CU Dissertations

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CU Dissertations

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CU Dissertations contains all the electronic dissertations since October of 2009 Graduation. Some dissertations can be accessed by Catholic University users only.

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: The Christian Initiation of Adults: A Process of Conversion; The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) consists of a series of rituals that celebrate and make present a person’s spiritual journey of conversion toward God within the context of a worshipping community. Connecting the vision of the R.C.I.A. process and its pastoral implementation has been a challenge since its promulgation in 1988. According to surveys conducted by CARA in the United States in 2000 and 2014, the majority of parishes are not celebrating the R.C.I.A. according to its principles. For many parishes, the R.C.I.A. is a school-year program, running from September to April each year, indicating a lack of focus on a gradual response to God. Mass attendance of newly-baptized adults (neophytes) declines in the first three years after full initiation, indicating a need to more fully integrate them into the community’s ongoing journey of conversion and worship. These surveys indicate that there is limited diocesan training for R.C.I.A. teams, who are to be agents and companions of conversion. Training will better prepare teams to implement the rites according to their intended purpose. Without renewal, the R.C.I.A. is in jeopardy of losing its intended vision as a model of conversion toward God. The D.Min. project provides needed training that connects the R.C.I.A. vision with its pastoral implementation, focusing on the conversion of both those seeking baptism and the community. The D.Min. project design follows Thomas O’Meara’s theology of ministry that recognizes the unity and diversity of all involved, the principles of adult experiential faith formation, the pedagogy of God and a theology of conversion. The D.Min. project, consisting of four sessions, utilizes divine revelation (scripture and apostolic tradition) and liturgical catechesis (experience of ritual and mystagogical reflection) to lead the participants to recognize initial and ongoing conversion in themselves and others. The sessions enable the team to re-evaluate their parish R.C.I.A. process in the context of conversion and community., Religion, Religious education, Theology, conversion, R.C.I.A., RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Religious Education/Catechetics, Degree Awarded: D.Min. Religious Education/Catechetics. The Catholic University of America

: The Christian, the Church, and Causes of War: A Systematic Analysis of the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Call to Just Peace; Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America, The World Council of Churches' (WCC) Decade to Overcome Violence between 2001-2010 included theological reflection and work to overcome all violence. The results can be read in a document called Ecumenical Call to Just Peace (ECJP). ECJP presents a call to overcome violence and establish Just Peace in four distinct contexts: community, ecology, economy and international politics. As causes of violence differ depending on context, however, can such a holistic approach provide a workable solution for various contexts and their specific challenges? My study focuses on the possible contributions of ECJP's teaching for the states as actors in international politics.The purpose of my study is to analyze and assess ECJP from the perspective of the causes of war, especially as such causes have been investigated by realist theories of international relations (IR). I transfer the IR approach which unites work for peace and analysis of the causes of war to the study of ecumenical teaching in ECJP. By placing the ecumenical teaching on Just Peace within the scrutiny of IR theory, my study tests the workability of ECJP's teaching for states as actors in international politics.The results of my study show that ECJP's teaching does not provide a workable plan to overcome wars and to establish Just Peace between states. There are four main reasons for this: Firstly, ECJP's teaching on war's causes is limited. Secondly, ECJP's elaboration of international politics is limited. Thirdly, ECJP's elaboration of international actors is limited, and fourthly, ECJP's teaching and policy proposals rely on a theology of Just Peace, rather than a political understanding of the challenges which need to be overcome. My conclusion is, that WCC's Just Peace suffers from too wide a scope. Without analyzing properly the challenges of a specific context, ECJP is not able to provide workable solutions for that context. A more focused Just Peace should prioritize those contexts, where Christians and churches have real power to make a change.

