Digital Commons Network^™

Nostra Aetate To Combat Anti-Judaism, Marjorie Shahani

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This essay explores the reason the Catholic Church felt the need to release Nostra Aetate, specifically Article 4, and were they in fact successful. The intention to improve Catholic - Jewish relationship and to denounce anti-Judaism were primary. Christianity grew on the backs of centuries of anti-Judaism rhetoric expressed by Catholic Church leaders and anti-Jewish literature written by the Church fathers. All this negativity against the Jewish people contributed to the beginnings of anti-Semitism and purposely or inadvertently influenced the reality of the Shoah. These sentiments included the deicide condemnation of the Jewish people, the replacement theory or concept of …

Kenneth Tanaka And American Buddhism, Grace Laubach

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

In fairly recent history Buddhism has spread west to the United States. In doing so, it has faced many changes and transformations as people from different backgrounds have begun practicing and spreading its practices. In this process, many of the traditional aspects of Buddhism have been lost or traded for more modern ones, which has in turn led to the exclusion of many Buddhists of color from many primarily white, American Buddhist spaces. In analyzing the works of Kenneth Tanaka, the importance of utilizing both modern and traditional aspects of Buddhism within American Buddhism become clear as he discusses how …

Effects Of Cyclic Heat Stress On The Acute Inflammatory Response In Broilers, Alessandro J. Rocchi

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heat stress (HS) is a growing concern in broiler production due to increasing environmental temperatures. Little is known of the overall effect of HS on innate immunity. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, is commonly used to study the inflammatory response. In avian species, the local tissue and systemic inflammatory activities in response to LPS may be determined concurrently, over time, in an individual, using the growing feather (GF) pulp dermal test along with blood measurements (dual-window approach). To examine the effect of cyclic HS on the local and systemic acute inflammatory responses, Cobb 500 male broiler …

Living As Past In The Present, Grace Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I will be discussing how I used my nine roles in A Christmas Carol at TheatreSquared to practice getting out of my head onstage and into the hearts of each character. I will also include the script of my original play, GORILLA, the composition and performance of which were some of the greatest challenges of my artistic career thus far. Additionally, I am including my artistic statement, show posters, program, photos, website link, headshot & resume, and proofs of permission for use of media.

Review Of Magnetic Properties And Texture Evolution In Non-Oriented Electrical Steels, Yizhou Du, Ronald J. O'Malley, Mario F. Buchely

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrical steels can be classified into two groups: grain-oriented (GO) and non-oriented (NGO) electrical steel. NGO electrical steels are mainly considered as core materials for different devices, such as electric motors, generators, and rotating machines. The magnetic properties and texture evolution of NGO electrical steels depend on multiple factors (such as chemical content, heat-treatment, and rolling process) making the development of new products a complex task. In this review, studies on the magnetic properties of NGO electrical steels and the corresponding texture evolution are summarized. The results indicate that further research is required for NGO electrical steels to ensure high …

Characterization Of Public Opinion On Severity Of Mental Illness And Hiv Based On Individual Traits Using Hierarchical Multi-Category Probit Models, Md Moinul Ahsan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we focus on modeling categorical response variables from public opinion datasets. A hierarchical probit model was used to analyze these different variables. Particularly for multinomial data, we tried different covariate settings to see the model’s performance. For that purpose, we tried two different estimation techniques. The first algorithm uses identified parameters by fixing the first diagonal element of the covariance matrix at 1. The second algorithm uses one unidentifiable parameter and subsequently identifies the parameters by fixing the trace of the covariance matrix. The results from the simulation study confirm that the trace-restricted algorithm performs better with …

Studies In The Ancient Israelite Cult Of Dead Kin, Joshua Jacobs

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 1986, Klaas Spronk published a monograph titled, Beatific Afterlife in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East. Although many have criticized Spronk’s central thesis, his study began a new era in biblical scholarship on death and the afterlife in ancient Israel. More specifically, it sparked renewed interest in the study of the relationship between the living and the dead. Just three years after Spronk’s work, Theodore J. Lewis published his own study, Cults of the Dead in Ancient Israel and Ugarit (1989). Lewis affirmed and developed evidence for one of the foundational aspects of Spronk’s book: in …

Allegedly In Love: A Theatrical Production, Leah Christenson

Theatre Undergraduate Honors Theses

Allegedly in Love: A Theatrical Production details the process of producing and costume designing a fully-realized performance run of an original piece by Madelyn Marks.

From The Footlight To The Spotlight: An Examination Of Theatrical Lighting Design, Jackson Smith

Theatre Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper explores the question of how one could approach designing the lighting for a theatrical production. In doing this it covers foundational information about the science behind the medium, then it goes into a discussion of the types of artistry that lighting employs. It will explain what light contributes to a scene, how it can be manipulated creatively, and some of the methods and styles that have been developed over time. It culminates in an analysis of the author's lighting design for a production of Hedda Gabler.

