CU Dissertations

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Monostatic all-fiber LADAR systems
Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America, Many applications require a LADAR system smaller in size and more power efficient than those using a polygon, galvo, or Risley-prism beam scanner. A fiber-coupled, monostatic LADAR system which transmits and receives through the same aperture has many advantages. These advantages include low cost, easy optical alignment, small size, and low weight. Optical alignment of the system is greatly simplified since there is no parallax between transmitted and received beam paths. The direction of the received light is inherently aligned with that of the transmitted beam. Multiple alignment steps of bulk optical components are one of the major reasons many laser systems are expensive. Using an all-fiber approach the optical alignment is simplified by automated splicing of the fibers. A 1-D LADAR consisting of a stationary monostatic rangefinder with real-time pulse processing is first demonstrated. Then a 3-D scanning LADAR is demonstrated. A vibrating fiber cantilever tip that is used to scan the laser beam is mounted on a resonant piezo-electric lead zirconium titanate (PZT) stripe actuator that requires very little power. A position sensing detector (PSD) is needed to sense the fiber position since the motion of the scanned fiber may not be fully predictable. The PSD operates in a two-photon absorption mode to accurately measure the fiber tip position for each laser pulse, with very low insertion loss.
Experimental Study of the Effect of Grain Size and Grain Size Distribution Curve on Creep and Stress Relaxation in a Beach Sand
Degree Awarded: D.Engr. Civil Engineering. The Catholic University of America, In order to obtain a greater qualitative understanding of the mechanisms behind the inverse phenomena of creep and stress relaxation in sand as well as yield parametric data for the future calibration of models that quantitatively predict their scope, intensity and magnitude, 9 24-hour creep and 9 24-hour relaxation studies were conducted on various blends of Virginia Beach sand. The artificially formulated blends were purposefully varied along two independent variable dimensions consisting of 3 different maximum grain sizes and 3 different degrees of gradation uniformity thereby forming a 3x3 blend matrix consisting of 9 different blend type elements. The experimental results are validated against 8 regular triaxial compression tests conducted separately, one on each blend. By conducting comparative analysis along the blend matrix meridians and parallels, the effects of varying each independent variable on creep and relaxation phenomena were demonstrated and fresh insights on both phenomena were gained.
Development and Use of Novel Transverse Magnetic Tweezers for Single-Molecule Studies of DNA-Protein Interactions
Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering. The Catholic University of America, I describe several contributions to single molecule experiments. A transverse magnetic tweezers is presented that enables in-plane micromechanical manipulation of a single DNA molecule. This includes a new method for tethering DNA utilizing two labeled beads and a functionalized glass micro-rod. The attachment chemistry reported here enables rapid capture of multiple DNA tethers in parallel, overcomes the difficulties associated with bead aspiration, and preserves the ability to perform differential extension measurements from the bead centroids. Combined with micro-injection pipettes, a new sample cell design, and a buffer exchange system, the components increase the ease-of-use and experimental throughput of the magnetic tweezers device. On the software side, several unique computational methods for interrogating single molecule data are described. First, a technique that uses the diffraction pattern of beads to perform sub-pixel, ~10 nm-level localization of the bead centroids is explained. Second, a novel method for automatically detecting steps in DNA extension data is presented. This algorithm is well-suited for analyzing experiments involving binding and force-induced unbinding of DNA-protein complexes, which produce flat extension regions - steps - corresponding to the times between individual protein association or dissociation events. Finally, a new algorithm for tracking densely-populated, fast spawning, indistinguishable objects moving unidirectionally at high-velocities is developed and its performance thoroughly characterized. Together, these results should improve single molecule micromanipulation techniques by providing a hardware and software combination that can be implemented and used relatively easily, while enabling near-Brownian-noise limit force and extension measurements on DNA and DNA-protein complexes.