: Christology and Discipleship in John 17; Degree awarded: S.T.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of America, Jesus' prayer in John 17, known as "Jesus' High Priestly Prayer," is significant for its literary context, and it is rich in theological content. It brings Jesus' farewell speech to its climax and anticipates his glorification in his death on the cross. Although historical approaches often consider this passage to be a later addition, its content is truly Johannine. It presents Jesus as the Son who is sent into the world to reveal the Father to the world. It also illumines John's understanding of authentic discipleship. Consequently, John 17 is rich in its teaching on discipleship as well as in its teaching on Christology. The theme of discipleship in John has received significant attention in the last four decades. However, as the first chapter of this dissertation shows, the relationship between Christology and discipleship in the Johannine narrative in general, and in John 17 in particular, has not been sufficiently investigated. This dissertation explores the relationship between discipleship and Christology in John 17, i.e., how discipleship has its basis in the Gospel's Christology, and how the christological teaching of the Gospel leads to authentic discipleship. In the second chapter, a narrative reading of selected passages from chapters 1-12 shows John's tendency to present christological teaching that leads to teaching on discipleship. The reading of these passages also identifies the elements that indicate the christological character of Johannine discipleship. The third chapter of this dissertation deals with the literary context, the text, and the structure of John 17. This chapter shows that throughout the Farewell Discourse John presents his christological understanding of Jesus as a basis for his message about discipleship. The exegesis of John 17 in the fourth chapter confirms that John's teaching on Christology and discipleship are intimately interrelated to each other. All the elements that indicate the christological character of discipleship are on display in John 17. The dissertation concludes that Christology, which is the center and heartbeat of John's thought, is not an end in itself but leads to discipleship. The twofold message of Christology and discipleship is a distinctive Johannine trait., Made available in DSpace on 2012-11-01T17:08:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hera_cua_0043A_10358display.pdf: 1910923 bytes, checksum: d007170b9b9c5ccfe8b213e8e283e56e (MD5)

: Chromosome segregation fidelity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is modulated by glucose signaling and Protein Kinase A (PKA)

: Chronic Alcohol Consumption Impairs Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis and Microtubule-Dependent Nuclear Translocation in Hepatocytes; Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biology. The Catholic University of America, The molecular basis for alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity is not well-understood. We sought to further explore a known protein trafficking defect caused by chronic alcohol exposure: receptor internalization from the hepatocyte plasma membrane, and a hypothesized defect in microtubule-dependent nuclear translocation of transcription factors. We hypothesized that both of these defects are caused by ethanol-induced protein hyperacetylation. Previously, we determined that the clathrin-mediated internalization of asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) was impaired in ethanol-treated WIF-B cells, whereas the internalization of a glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein internalized via a caveolae/raft-mediated pathway was not changed. ASGP-R internalization was also impaired by trichostatin-A (TSA), a drug that induces global protein hyperacetylation, providing evidence that hyperacetylation is indeed associated with this defect. We examined a panel of proteins and compounds internalized by different mechanisms in control and ethanol-treated WIF-B cells. Markers known to be internalized via clathrin-mediated endocytosis were impaired, whereas the internalization of markers for caveolae/raft-mediated-, fluid phase-, or non-vesicle-mediated mechanisms was not altered after ethanol exposure. We conclude that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is selectively impaired by ethanol exposure. Previously we found that alcohol exposure led to increased microtubule acetylation and stability in WIF-B cells and livers from ethanol-fed rats. Because dynamic microtubules are known to regulate nuclear translocation of some transcription factors, we examined whether alcohol-induced microtubule acetylation and stability impair nuclear translocation. Representing factors that undergo directed nuclear delivery, we examined the growth hormone-induced translocation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 5B (STAT5B) and the interleukin 6 (IL-6) -induced translocation of STAT3. Representing factors that are sequestered in the cytoplasm by microtubule attachment until ligand activation, we examined the Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-Beta) -induced translocation of Smad2/3. Ethanol exposure impaired the translocation of STAT3 and STAT5B, but not Smad2/3. STAT5B translocation was decreased to similar extents by taxol or trichostatin A, agents that promote microtubule acetylation in the absence of alcohol. Thus, the alcohol-induced impairment of STAT nuclear translocation can be explained by increased microtubule acetylation. Only ethanol-treatment impaired STAT5B activation, indicating microtubule acetylation is not important for this process. Together, these results suggest that deacetylase agonists may be effective therapeutics for treating alcoholic liver disease., Made available in DSpace on 2012-11-01T17:08:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernandez_cua_0043A_10369display.pdf: 4456009 bytes, checksum: e87206ccfadd525162b1f25330528627 (MD5)