Improving Adherence To Prediabetes Clinical Practice Recommendations In A Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area, Autumn Monette

Masters Projects

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem that is associated with increased mortality and considerable economic burden. Early identification and intervention in prediabetes can prevent or delay the progression to type 2 diabetes. Evidence-based clinical practice recommendations provide a framework for identification, diagnosis, and management of prediabetes; however, adherence among primary care providers is low.

Objectives: This quality improvement project was designed to increase provider adherence to prediabetes clinical practice recommendations through the use of a point-of-care screening and referral method. The project aimed to improve provider knowledge of prediabetes and increase screening and referral behaviors.

Methods: A point-of-care …

Improving Breastfeeding Rates In A Rural And Medically Underserved Community, Kaylie D. Waters

Masters Projects

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports national breastfeeding rates that are inconsistent with the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life (CDC, 2020). The rate of infants receiving any breastmilk by six months of age in a rural Midwest County is only 16% in contrast to 55% nationally (CDC, 2020; XXXXX, 2021). This discrepancy was addressed by evaluating breastfeeding status in that Midwest community followed by strategies to improve breastfeeding rates.

Methods: A multi-intervention quality improvement project was implemented using the SEIPS framework. The project evaluated the effectiveness of documenting breastfeeding status in …

Reducing Medical Errors For Patients With Substance Use Disorders With A Medical Information Card, Michael V. Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations & Projects

Background

Approximately 98,000 Americans perish annually due to medical errors and adverse events associated with the limited access to or incomplete pertinent patient health information (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022; Obrien et al., 2021). Pertinent patient health information includes patients’ allergies, current medications, current medical diagnosis, blood type, insurance, and emergency contact. The purpose of this project was to examine the efficacy in using File of Life cards in reducing medical errors among patients with substance use disorders (SUDs), and the perception of patients and healthcare providers ease of use, satisfaction of using the File of Life …

Adolescent Depression Management: An Inner City Federally Qualified Health Center Program Evaluation, Aurora Wernette

Masters Projects

Background: Within the state, approximately 119,000 adolescents aged 12-17 have depression, and it is estimated that 57.8% do not receive any mental health care (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2021).

Objectives: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the management of adolescent depression. This evaluation focused on adolescent depression screening rates, medication prescribing and adherence, counseling referrals and initiation, barriers to treatment, follow-up visits, and parent feedback about the care received.

Methods: All adolescents who did not have previously diagnosed depression or developmental delay were included in this program evaluation., A weekly manual chart review was used …

Heroic (Im)Maturity: Domestic Rupture And The Myth Of Telemachus' Coming Of Age, Mary Whitney

College Honors Program

As one of the most enduring narratives discussed in the field of Classics, extensive research has been written about Homer’s Odyssey. The universal and flexible maxims of the desire for homecoming (νόστος) make the events of this epic so compelling. One central aspect of Odysseus’ νόστος is the return of his son Telemachus to a specific role as the obedient prince. This implies that before the resolution of Odysseus’ νόστος, there exists the rupture of the domestic sphere that allows for freedom and chaos, both of which are removed and checked when Odysseus returns to Ithaca. For as long …

Physical Function Across The Lifespan In Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: An Application Of The Short Physical Performance Battery, Brenda Jeng, Petra Šilić, Rachel E. Bollaert, Brian M. Sandroff, Robert W. Motl

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) typically has its onset in early and middle adulthood, but the population is steadily becoming more dominated by older adults. One of the primary consequences of both MS and aging involves declines of lower extremity physical function and mobility. This cross-sectional study compared physical function status based on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) summary and component scores between persons with MS and healthy controls across 6 age groups. We further examined associations between SPPB summary scores and component scores as well as associations between summary scores and measures of physical and cognitive function for identifying the …

Sex Differences In The Speed–Duration Relationship Of Elite Runners Across The Lifespan, Timothy J. Fulton, Christopher W. Sundberg, Blaine E. Arney, Sandra K. Hunter

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

To determine if the speed–duration relationship is altered with age and sex of elite Master’s runners.

Methods

The world’s top 10 performances for men and women in three events (800, 1500, and 5000 m) across six age groups (18–34 yr, 40–49 yr, 50–59 yr, 60–69 yr, 70–79 yr, and 80–89 yr) were analyzed from public data to establish theoretical models of the speed–duration relationship. Critical speed (CS) and the curvature constant (D′) were estimated by fitting the average speeds and performance times with a two-parameter hyperbolic model.