Characterization of the Atmosphere as a Random Bit-Stream Generator in a Weak Turbulence Regime
The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the extent to which atmospheric turbulence can be exploited as a robust random number generator. Atmospheric turbulence is considered an inherently random process, due to the complex non-homogeneous system composition and its sensitivity to changes in pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction. This work describes the background theory on atmospheric turbulence, which attempts to describe its dynamic behavior, as well as experimental work. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer was designed, built, and used to characterize the work in this dissertation; this sensor system enables the collection of empirical data of the phase fluctuation in the temporal domain introduced to an optical beam propagating through the atmosphere. The recorded phase fluctuations were converted into bit streams that were further analyzed in order to search for evidence of non-random properties. Empirical data and results, which attempt to characterize the degree of randomness in the noise introduced into the temporal phase component of an optical wave propagating through the atmosphere as a function of the atmospheric turbulence in the weak turbulence regime, are presented here for the first time., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America
A Functional Medical Imaging System for the Measurement of Oxygen Saturation in the Superficial Retina Vasculature
The retinal vasculature's oxygen saturation (SO2) is a valuable indicator of disease, in particular for patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) who may experience changes in retinal oxygen saturation during their lifetime. Although numerous experimental systems aimed at measuring retinal SO2 have been developed in the last thirty years, a reliable, robust model for in vivo monitoring is still lacking.This dissertation explores the feasibility of using Two Dimensional Spatial Fourier Domain Imaging (2D-SFDI) and its related physics-based models for observation of the human retina. Two dimensional SFDI is based on spatially modulated light in two perpendicular axes. The most significant benefit of the 2D-SFDI technique compared with the current SFDI technique is to decrease the number of snapshots to one. The proposed proof of concept instrument was one in which spatially modulated illumination was achieved using two dimensional sinusoidal mechanical patterns positioned at a conjugate plane of the patient's retina. In additional to implementing 2D-SFDI, this dissertation employs Extended Modified Beer-Lambert Law (EMBLL) to obtain the optical properties of a two-layered structure. EMBLL is a modified version of MBLL that is used to measure the optical properties of the top layer in a two-layered structure using an imaging technique. Thus, this dissertation is focused on the structure of the vessels on top of the optic disc. Since the goal is determining the optical properties and ultimately measuring the oxygen saturation of vessels on top of the optic disc, in this dissertation the ophthalmic system (fundus camera) was modified to implement the presented algorithm in the eye. The system was tested using optical phantoms of known optical properties as well as a cow's optical disc. In the end, the optical properties of the human optic disc and oxygen saturation of the vein and artery on top of the optic disc were obtained. The tests' results show less than 6% error for phantoms. Also, vascular results are comparable with other reports. In summary, the proposed concepts provide an algorithm that is capable of determining the optical properties of the top layer in a two-layered media, using a single snapshot., Degree awarded: D.Engr. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America
Effects of Near-Fault Translational and Torsional Ground Motions on Dynamic Response of Single-Story Buildings
Rotational components of ground motions, torsion about the vertical axis and rocking about the horizontal axes, have caused significant damage to engineering structures and failures to bridges. Several analytical and experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of these components on structures. Rotational components of ground motions cannot be measured directly and have been measured by rotational sensors only for explosions and by strong motion arrays only for far-field seismic events. Therefore, in the absence of near-fault records of differential ground motions, the characterization, parameterization, modeling and simulation of strain, rocking, and torsional ground motions in the vicinity of the fault, as well as the systematic investigation of their effects on the dynamic response of engineering structures becomes an important issue.In this study, the dynamic ground deformations generated by Mavroeidis and Papageorgiou (2010a) for two well-documented seismic events (i.e. 1979 Imperial Valley and 1999 Izmit earthquakes) based on the discrete wavenumber representation method (Bouchon and Aki, 1977; Bouchon, 1979a) are utilized to obtain torsional and rocking ground motions and their associated distributions on the gridded region in the vicinity of each earthquake. These synthetic ground deformations are used in this study to investigate the effect of the biaxial action of recorded translational ground motions and synthetic torsional ground motions on the response of symmetric and asymmetric structures. In the current seismic deign codes and standards, this torsional ground motion accounts by the shifting of the center of mass to produce the desired results. In order to investigate the effects of torsional motions on the structural responses, a software has been developed to study the linear and nonlinear response of buildings under biaxial and torsional seismic ground excitation. The program is able to perform nonlinear time history analysis based on the force- and displacement-based formulation methods developed by Spacone (1992). The biaxial and uniaxial Smooth Hysteresis Models developed Simeonov et al. (2000) are employed to model the hysteresis behavior of elements in the context of the moment-curvature relationship. The uniaxial and