: Chronic Alcohol Consumption Leads to Hepatic Lysine Hyperacetylation: Mechanisms and Consequences; Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biology. The Catholic University of America, Although the clinical manifestations of alcoholic liver disease are well-described, little is known about the molecular basis for liver damage. We have been using hepatic WIF-B cells to examine ethanol-induced liver injury. These cells polarize in culture and maintain liver-specific activities including the ability to metabolize alcohol. Ethanol metabolism leads to the formation of highly reactive metabolites that covalently modify DNA, lipids and proteins. More recently, it is apparent that chronic ethanol consumption leads to increased post-translational protein modifications of the natural repertoire including acetylation. This reversible modification on lysine residues modulates multiple cellular processes. These studies were aimed at further characterizing ethanol-induced protein acetylation. Previously, we observed that ethanol induces microtubule hyperacetylation and stability and this requires ethanol metabolism. To determine the mechanism for increased microtubule acetylation, we examined the microtubule deacetylase, HDAC6. While ethanol does not alter its distribution or activity, HDAC6 protein levels are decreased 25%. Furthermore, ethanol impairs HDAC6-microtubule binding, likely due to ethanol-induced tubulin modifications. Therefore, lower HDAC6 levels combined with decreased microtubule binding leads to increased tubulin acetylation. Ethanol consumption has been shown to impair clathrin-mediated internalization and addition of trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of HDAC6 that leads to hyperacetylation, mimicked this defect. Using a morphological approach, it was determined that ethanol and TSA impairs clathrin internalization at a late stage of vesicle budding. We further determined that ethanol impairs dynamin-membrane binding and association with members of the clathrin machinery. Dynamin is the GTPase responsible for vesicle fission and decreased membrane association likely contributes to impaired internalization. A proteomics screen to identify novel ethanol-induced hyperacetylated proteins revealed that both actin and cortactin were hyperacetylated. Cortactin is thought to promote actin polymerization and mediate dynamin assembly on the necks of invaginated coated pits. Since cortactin acetylation disrupts its actin association, it is possible that ethanol-induced actin and cortactin hyperacetylation prevent proper dynamin recruitment and vesicle fission. Recently, a specific deacetylase activator, resveratrol, was shown to attenuate fatty liver in alcohol-exposed mice indicating that lysine acetylation plays a dominant role in regulating hepatic function and reducing acetylation is a promising novel therapeutic strategy., Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-24T17:13:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Shepard_cua_0043A_10193display.pdf: 15930768 bytes, checksum: 9fbaaf9ccdc05097b964fe4265db4cd9 (MD5)

: A Church Apart: The Catholic Church in the Rural South, 1939-1990; Degree Awarded: Ph.D. History. The Catholic University of America, This dissertation examines Catholicism in the rural South to answer three questions. The first is how did priests and lay Catholics engage in a pluralistic American society before and after Vatican II while drastically outnumbered? The second is what did it mean to be part of the universal Catholic Church while isolated geographically, socially, and institutionally? Finally, how do we balance the impact of major national and international events on the Catholicism in the rural South with the importance of local context? This dissertation seeks to answer these questions by examining the history of seven parishes - four pastored by Glenmary Home Missioners and three pastored by non-Glenmarians - in the rural South between 1939 and 1990.Throughout much of the twentieth century, Southern Catholics were regarded with suspicion by their neighbors without the protections offered by numbers or their own confessional institutions. Catholics in the rural South dealt with this in two ways. The first was by emphasizing their Southerness. Apart from their religious beliefs, they were virtually indistinguishable from their fellow Southerners, and their views on politics, economics, and race hewed much closer to their non-Catholic neighbors than their co-religionists in the North. The second way Catholics in the rural South dealt with an inhospitable religious climate was to make a conscious choice to be Catholic. There was no "cultural" Catholicism here, and minus institutional support, they emphasized the signifiers, such as liturgy, sacred space, and the priest, that marked them as religiously separate. They wanted to be good Southerners, but they wanted to belong to Rome too. The dissertation finds that Catholicism in the rural South could not have grown during the second half of the twentieth century without the New Deal and World War II stimulating the region's economic modernization or the support and priests offered by Catholicism in the urban North. The Civil Rights Movement and Second Vatican Council altered what it meant to be Catholic here as well. Rural Southern Catholics viewed these national and international events primarily through the lens of local concerns, which reinforced their sense of isolation and Southerness.