Results

Critical speed expressed relative to the 18- to 34-yr-olds, …

A Nonlinear-Model-Based High-Bandwidth Current Sensor Design For Switching Current Measurement Of Wide Bandgap Devices, Xia Du, Liyang Du, Yuxiang Chen, Yuqui Wei, Andrea Stratta, H. Alan Mantooth

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the growing adoption of wide bandgap devices in power electronic applications, current sensor design for switching current measurement has become more important. The demands for high accuracy, high bandwidth, low cost, compact size, and galvanic isolation pose significant design challenges. The conventional modeling approach for bandwidth analysis of current transformer sensors assumes that the magnetizing inductance remains constant, which does not always hold true in high-frequency operations. This can result in inaccurate bandwidth estimation and affect the overall performance of the current sensor. To address this limitation, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of nonlinear modeling and bandwidth, considering …

Nuclear And Cytoplasmic Spatial Protein Quality Control Is Coordinated By Nuclear–Vacuolar Junctions And Perinuclear Escrt, Emily M. Sontag, Fabián Morales-Polanco, Jian-Hua Chen, Gerry Mcdermott, Patrick T. Dolan, Dan Gestaut, Mark A. Le Gros, Carolyn Larabell, Judith Frydman

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Effective protein quality control (PQC), essential for cellular health, relies on spatial sequestration of misfolded proteins into defined inclusions. Here we reveal the coordination of nuclear and cytoplasmic spatial PQC. Cytoplasmic misfolded proteins concentrate in a cytoplasmic juxtanuclear quality control compartment, while nuclear misfolded proteins sequester into an intranuclear quality control compartment (INQ). Particle tracking reveals that INQ and the juxtanuclear quality control compartment converge to face each other across the nuclear envelope at a site proximal to the nuclear–vacuolar junction marked by perinuclear ESCRT-II/III protein Chm7. Strikingly, convergence at nuclear–vacuolar junction contacts facilitates VPS4-dependent vacuolar clearance of misfolded cytoplasmic …

On The Impact Of Inclination-Dependent Attenuation On The Derived Star Formation Histories Of Disk Galaxies, Keith Doore

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The physical properties of a galaxy (e.g., its star-formation history and dust content) regulate the distribution of light that is emitted by stars and attenuated by the interstellar gas and dust. This attenuation by dust can have a significant impact on the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) of a disk galaxy, especially when taking into account its viewing angle (i.e., inclination). For example, as the inclination angle of a galactic disk changes from face-on to edge-on (i.e., i = 0 deg to i = 90 deg), the proportion of light that is attenuated along the line of sight increases, due …

An Investigation Of Seed Hardness And Seed Coat Color Values In Natto Soybean, Joshua Winter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natto is a specialty fermented soyfood made from small-seeded (seeds-1) soybean varieties. Seed hardness and seed coat color are important seed traits that determine the texture and appearance of natto and are thus valuable to breeders. Prior research has identified quantitative trait loci (QTL, hereafter) for seed hardness, but its nature as a quantitative trait heavily influenced by the environment means that it is still poorly understood. Prior research has identified the primary genetic components of seed coat color using simple visual inspection, but few studies have investigated the usefulness of more quantitative measurements, such as the color space coordinates …

Characterizing And Evaluating Growth Performance And Poultry Production Efficiencies Using Conventional And Novel Monitoring Methods On Modern Broilers And Japanese Quail, Travis Tabler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The poultry industry is integral to the global agricultural system as consumption rates continue to rise worldwide. With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, there is an increasing need for efficient and sustainable animal protein sources. Feed efficiency is a significant factor in poultry production costs, as feed accounts for 50 to 70% of total production costs. Given increasing concerns surrounding feed efficiency improvements, there is a focus on the genetic improvement of broiler digestibility to improve nutrient utilization and reduce production costs. Water availability is also of critical concern for the poultry industry, as estimates …

Advanced Cmos Process For Submicron Silicon Carbide (Sic) Device, Niloy Saha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a wide semiconductor material with superior material properties compared to other rival materials. Due to its fewer dislocation defects than gallium nitride and its ability to form native oxides, this material possesses an advantage among wide band gap materials. Despite having several superior properties its low voltage application is less explored. CMOS is extremely important in low voltage areas and silicon is the dominant player in it for the last 50 years where scaling has contributed a major role in this flourishment. The channel length of silicon devices has reached 3 nm whereas SiC is still …

Internal Perceptions: A Look At The Fayetteville Police Department's Partnership With Social Workers, Melissa Gute

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of co-response models where law enforcement partner with social workers or mental health clinicians to respond to individuals in mental health crises or with other social needs is on the rise throughout the United States. The Fayetteville, AR Police Department (FPD) developed their program with a University of Arkansas School of Social Work (UA) intern in 2021. The newly created Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) now has two full-time, two-person co-response teams along with two social work interns and has plans for growth. This study looks at FPD sworn and civilian employees’ perceptions of embedding social workers/advocates into …