biaxial smooth hysteresis behaviors of the material, similar to the widely used Bouc-Wen model are employed in this research. Various numerical approaches such as the implicit Runge-Kutta, Newton-Raphson and Newmark methods are used to solve the differential equations that govern the dynamic response of the system.Finally, parametric linear and nonlinear analyses are performed for a series of symmetric and asymmetric single-story buildings to investigate the influence of the natural and accidental torsional eccentricity on the response of structures. The structural models are subjected to bidirectional recorded translational motions and synthetic low-frequency angular accelerations from the 1979 Imperial Valley and 1999 Izmit earthquakes. In order to examine the response of structures subjected to synthetic torsional motions containing high-frequency components, the bidirectional translational records from the 1986 Taiwan earthquake at FAT-1 station and the associated synthetic torsional motion, generated by the Surface Distribution Method, are also used to conduct parametric nonlinear analysis. The equivalent accidental eccentricity is developed through the mathematical formula for structures subjected to the combination of the bidirectional translational motions and torsional ground motions. The torsional amplifications developed in structures either by accidental torsion or by synthetic ground differential deformations are not significant for the lower periods. The nonlinear behavior of the structure imposed by strength eccentricity is also explored, while the results are displayed in the biaxial Base Shear and Torque (BST) Surface, inferred for the possible collapse mechanisms regardless of the analysis results., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Civil Engineering. The Catholic University of America
The Role of Consultative Alliance in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Young children’s social and emotional development is powerfully shaped by their early environments, which for many young children includes early childhood education (ECE) settings. Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) is an intervention that pairs educators and mental health consultants (MHCs) to promote educators’ capacity to foster positive social-emotional development in ECE. While the outcomes of ECMHC have been well studied, little research has investigated how this model impacts educators and children. It has been theorized that the quality of the relationship between educators and MHCs – which is here termed Consultative Alliance (CA) – is a key mechanism of change, but this construct has yet to be thoroughly studied.Across two papers, this dissertation presents findings from multilevel models analyzing the role of Consultative Alliance on outcomes at the classroom and child levels after six months of consultation. Participants were 316 children, 289 educators, and 62 MHCs engaged in a statewide implementation of ECMHC at childcare centers in the Southwest.Paper 1 investigated the potential parallel process initiated in consultation, such that the strength of the CA may predict the extent of improvement in the teacher-child relationship. The findings suggest that a stronger CA was related to greater improvements to teacher-child closeness and teacher-rated child attachment behaviors. In addition, moderation analyses demonstrated that these effects were strongest for MHC-teacher dyads in which the MHC was more experienced or the teacher was less experienced.Paper 2 parsed the role of CA on educator and classroom level outcomes. Multilevel models demonstrated that a strong CA was related to greater improvement in classroom climate, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher perceptions of her job. Furthermore, preliminary support for the indirect effects of ECMHC was found. Mediation analyses indicated that CA was indirectly related to improved child-level outcomes (specifically, self-control and teacher-child conflict) via the classroom climate, though the cross-sectional data could not establish whether classroom-level changes preceded child-level changes.Taken together, this work upholds the centrality of relationship-building in mental health consultation. These findings should be considered exploratory in light of relevant limitations, including missing data, measurement concerns, and potential confounds. Nevertheless, these findings advance understanding of the mechanisms of change for ECMHC, with potentially salient implications for policy and practice., Clinical psychology, Consultative Alliance, Early Childhood, Mental Health Consultation, Social-Emotional Development, Psychology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America
Characterization of the Acoustic Field in Marine Environments with Anthropogenic Noise
Most animals inhabit the aquatic environment are acoustical-oriented, due to the physical characteristics of water that favors sound transmission. Many aquatic animals depend on underwater sound to navigate, communicate, find prey, and avoid predators. The degradation of underwater acoustic environment due to human activities is expected to affected these animals' well-being and survival at the population level. This dissertation presents three original studies on the characteristics and behavior of underwater sound fields in three unique marine environments with anthropogenic noises.The first study examines the soundscape of the Chinese white dolphin habitat in Taiwan. Acoustic recordings were made at two coastal shallow water locations, Yunlin and Waisanding, in 2012. Results show that croaker choruses are dominant sound sources in the 1.2-2.4 kHz frequency band for both locations at night, and noises from container ships in the 150-300 Hz frequency band define the relative higher broadband sound levels at Yunlin. Results also illustrate interrelationships among different biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic elements that shape the fine-scale soundscape in a coastal environment.The second study investigates the inter-pulse sound field during an open-water seismic survey in coastal shallow waters of the Arctic. The research uses continuous acoustic recordings collected from one bottom-mounted hydrophone