: The Church as Communion in Small Christian Communities in South Korea; Degree awarded: S.T.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America, The Church as Communion in Small Christian Communities in South KoreaDaesup Kim, S.T.D.Director: Msgr. Paul McPartlan, D. Phil.In light of the development of an ecclesiology of communion in the Catholic Church in recent decades, the Catholic Church in South Korea has implemented a structure of small Christian communities (SCCs) in each parish. However, there has been a lack of real understanding and analysis of SCCs in terms of the idea of the Church as communion. Instead, they have generally been regarded as one of the best ways for evangelization and for parish renewal. This seems to be because the SCCs have been implemented while mostly focusing on the mission of the Church, without fully considering the essential nature of the Church as a whole. This dissertation traces the implementation and establishment of SCCs in the Church of South Korea. It then analyzes this development in light of the ecclesiology of communion developed on the universal level in the teaching of Vatican II and subsequent magisterial teachings (noting Christological, ecclesial, and evangelical dimensions of the idea), and on the regional level in the documents of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC; noting especially understandings of communion as liberation, as dialogue, and as harmony).It is concluded that SCCs in South Korea have promoted communion in the Church, especially in terms of personal communion with Jesus Christ through meditation on the Gospel, friendlier communion among the parishioners, more active participation of the laity in the parish and in the evangelization of their neighborhood. However, there are still some issues to be resolved and points to be developed, in order to find a truly inculturated model for the SCCs and proper methods of Gospel-sharing and of lay spirituality fitting for the Korean environment. The dissertation makes suggestions towards that end.SCCs have been true expressions of ecclesial communion and centers of evangelization in South Korea. Accordingly, it can be said that with the help of the SCC movement the Church in South Korea is in process toward becoming a true local Church, a true Church-in-communion., Made available in DSpace on 2011-06-24T17:11:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Kim_cua_0043A_10209display.pdf: 2179467 bytes, checksum: d836c95e20613fff563f812f46ed37d0 (MD5)

: The Church as the Bride of Christ in Magisterial Teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II; Degree awarded: Ph.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America, The Church as the Bride of Christ in Magisterial Teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul IIAndrew W. Lichtenwalner, Ph.D.Director: Msgr. Paul McPartlan, S.T.L., D.Phil.The image of the Church as the Bride of Christ is a long-standing and preeminent ecclesial image that continues to offer insights and provoke questions for ecclesiology. Interest in ecclesial bridal imagery reemerged with particular intensity in the Catholic Church in the first half of the twentieth century through the ressourcement. While the magisterium of Pope John Paul II is particularly well-known for its use of spousal imagery, there was a significant trajectory of teaching on the Church as the Bride of Christ in preceding papal and conciliar teaching. This dissertation investigates (1) the use of ecclesial bridal imagery in twentieth-century papal and conciliar teaching from Leo XIII to John Paul II, and (2) the significance and implications of such usage for ecclesiology. The study first surveys the historical use of ecclesial bridal imagery, illustrating the image's traditional application in various areas of theology. It then discusses the notion of metaphor in preparation for the subsequent analysis of the nature and use of ecclesial bridal imagery. An exposition of the papal and conciliar teaching follows, wherein key themes and patterns of use of bridal imagery are identified. In particular, the study finds with Pius XII's teaching a clear shift and intensification in the use of bridal imagery. John Paul II's use of the imagery is therefore contextualized within a broader range of previous teaching. Finally, the study evaluates the span of this usage found in twentieth-century teaching and considers its relevance for ongoing questions concerning the personhood of the Church, the relation of bodily and bridal imagery, men and women in the Church, and the Church's identity and eschatological fulfillment. The study concludes by considering the enduring and prophetic value of ecclesial bridal imagery. As an emblematic and irreducible metaphor, the image of the Church as the Bride of Christ offers a unique window to the mystery of the Church and discloses a dynamic and dramatic ecclesial identity meant to be lived and realized by every member of the Church., Made available in DSpace on 2012-06-01T16:44:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lichtenwalner_cua_0043A_10294display.pdf: 3558523 bytes, checksum: da199a3a28f5b9cfd4c97ce2eba257ad (MD5)

