asserts, such a being should be capable of preventing evil and suffering. Van Inwagen argues that the existence of a world that is constantly modified to …

Addressing The Intergenerational Disconnect Through Small Group Ministry In A Rural Church, George Russell Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Programs and activities at church are designed primarily to minister to the needs of specific age groups. Though this style of ministry has its place in the church, if not monitored, it can cause a division among the generations in the church. The division that exists can create a “we versus them” mindset. The generational division can create an attitude that affects the unity of the church while also a competition for resources and style preference in the church. This division also creates a culture of anemic discipleship from a lack of investment across generational lines that is a biblical …

Christian Volunteer Leadership In The Megachurch: A Quantitative Study Of Transformational Leadership And Training, Matthew Alexander Freyre

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine if a relationship exists between training volunteer leaders undergo to take on a leadership role in the Megachurch and the number of hours volunteers invest in the church, controlling for the quality of leadership for volunteers in the Megachurch who take on a leadership role. Further, this study sought to determine what, if any, relationship exists between volunteer leadership behavior and volunteer leadership quality in the select megachurches. Megachurches have developed stigmas pertaining to leadership involving its quality and the lack of quantity of leadership for attendees. This study examines if …

An Exploration Of The Role Persistence Plays For First-Generation, African American Males Enrolled At Four-Year, Primarily White Institutions: A Phenomenological Study, Daniel Michael Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many first-generation, African American male students who enroll in primarily White institutions do not persist. This phenomenological study aimed to understand academic persistence in first-generation African American male students enrolled at a four-year, primarily White institution. The theory guiding this study is the theory of human motivation developed by Abraham Maslow. Maslow's theory of motivation provided the necessary framework that assisted in understanding the basic needs required first-generation, African American male students to persist academically. A qualitative research methodology was appropriate as it is designed to increase understanding of first-generation African American male students' lived experiences as they endeavor to …

Addressing Health Illiteracy In The Hispanic Community – A Call To Action: An Integrative Review, Sarah Akers Dersch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States Hispanic population is rapidly growing; however, existing healthcare endeavors are insufficiently accommodating this expansion. This demographic is linked to multiple serious health problems, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disease, cancer, and liver disease. In order to improve health outcomes within this community, interventions, such as health literacy screening, need to be further explored to identify current insufficiencies and help this population overcome these health challenges. This integrative review seeks to determine the effectiveness of current health literacy screening tools among native Spanish speakers in the U.S. This review seeks to amalgamate data from various studies to demonstrate …

Base Vibration Effects On Additive Manufactured Part Quality, N. J. Jensen, G. G. Parker, J. R. Blough

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has opened the door for portable and self-sufficient fabrication. However, environments with base vibration degrade part quality during production. This work focuses on investigating and mitigating the effects of base vibration on AM part quality. Factors influencing part quality initiated the approach, followed by experiments on an extrusion-type printer to inspect and minimize vibration effects. Part roughness was used as the part quality metric based on preliminary experimental observations. A modal impact test identified the print bed and print head gantry as vibration-sensitive components at ≈ 40 Hz. These vibration modes were targeted with experiments to evaluate …

Integrating Movement Back Into Schools By Creating A Culture Of Movement, Stephanie Sandera

Masters Projects

As rigor continues to rise, so does the amount of time we are asking students to sit sedentary in their seats. It has become a common practice for educators to reduce or remove from their schedules activities that get their students up and moving in exchange for more academic minutes. Currently there is a dilemma in schools in finding the balance between instructional time and physical activity; even though it is becoming more well known that physical activity increases student attention and learning. To rectify this gap in practice schools need to create a culture of movement that is integrated …

Mentoring To Minimize Burnout In Early Elementary Teachers, Bethany L. Kohn-Mcfadden