deployed in the Beaufort Sea in summer 2012. Two quantitative methods were developed to examine the inter-pulse sound field characteristics and its dependence on source distances. Results show that inter-pulse sound field could raise the ambient noise floor by as much as 9 dB, depending on ambient condition and source distance.The third study examines the inter-ping sound field of simulated mid-frequency active sonar in deep waters off southern California in 2013 and 2014. The study used drifting acoustic recorder buoys to collect acoustic data during sonar playbacks. The results show strong band-limited elevation (13-24 dB) of sound pressure levels for over half of the inter-ping intervals above the natural background levels.These three studies provide insights on the dynamics of marine soundscape and how anthropogenic activities can change the acoustic habitat by elevating the overall sound field levels., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering. The Catholic University of America
Quantitative Assessment of Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging Performance with Phantom-Based Test Methods and Computational Modeling
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a powerful medical imaging modality that uniquely produces high-resolution cross-sectional images of tissue using low energy light. Its clinical applications and technological capabilities have grown substantially since its invention about twenty years ago, but efforts have been limited to develop tools to assess performance of OCT devices with respect to the quality and content of acquired images. Such tools are important to ensure information derived from OCT signals and images is accurate and consistent, in order to support further technology development, promote standardization, and benefit public health. The research in this dissertation investigates new physical and computational models which can provide unique insights into specific performance characteristics of OCT devices.Physical models, known as phantoms, are fabricated and evaluated in the interest of establishing standardized test methods to measure several important quantities relevant to image quality. (1) Spatial resolution is measured with a nanoparticle-embedded phantom and model eye which together yield the point spread function under conditions where OCT is commonly used. (2) A multi-layered phantom is constructed to measure the contrast transfer function along the axis of light propagation, relevant for cross-sectional imaging capabilities. (3) Existing and new methods to determine device sensitivity are examined and compared, to better understand the detection limits of OCT.A novel computational model based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, which simulates the physics of light behavior at the sub-microscopic level within complex, heterogeneous media, is developed to probe device and tissue characteristics influencing the information content of an OCT image. This model is first tested in simple geometric configurations to understand its accuracy and limitations, then a highly realistic representation of a biological cell, the retinal cone photoreceptor, is created and its resulting OCT signals studied.The phantoms and their associated test methods have successfully yielded novel types of data on the specific performance parameters of interest, which can feed standardization efforts within the OCT community. The level of signal detail provided by the computational model is unprecedented and gives significant insights into the effects of subcellular structures on OCT signals. Together, the outputs of this research effort serve as new tools in the toolkit to examine the intricate details of how and how well OCT devices produce information-rich images of biological tissue., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America
Polarimetric Radar Scattering Analysis in a Maritime Environment
This dissertation evaluates multiple effects that will cause a satellite borne radar to observe transformation of the transmitted polarization by an ocean surface. Knowing the surface conditions over large swaths of ocean is very important for both global weather prediction and for safety of navigation at sea. Fully polarimetric linearly polarized ocean observation radars use the linear cross-polarized ocean response to obtain an assessment of the surface wind vectors. However, radar technology is evolving. More compact hybrid polarization radars that transmit a single circular polarization, and then simultaneously receive two orthogonal linear polarizations are expected to obtain near fully polarimetric capability with a significant savings in weight, volume, and complexity. The models used by fully polarimetric linearly polarized radars to obtain the surface wind vectors are empirical, and not usable for hybrid compact polarimetric radars. The literature survey indicated two areas needed investigation to develop ocean observation capabilities for hybrid compact polarimetric radar. The first is for antenna cross-polarization isolation models specific to hybrid polarization radars. The second is for improved understanding of the nature of the ocean's polarimetric response to hybrid polarizations. Conclusions include that hybrid polarizations provide opportunities to polarimetrically isolate surface features, including surface roughness, the surface specular response, and breaking waves. These features should provide insight into surface winds, wave steepness, and sea state., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America
Employing pFUS for Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease via Homing of Infused Bone Marrow Stromal Cells