: The Church of the East at Three Critical Points in its History; This dissertation seeks to examine changes in the identity of the Church of the East over a span of several centuries particularly in relation to events and experiences undergone by this church body in its own milieu. It aims to do this through the analysis of key texts by or about prominent church figures and secondary texts which establish the context for these men in each of three separate time periods. The figures under investigation are Mar Babai the Great at the turn of the 7th century during the last years of the Sassanid Empire, Catholicos Timothy I in the height of Abbasid Culture at the turn of the 9th Century, and Mar Yaballaha III during the Pax Mongolica at the end of the 13th century. This dissertation asserts that these men acted as representatives of their churchmen in their day, and that said representation, judging by the esteem in which they were held, extended to subsequent generations. Because of this, an analysis of their milieu and their responses to it provided in their writings grants insight into their corporate identity in their respective time periods, and what variations exist can be described as identity shifts. In this way, this dissertation establishes that the Church of the East in the Sassanid period was working to establish an identity as the Church of the Persian Empire, in distinction from that of the Romans, and furthermore, due to their lofty connections, they were highly anticipating the acceptance of their faith by the leadership of their empire. By the time of Timothy, a century and a half later, due to the religious inclinations of their new political masters, such aspirations were at least in part abandoned locally, but at the further extents of the church’s reach, a greater degree of freedom was granted its members. This freedom contributed to the state of the Church of the East in the final period, where distant unexpected church members came home at the head of an army to establish a kingdom, and Church of the East leadership understandably interpreted this to mean that they might finally have a Christian king. Such aspirations proved short lived. This dissertation shows that there were a number of Church of the East identity points that shifted over the centuries, but two stand out as prominent: 1. their relationship with their political rulers including the role their ecclesiastical group played in society, and 2. the role of missionary outreach in the life of their church., Middle Eastern literature, History, Religious history, Asia, Babai, Church of the East, Islam, Timothy I, Yaballaha, Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures. The Catholic University of America

: The Church's Embrace: The Role of the Parish in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; The Church promises help and support to those who enroll in the baptismal catechumenate. This process demands the participation of all the baptized as they are able. The parish community represents the larger Church and therefore forms a pillar of support and encouragement for the catechumens throughout the catechumenate and beyond. This reality remains a mystery to most Catholics who often see the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) as another program of instruction that the parish provides for “converts.” Catechesis, evangelization, and formation are activities that many Christians believe belong solely to priests or religious. The work accomplished, especially after the Second Vatican Council, teaches the faithful that they are not idle spectators in building the kingdom, but rather, active participants both inside the parish and outside of it. In general, though, the baptized do not know who in their parish is involved in the RCIA whether as an inquirer, a sponsor or anyone else. It is entirely possible at a parish with multiple Sunday masses for a large portion of parishioners to never see or hear about those who are journeying through the RCIA. Moreover, many of the faithful do not know that they have a responsibility to these people (and to those throughout the larger Church) to assist and support them in their conversion. The Church’s Embrace: The Role of the Parish in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults provides a parish formation experience for baptized Catholic adults. This project uses the catechumenate as the inspiration for its structure, prayer, and the content of some presentations. Through liturgical catechesis, prayer, discussion, and leader presentations, the baptized come to a better understanding of their incumbent duty to participate in the catechumenate. This project enables participants to declare that they are ready and willing to assist the catechumens “to find and follow Christ” (RCIA, no. 53)., Religion, Catechumenate, RCIA, Liturgical Studies/Sacramental Theology, Degree Awarded: D.Min. Liturgical Studies/Sacramental Theology. The Catholic University of America

: The Cistercian Theology of Geoffrey of Auxerre's Expositio in Cantica Canticorum