An Age, Size, And Climate Response Study Of Old Growth Shortleaf Pine In The Mccurtain County Wilderness Area, Oklahoma, Nicholas Cancalosi-Dean

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increment cores were extracted from 483 trees distributed over 21 semi-randomly sampled 0.1-hectare plots on three distinct landscape positions in the McCurtain County Wilderness Area (MCWA), a 57 square kilometer tract of uncut shortleaf pine in southeastern Oklahoma. Forty additional cores were taken off plot from older-appearing trees. All sampled trees were shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of at least 10 cm. Hardwoods were not included in the size and age analyses. The study site chosen for the sampling was made up of four parallel east-west trending ridges near North Linson Creek, making up …

Open Source Intelligence For Cybersecurity Events Via Twitter Data, Dakota Dale

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is largely regarded as a necessary component for cybersecurity intelligence gathering to secure network systems. With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and increasing usage of social media, like Twitter, we have a unique opportunity to obtain and aggregate information from social media. In this study, we propose an AI-based scheme capable of automatically pulling information from Twitter, filtering out security-irrelevant tweets, performing natural language analysis to correlate the tweets about each cybersecurity event (e.g., a malware campaign), and validating the information. This scheme has many applications, such as providing a means for security operators to gain …

The Relationship Between Upper Body Muscular Power And Objectively Measured Physical Function In Healthy Older Adults, Jordan Stroope

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The population of older adults is growing rapidly worldwide. There are significant challenges associated with an aging population, many of which are related to declining physical function. Muscular power has previously been postulated as an important physical characteristic for preserving physical function, however, much of the research has measured lower body muscular power against functional outcomes. The importance of upper body muscular power (UBMP) for physical function outcomes is less clear, thus, this study sought to examine that relationship. Forty-two older adults between the ages of 50 – 70 (avg = 60.5 years  5.7) were recruited for the current …

An Experimental Study Into Tholin's Solubility With Liquid Hydrocarbons On Titan, Katherine Dzurilla

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Titan’s production of organics in its atmosphere and the liquid hydrocarbon lakes present on its surface make it a prime target for astrobiologists. Many previous studies on laboratory analogs of these organics, called "tholins", have found amino acids, nitriles, and other building blocks necessary for life. The potential solubility of tholins in the lakes of Titan presents an opportunity to create physical and chemical changes within the organics. While the lakes of Titan are primarily comprised of nonpolar compounds (methane and ethane), many predict that very small amounts of polar hydrocarbons are also present. To better understand these processes, researchers …

Molecular And Physiological Aspects Of Glufosinate Resistance In Amaranthus Palmeri, Matheus Machado Noguera

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Palmer amaranth is one of the most troublesome weeds in worldwide agriculture. Among the traits that confers extreme weediness to this species, the ability to adapt to herbicide selection pressure stands out. The latest herbicide to which Palmer amaranth developed resistance is glufosinate-ammonium (GFA), an inhibitor of the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS). The main objectives of this work were: 1) evaluate the resistance level of a Palmer amaranth population from Missouri, USA, 2) determine the mechanisms conferring GFA resistance in Palmer amaranth, 3) elucidate the behavior of amplified GS copies in GFA-resistant Palmer amaranth in terms of inheritance, stability and …

The Dynamics Of Emotion-Related Impulsivity: An Analysis Of Emotional Control And Daily Emotion-Driven Urges And Actions Via Ecological Momentary Assessment, Jeremy B. Clift

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotion-related impulsivity, or the engagement in impulsive reactions specifically in response to emotions, has been identified as a crucial transdiagnostic factor. Mixed evidence from ecological momentary assessments (EMA) underscores a potential discrepancy between the existing measurements of emotion-related impulsivity at trait and state levels. Unlike previous EMA studies examining emotion-related impulsivity through measures of urgency, the current study tested Carver and colleagues’ (2008) reflexive responding to emotion framework by investigating the relationship between emotional control and emotion-related impulsivity. Participants (N = 197) with varying levels of emotional control completed one week of EMA to investigate two central questions. First, we …

Development Of An Intervention For Improving Food Acceptance Of People With Hearing Loss, Sara Esther Jarma Arroyo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing loss, defined as the partial or total inability to hear sound in one or both ears, is the most common sensory deficit in adults to date. Approximately 15% of American adults aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing. The impact of hearing loss may be profound, with consequences for the social, functional, and psychological well-being of the person. Surprisingly, very little attention has been paid on whether auditory loss can significantly impact consumers’ sensory perception and overall enjoyment of food. There were four objectives of this dissertation study. Chapter 1 aimed to determine the impacts of hearing loss …