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) manifests from vascular blockage or trauma to a region causing restricted flow of oxygen-rich blood to tissues and organs Treatment options for PAD include lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapy, and revascularization, but they often fail. Clinical data shows that administration of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) can provide therapeutic benefits to!promote regeneration of damaged tissue, treat inflammation, and induce angiogenesis. However <<3% of IV-infused cells arrive at the target site. Pulsed focused ultrasound (pFUS) has been used as a noninvasive and nondestructive modality to enhance tissue permeability and retention in drug delivery through physical alterations in tissue. The goal of the proposed research is to employ pFUS exposures to elicit local molecular responses for enhancing homing and retention of BMSC in PAD tissues to improve vascularization and reestablish perfusion blood flow. Hamstrings of healthy mice were treated with pFUS and harvested at various time points to characterize the biological response of tissue. The results demonstrated significant elevations in chemoattractants (homing factor) as early as 10min and subsided by 60hrs post-pFUS. From this data, an optimal time window for maximal BMSC homing to pFUS treated site was suggested. Maximum homing of IV-infused BMSC occurred pre-pFUS and up to 16 post-pFUS demonstrating enhance homing of cells by pFUS. After creation and validation of the PAD model using laser Doppler perfusion imaging, the ischemic limb was treated and harvested at various days after ischemic induction to demonstrate the feasibility of generating a transient inflammatory response outside innate inflammatory response of the disease. Fourteen days after the induction of PAD, the innate inflammatory response had subsided and pFUS was used to stimulate an inflammatory response and enhance cell homing to pFUS treated site. When therapeutic efficacy was tested for 7 weeks in aged (≥12 months) mice with PAD and treatment,(BMSC+pFUS), given 14days after ischemic induction, perfusion blood flow was significantly enhanced in the treatment group versus control. The results demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of combining pFUS and cells that can be translated in other vascular disease models. The implications of this research have the potential to enhance regenerative medicine., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering. The Catholic University of America
Ultrasound Mediated lntracellular Drug Delivery in 2D Biological Scaffolds
Successful intracellular drug and gene delivery represents a major goal for medical researchers. Sonoporation (i.e. the formation of pores using sound) is considered one of the most promising techniques, especially since it is non-destructive and as it can be carried out deep inside the body under image guidance. The mechanism of sonoporation is not fully understood. Presently, the vast majority of in vitro sonoporation investigations are carried out on cells in monolayer in plastic dishes. These systems are problematic from a variety of aspects. Ultrasound interaction with the wells, themselves acoustically incompatible, can result in unwanted phenomena such as mode conversion, heat generation, and standing waves. These factors combined can lead to uncertainties of up to 700% in the actual ultrasound exposure experienced by cells. Biological scaffolds can serve as an artificial extra cellular matrix to support different cell processes. Compared to plastic dishes, they more realistically resemble the in vivo environment in terms of how ultrasound interacts with cells and the extracellular matrix. The goal of this project was to develop a more biologically and acoustically compatible platform for investigating the process of sonoporation. I have developed a prototypical 2D biological scaffold, based on chitosan and gelatin. Scaffolds formulation was optimized for both cell adhesion and proliferation. I have also designed and custom built an acoustically compatible treatment chamber, where problematic issues of current setup were minimized. The acoustic activity inside the chamber was verified. The acoustic compatibility of the scaffolds was demonstrated using B-mode diagnostic ultrasound imaging and transmission test, compared to traditional culture dish. To study cell survival, sonoporation experiments were carried out over a range of ultrasound intensities and durations in this novel system. High cell survival (i.e. 83%) was achieved at 0.8 w/cm2 for 30 sec. Fluorescent imaging revealed successful intracellular delivery of nanoparticles at this ultrasound exposure. At the same ultrasound exposure, when carried out in a well plate, lower cell survival and higher variability was obtained. Acoustic incompatibility of culture plates produces less predictable results. This new platform was more acoustically compatible, allowing more predictable ultrasound exposures, and more consistent results., Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering. The Catholic University of America
The Titan Laboratory: Studies of Hazy and Reducing Atmospheres Near and Far
Titan is one of the most unique terrestrial worlds, besides our own planet, in our solar system. Orbiting Saturn at 9.5 AU from the Sun it is the only moon with an appreciable haze and so cold that instead of liquid water, there is liquid methane that forms when the methane condenses and rains out. The puffy extended atmosphere (1400 km high) hides the surface with a shroud of haze that forms from the photolysis of methane high up in the atmosphere which produce aggregates of tar-like particles. With almost 6% methane near the surface and 1.4% in the stratosphere this world is far more reducing (hydrogen rich) than the oxidized (oxygen rich) Archean eon of Earth and the Modern Earth. With such an alien world right here in our back yard it is paramount that we understand the processes that control it while comparing it to our own planet as we search the galaxy for terrestrial exoplanets.In this dissertation I focus on answering three main questions. The first one is: Using the Titan-Enceladus cryovolcano oxygen exchange as a starting point, can external material entering a terrestrial atmosphere trigger a methane-oxygen false-positive biosignature observation? Methane and oxygen are a strong biosignature pair due to the way the two gases destroy one another unless a constant source is provided. Using a 1D-photochemical model I produce atmospheres with abiotic and biotic levels of oxygen and water entering a terrestrial world and then observe the spectra of the planet with a synthetic spectrum generator to look for the presence of the methane-oxygen pair. Simulating observations with next