: Citizens of Heaven: Conservative American Protesant Reactions to New Deal Legislation; Degree Awarded: Ph.D. History. The Catholic University of America, In September 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a letter to clergymen across the nation asking for feedback, counsel, and advice. This project examines two separate, but connected questions. First, what compelled Roosevelt to send the letter, which represented a departure from his established patterns of gauging public opinion? Second, what can we learn from the responses submitted by conservative Protestant ministers? The project begins with a detailed investigation of Roosevelt's letter- what compelled the President to send it, how was it prepared, and how were the responses compiled. This is followed by an examination of the letters received from conservative Protestant ministers from seven representative states, specifically focusing on their responses to federal relief aid, Social Security, New Deal agricultural programs, and their assessment of the current spiritual state of the nation.Roosevelt's decision to send the letter demonstrates his view of clergymen as spokesmen for their congregations. He was confident that religious leaders were capable of providing access to the sentiments of their congregants, which were difficult to otherwise discern before widespread political polling. The conservative clergymen's responses help us to see a direct link between the political activism of the fundamentalists during the Progressive Era and the emergence of a powerful Christian Right in the 1950s. Though these conservative Protestant clergymen did not play a significant role in national politics during the 1930s, they did not retreat from political and civic activity. They saw themselves as informed citizens and community leaders qualified to offer unbiased counsel. Though they respected government authority, their primary allegiance was to God. They advocated for more intentional interaction between the President and religious leaders, committed to support government actions that reflected Christian principles, and offered specific criticism of programs and legislation that threatened God's authority. The clergymen urged Roosevelt to heed their counsel, confident that God would use them to usher in a period of genuine religious revival and renewed spiritual fervor across the nation, which they believed was necessary for true stability.

: Classification of Cancer Cells Using Digital Holographic Microscopy and Machine Learning to Predict Disease-Relevant Behavior

: Closest in Friendship? Al-Jahiz' Profile of Christians in Abbasid Society in “The Refutation of Christians” (Al-Radd 'ala al-Nasara); Abbasid society in ninth-century Iraq faced the challenge of reconciling the role of its many non-Muslim citizens with Islamic norms and governance, as seen in “The Refutation of Christians” by al-Jahiz (d. 868/869 [255 A.H.]). Al-Jahiz moved in circles only one step removed from those of the Christian and Jewish intellectuals he came to criticize in the work, and he likely composed it just prior to Caliph al-Mutawakkil’s watershed reforms in non-Muslim policy. Thus, the “Refutation” is a primary source for understanding shifting Muslim sensibilities toward Christians’ societal role in a religiously diverse realm, but its polemic approach makes it problematic to analyze historically. This dissertation seeks to make “The Refutation of Christians” more accessible as a historical source by performing a contextual analysis of its argumentation.Al-Jahiz’ rhetorical strategy is to explain away factors behind popular Muslim preferences for Christians over Jews, and then to advance positive reasons for considering Christians more harmful than Jews. Argumentation analysis using the pragma-dialectical approach highlights salient social points at issue between Christians and Muslims of the time. First, al-Jahiz’ dispute is not directly with Christians, but with Muslims who show them too much respect and liberality. Second, he must reframe certain facts about Christians that are too generally accepted to contradict, including memories of Arabs’ pre-Islamic and early Islamic contacts with Christians, and Christian intellectuals’ crucial role in perpetuating Greek scientific works. He turns these favorable perceptions into liabilities, arguing that Christians’ intellectualism diverts weak Muslims from the faith and their social position violates Christian-Muslim agreements. Finally, in contrast to the jurists’ approach, he argues for enforcing the original intention of these agreements rather than trying to demonstrate specific historical stipulations. Al-Jahiz’ ideology aligns with al-Mutawakkil’s Qur'anically charged edicts, in that Christians, far from being “closest in friendship” (5:82), are those with whom believers must not make any alliance (5:51). As such, the “Refutation” reveals the battle lines between more lenient, popular Muslim attitudes and a stricter position promoted by al-Jahiz and enforced by al-Mutawakkil., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures. The Catholic University of America

: Cognitive and Affective Correlates of Husbands' and Wives' Satisfaction with Marital Discussions