Masters Projects

Research shows that teacher burnout is impacting the educational field in adverse ways, with both teachers and students feeling the negative effects. Teachers are leaving or considering leaving the teaching field at alarming rates, with very few teachers to replace them. With a dwindling teacher population, the need to minimize the symptoms and effects of teacher burnout is imperative. This project combines the positive and researched based practice of new teacher mentoring with knowledge regarding burnout and personal intervention strategies that can help limit the effects of burnout. The mentoring program is designed to be implemented into current and relevant …

Addressing Bias From Faculty Through Implementing Bias Training, Tori A. Henning

Masters Projects

Research has indicated that college students experience bias from college faculty on a regular bias. However, there is no mandated training for college faculty on the various forms of bias and the impact that it can have on students’ ability to be successful. While bias influences many students, students of color, women, LGBTQ+ students, and students from of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds experience bias at greater rates than white students. This project explores how the various forms of bias, the training that college faculty receive, student development theory, and how bias impacts students’ success and their sense of belonging …

"Cabined, Cribbed, Confined": Tyrannical Anxiety And Maternal Power In Shakespeare, Elle J. Nieuwsma

Masters Theses

The tyrannical king, a common trope in Shakespearean plays, is on the surface a powerful and confident character. He is motivated, though, by overwhelming anxiety and fear about losing his power and the freedom he experiences through it. In other words, he suffers from a metaphorical claustrophobia and is terrified of being confined to physical, social, and sexual inadequacy. In order to protect himself and maintain his freedom, the tyrant must project his anxiety onto someone else, and interestingly, the Shakespearean tyrants choose a shared target: mothers.

Through a series of close-readings and analysis, this article explores how several different …

The “Dread Sex Cases:” Community, Citizenship, And The Regulation Of Adult Theaters In The 1970s, Erin Barry

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Through an innovative examination of scale (local, state, and national regulatory structures), space (the location of theaters, the spatial arrangements inside them) and place (the cities and suburbs in which these battles took place), my dissertation on the regulation of adult theaters in the 1970s raises compelling questions about sexuality, space and the various levels at which citizenship is enacted and policed. I utilize three Supreme Court cases, Paris Adult Theater v. Slaton, which dealt with consent and the application of community standards, Erznoznik v. Jacksonville, which addressed bans on nudity and pornography at drive-in theaters, and Young v. American …

Armo: Automated And Reliable Multi-Objective Model For Lymph Node Metastasis Prediction In Head And Neck Cancer, Zhiguo Zhou, Liyuan Chen, Michael Dohopolski, David Sher, Jing Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective:

Accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis (LNM) is critical in treatment management for patients with head & neck cancer. Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) are routinely used for identifying LNM status. However, for small or less fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) avid nodes, there are always uncertainties in LNM diagnosis. We are aiming to develop a reliable prediction model is for identifying LNM.

Approach:

In this study, a new automated and reliable multi-objective learning model (ARMO) is proposed. In ARMO, a multi-objective model is introduced to obtain balanced sensitivity and specificity. Meanwhile, confidence is calibrated by introducing individual reliability, …

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 …

Mrgpra3-Expressing Pruriceptors Drive Pruritogen-Induced Alloknesis Through Mechanosensitive Piezo2 Channel, Ping Lu, Yonghui Zhao, Zili Xie, Huan Zhou, Xinzhong Dong, Gregory F Wu, Brian S Kim, Jing Feng, Hongzhen Hu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Although touch and itch are coded by distinct neuronal populations, light touch also provokes itch in the presence of exogenous pruritogens, resulting in a phenomenon called alloknesis. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation of pruritogen-induced mechanical itch sensitization are poorly understood. Here, we show that intradermal injections of histamine or chloroquine (CQ) provoke alloknesis through activation of TRPV1- and MrgprA3-expressing prurioceptors, and functional ablation of these neurons reverses pruritogen-induced alloknesis. Moreover, genetic ablation of mechanosensitive Piezo2 channel function from MrgprA3-expressing prurioceptors also dampens pruritogen-induced alloknesis. Mechanistically, histamine and CQ sensitize Piezo2 channel function, at least in part, …

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 …

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 …