generation and future generation space-based telescopes, my results show that a false positive biosignature will not be triggered unless unphysically high external fluxes of material are used and even than the signal-to-noise-ratios of the spectra are not strong enough to be considered reliable. The second question I answer is: Can Titan-like exoplanets be characterized with next-generation space-based observatories and what role if any does haze play? In this work Titan-like means a rocky body that is along the snow-line of its system where it is assumed to be cold enough for methane to condense, be highly reducing and have a hazy atmosphere. An exoplanet 6 light years away was recently detected by the radial velocity method, orbiting Barnard’s Star. The planet, Barnard’s Star b, is along the snow-line of its system with a minimum mass of 3.2 Earth masses. Using a 1D-photochemical model and synthetic spectrum generator I model this exoplanet as a Titan-like super Earth and apply a mass-radii relation to arrive at a minimum radius of 11053 km. With these parameters I simulated the observation of the exoplanet with LUVOIR-A, the 15 m mirror future-generation space-based telescope. My results show strong signals for methane in the visible and near-infrared and the suppression of the Rayleigh tail in the ultra-violet, that mirror the spectral methane windows seen in observations of Titan. The third and final question is focused on how atmosphere transitions behave on rocky planets as they move from reducing to oxidized atmosphere conditions and whether or not Great Oxidation Event similarities occur. The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) was a period in Earth’s past, during the Proterozoic eon, when the planet quickly transitioned from a reducing to highly oxygenated atmosphere. One of the hallmarks of the GOE was a sharp spike and stepwise behavior in the abundance of atmospheric oxygen. Titan is on the far end of the reduced atmosphere spectrum, in contrast to the Archean and Modern Earth, and in my work I use a 1D-photochemical model to simulate Titan transitioning to an oxidized state. Methane and carbon-dioxide are gradually adjusted to make the atmosphere more oxidized while looking for evidence of stepwise changes in the abundances and column densities of major oxygenated species. The simulations are also performed for G, K and M host star types. However, neither oxygen nor ozone were included in the model at this time. My results do not show signs of pronounced stepwise behavior, but they do show gradual stepwise behavior for atmospheric water in the G and M star cases, while K star simulations made it difficult for the atmospheres to transition very far in the direction of oxidation., Atmospheric sciences, Astronomy, Biosignatures, Exoplanets, Titan, Physics, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Physics. The Catholic University of America
The Development of the Principle of Subsidiarity in the 1983 Code of Canon Law
The principle of subsidiarity was one of the ten principles that guided the canonical revision process of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Yet insufficient scholarly attention has been paid to the development of subsidiarity regarding the canonical revision process. This dissertation studies the application of the principle of subsidiarity in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which requires analyses of the revision process of the 1917 CIC. It examines subsidiarity throughout the pontificates from Pius XI to John Paul II. Three fundamental questions underlined the research: 1) What is the principle of subsidiarity? 2) Where can the principle of subsidiarity be applied? 3) What is the principle of subsidiarity for? The dissertation has three chapters. Chapter one studies the historical origin and development of subsidiarity within the Catholic social doctrine's context, where the principle is formulated initially. It examines the principle's evolution from the encyclical Quadragesimo anno to Vatican II. Chapter two presents the influence of both the theology of Vatican II and the selected synod of bishops in the understanding of the principle of subsidiarity. The bishops' participation in the 1967 synod is described, drawing upon unpublished sources from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts archives. Chapter three summarizes the canonical applications of subsidiarity in the revision process of the 1917 CIC by analyzing commissions' acts. The dissertation examines pertinent pontifical, conciliar, curial, and canonical documents and relevant scholarly sources on the question. A proper understanding of the principle of subsidiarity requires recognizing that it is a principle, which must be interpreted in light of the theological and canonical concepts lying beneath it. This dissertation offers an extensive bibliography on subsidiarity in various languages from 1931 to 1985. This bibliography is essential to evaluate the purpose of subsidiarity in the Church accurately. This dissertation presents the evolution of subsidiarity systematically from Catholic Social Doctrine into the 1983 CIC. It also analyses the suppositions, the fundamental issues, and limits of its pastoral application. The principle of subsidiarity promotes spaces where the faithful can exercise their vocations in an adulthood manner and cooperate with the mission of the Church. , Canon law, Canon Law, Degree Awarded: J.C.D. Canon Law. The Catholic University of America
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality--Integrated Training Model: Impact on Clinician Competency