: Cognitive and executive functioning in 15-month-old children following traumatic brain injury prior to age one year; Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America, Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death and acquired brain insult in American children, and therefore a major public health concern. Children less than one year of age are disproportionately likely to sustain a TBI, but this age group has been relatively neglected in the TBI research literature. In young school-age children, significant age-at-injury effects have been found in that children injured at younger ages tend to have worse outcome. This is in contrast to the predicted pattern of neuroplasticity, with younger brains tending to demonstrate greater plasticity. Additionally, studies of children after TBI reveal significant impact on control of attention, working memory, planning, and inhibitory control (executive functions (EF).) These areas often remain persistently compromised, even when overall cognitive functioning shows good recovery. Little is known about how the early components of EF may be affected when TBI occurs in infancy. The current study examined the relationship between injury variables (severity and age-at-injury) and cognitive and executive functioning in 15-month-old children following TBI sustained prior to one year of age. Nineteen children who sustained a TBI and 15 uninjured children were tested at 15 months of age. Cognitive functioning was measured with the Mental Scale of the Bayley-II. Working memory and inhibitory control were measured with a manual delayed response task (A-Not-B.) In the current study, children with TBI performed worse on average than uninjured children in overall cognitive functioning and executive functioning. Earlier age-at-injury was associated with poorer cognitive functioning at all severity levels. Earlier age-at-injury was associated with poorer EF performance in children with milder injuries, but not in those with more severe injuries. Results of the current study also support the use of an early "marker" task (the A-Not-B delayed response task) that appears sensitive to impairments in early components of executive functioning. The current study adds to the small body of knowledge about outcome after TBI in infancy and provides a strong case for routine neurodevelopmental follow-up as the standard of care for these children., Made available in DSpace on 2011-02-24T20:46:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Coleman_cua_0043A_10067display.pdf: 2749676 bytes, checksum: 467b87cf685bec3a7d63805254cc5e8d (MD5)

: Cognitive Bases of Nuclear Control Room Tasks

: Cognitive Behavioral and Integrative Treatment of Abused Children: Examining Cognitive and Emotional Processes and Developmental Considerations; Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America, Maltreated and abused children often experience a wide range of psychological and physical problems, including emotional avoidance and negative post-traumatic cognitions, and present to treatment with a broad range of developmental abilities. The present study explored trauma-related beliefs, emotion regulation, and verbal engagement, and their relation to symptoms in 42 children with complex trauma histories who presented for a treatment outcome study of trauma-focused integrated play therapy (TF-IPT) and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). As predicted, emotion regulation deficits and negative trauma-related beliefs at baseline corresponded with greater psychological symptoms, with distinct patterns emerging. Across treatment conditions, negative trauma-related beliefs decreased significantly from pre- to post-treatment and verbal engagement increased significantly across sessions; both changes corresponded significantly with reductions in symptomatology. Contrary to prediction, no significant improvements in emotion regulation capacities were found (although for children in the TF-IPT condition means were in the expected direction), and improvement in emotion regulation was not related to change on any measure of psychological symptoms. Treatments also did not differ significantly in their ability to decrease trauma-related beliefs, improve emotion regulation, or facilitate verbal engagement, although only children in TF-CBT showed significant improvement in trauma cognitions. Additionally, simple meditational analyzes using a non-parametric bootstrapping approach indicated no indirect effect of treatment group by any mediators tested for symptom improvement. Even though the study's statistical power was limited by the presence of only 22 treatment completers and replication is needed, results suggest that remediating children's trauma-related cognitions is important in trauma treatment, while emotion regulation capacities may be more difficult to impact therapeutically (or to measure meaningfully). Additionally, future interventions that enhance children's verbal engagement in treatment may increase treatment effectiveness. Integrative treatments such as TF-IPT may hold promise, especially for young children with immature cognitive and language capacities. Further research, including a larger randomized controlled clinical trial of both TF-CBT and TF-IPT, would be beneficial in developing better understandings of these mechanisms of change for abused children and the differential effects of treatments on underlying process variables., Made available in DSpace on 2013-02-08T16:06:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Krueger_cua_0043A_10390display.pdf: 1159704 bytes, checksum: 517d91881ea6388c1af26411f32a95c0 (MD5)

: Coherent Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave Ladar Using a Distributed Feedback Laser Array; Optical frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) reflectometry is a ranging technique that allows for high-resolution distance measurements over long ranges. Similarly, swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) provides high-resolution depth imaging over typically shorter distances and higher scan speeds. In this dissertation, a novel, low-cost, low-bandwidth ranging and imaging system is presented that provides the high axial resolution normally associated with SS-OCT over meters of depth. The imaging system combines 12 distributed feedback laser (DFB) elements from a single butterfly module to provide an axial resolution of 27 microns. Active sweep linearization is used, greatly reducing the signal processing overhead. A laser phase noise model is derived to provide insight into the measurement accuracy. Various sub-surface, OCT-style tomograms of semi-transparent objects are shown, as well as 3-D maps of various objects over depths ranging from sub-millimeter to several meters. Such imaging capability would make long-distance, high-resolution surface interrogation possible in a low-cost, compact package., Electrical engineering, Optics, FMCW, lidar, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America