Effective implementation of evidence-based practices is vital in clinical suicide prevention. Multiple factors influence the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs), including mental health care clinicians’ access to training as well as the quality of training they receive. This study investigated the impact of a multi-modal training program for a suicide-specific evidence-based practice: The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality – Integrated Training Model (CAMS – ITM). Survey data was used to assess the effectiveness of CAMS – ITM in increasing clinical competency to treat suicidal patients, as measured by improvements in clinicians’ self-report of skill in treating suicidal patients, knowledge of suicide-specific best practices, and attitude toward the treatment of suicidality. Pre-training survey responses compared to post-training survey responses were analyzed across groups of clinicians receiving CAMS training in the states of Oklahoma, Ohio, Colorado, and Alaska. The findings of this exploratory study showed good support for CAMS – ITM, as analyses showed improvements in attitude, knowledge, and skill by the end of training. Moreover, there was evidence that the first training, an online video course, was effective in improving competency in and of itself. This study adds to the extant literature on EBP training for mental health clinicians and adds to the body of evidence in support of CAMS as a tool for the dissemination and implementation of suicide specific best practices. , Clinical psychology, CAMS, clinical competency, clinician training, implementation, suicide-specific EBP, training outcome, Psychology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America
Training Canadian Seminarians in Empathy
Acknowledged as a vital skill both within and outside the counseling relationship, theinfluence of empathy on society is becoming well-established. Its benefits include positive impacts on the helping relationship, greater prosocial activities, positive character traits, and a decrease in negative behaviors. Its usage is also encouraged by the Catholic Church, particularly the writings of Pope Francis. While its benefits are recognized, recent observations show a marked downward trend in empathy among emerging adults (Millennials and Generation Z). Such declines are worrisome not only for the identified cohorts, but for the church and society as a whole. Despite such trends, little is done in Canada to educate English Catholic seminarians in the early stages of formation in both empathy and various pastoral issues. To address this need, an empathy seminar, educating seminarians in the early stages of formation, was proposed. The seminar used didactic and skills training which provided seminarians with a basic theoretical framework on both empathy and six pastoral challenges: culture, abortion, same-sex attraction, domestic violence, gender dysphoria, and separation and divorce. The seminar took place over a three-day period (15 hours) in September 2020, with 27 participants. A range of evaluation tools, including the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), post-seminar survey, and interviews, were implemented. The evaluation tools showed a slight increase in empathy and knowledge retention among participants. The TEQ showed a mean score of 46.84 in the pre-seminar survey, and a post-seminar result of 47.76, indicating above-average empathy among seminarians. A paired t-test (two-tailed p value of .1701) indicated that the difference for the overall sample was not statistically significant, which given the limited sample size is not surprising; however, it is worth noting that the sample size (25 participants) represents approximately 19% of the total English Canadian seminarian population in 2020. In the post-session interviews, seminarians found the seminar worthwhile; however, they felt changes could occur. While the seminar will not provide a complete long-term solution to empathic needs of emerging adults in the seminary, it does help to begin the conversation on how this need can be addressed in Canadian English seminaries moving forward. , Theology, Educational psychology, Pastoral counseling, Canada, Empathy, Seminarian, Pastoral Studies, Degree Awarded: D.Min. Pastoral Studies. The Catholic University of America
Disarmed by Vulnerability: The Abdication of Violence in the Face of Christ's Death and Resurrection in the Soteriology of Raymund Schwager
Evangelization remains a sine qua non of Christian discipleship, but explaining salvation in terms of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection reconciling all sinners to God to a contemporary, pluralistic Western audience presents particular challenges unfaced by previous generations of theologians. People struggle with the violence tied to the cross, a key component of Jesus’ atonement. They find problematic soteriologies that depict God as requiring such violence and how Christians turn to them to justify their use of violence or others’ violence directed toward them. Additionally, people have difficulty accepting the idea of the need for a savior because of sin’s harmful effects on all humans. The traditionally defined concepts of sin and original sin, both as committed and inherited, apparently have no place on the horizon of someone who holds an evolutionary worldview. The soteriology of Raymund Schwager (1935–2004) provides a way forward in a world where many are unwilling to accept a solution that includes violence for a problem that they believe Christianity unintelligibly describes. Appropriating René Girard’s theory of mimetic rivalry and scapegoating, Schwager presents an understanding of postlapsarian humanity intelligible to a contemporary audience and explains how Christ’s death and resurrection bring salvation while still taking the violent nature of the crucifixion seriously without being forced into the position of attributing violence to God. In doing so, he provides a soteriology that cannot be misused to justify violence. For Schwager, Jesus’ actions, both throughout his preaching and on the cross and in the resurrection, reveal first God as a God who never reacts to sinners with violence, but disarms them with his love, and then humans as relational beings who only realize their potential through receiving and sharing this divine love selflessly. Schwager’s understanding of salvation not only helps to reimagine the Church’s understanding of sin but also presents an understanding of freedom as being-in-relation-with that avoids pitting individual autonomy and human nature against each other. , Theology, freedom, mimetic rivalry, Raymund Schwager, René Girard, sin, Soteriology, Systematic Theology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America
Hearing the American Civil Rights Movement in the Music of Max Roach
Throughout a recording career that spanned 1943–2002 and engaged with diverse styles and instrumentations, jazz drummer Max Roach (1924–2007) transcended canonical compartmentalization. Readings of Roach fall into two camps, each demonstrating methodological issues that have muted his contributions: an “evolutionary” camp has focused too narrowly on drumming, overlooked cultural context, constructed a linear doctrine of progress, and restricted Roach’s impact to bop; a “revolutionary” camp has focused too broadly on context, ignored nuance, and formed conclusions that lack substantiation. Ten extant Roach drum transcriptions stem from six albums released from 1954 to 1966, a sample sufficient to cover neither Roach’s oeuvre nor a broader civil rights period. While arguments have relied upon accepted assumptions linking Roach and civil rights issues, no study has thoroughly unpacked the material. Roach confronted marginalization on two fronts: as a Black American, he faced discrimination within society and industry economics; as a drummer, he faced marginalization within hierarchical performance practices and canonical construction. Proceeding from Ingrid Monson’s argument that jazz and the civil rights movement are linked through economics, symbolism, activism, and aesthetics, this dissertation substantiates connections between the civil rights movement and Roach’s musical life by tracking representations of self-determination throughout both his music and career. Chapter 2 unpacks representations outside Roach’s drumming, including pedagogy and music education, composition and business incorporations, ensemble leadership, and explorations in meter, tempo, instrumentation, and solo order that challenged both jazz’s functionality as dance accompaniment and the drummer’s conventionally subservient role. Chapter 3 explores representations within Roach’s drumming, including drumset tuning, unconventional stickings, linear incorporation of both feet, comping concepts, and both motivic development and “conversational structures” that reframed drum solos from excursions in primitivist novelty to masterclasses in composition. Declaring that musics of great synthesis, like jazz, are best analyzed though a blend of methodologies, this study employs archival research (including unprecedented incorporation of the Library of Congress’s “Max Roach Papers” and Manhattan School of Music’s Registrar archive), published interviews, twenty-four original transcriptions, and comparative analysis to bridge the research gap between Roach’s evolutionary impact and revolutionary engagement with civil rights., Music, Civil, Jazz, Max, Rights, Roach, Musicology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Musicology. The Catholic University of America
A Double-Edged Sword: Use & Abuse of American Exceptionalism
This dissertation scrutinizes how American Exceptionalism evolved from a collection ofChristian and English legends around 1776 into today’s well-organized narrative central to Americans’ self-perception and political discourse. It is based upon an extensive qualitative study of primary sources and focuses on how U.S. presidents have used the concept to further their agendas following the 1898 Spanish-American War. Specifically, this thesis shows that the use of exceptionalist themes has increased over time. It has become critical as a justification for an active foreign policy, particularly in times of war when it is used to enhance national unity abroad and further reform domestic policy reforms at home. Thanks to social and cultural changes that began in the 1970s, the concept’s effectiveness in the latter realm has diminished. Moreover, as Democrats, for ideological reasons, have distanced themselves from some of the concept’s themes, it has become ever more associated with the Republican Party, which has remained loyal to its notions. The concept is thus today as much a matter of political dispute as of national unity. Finally, this thesis probes how American Exceptionalism has been echoed in popular culture and official U.S. propaganda, especially during the Cold War., Political science, American history, American studies, American Exceptionalism, Ideology, Intellectual history, US Foreign Policy, US History, US Politics, Politics, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Politics. The Catholic University of America
Preparing American Women Religious for the Teaching Apostolate in the 21st Century: Factors Influencing Programs of Study for Sisters and Their Experiences in the Teaching Apostolate
This study explores the ways the leaders of three American congregations of women religious have prepared their sisters for the teaching apostolate both in the past and in the present. The study includes information on the founding of the communities, how their apostolates have evolved over time, factors that have contributed to the development of their programs of study in preparation for the apostolate, and the current experiences of sisters engaged in the teaching apostolate. Recent decades have seen research studies on sisters and their apostolic works from a historical or sociological perspective or examined past educational practices of particular religious communities or their colleges. The current study examines how sisters’ studies have adapted over time to respond to various internal, external, and personal factors, and explores the contemporary experiences of women religious in the teaching apostolate.Site visits were conducted to each of the selected communities. Artifacts, observations, and interviews (one-on-one and focus groups) were the primary sources of data. Interviews were conducted with superiors or directors of studies, formation directors, archivists, and sisters who had entered their communities within the past 20 years and were currently engaged in teaching.Cross-case analysis of themes found that similar factors have influenced the evolution of the communities’ apostolates and programs of study. The younger sisters engaged in teaching identified common difficulties encountered in teaching and common supports provided by their communities. Impacts of aging membership, fewer numbers of new vocations, and changing backgrounds and needs of new vocations surfaced in all of the cases and provided insight into present experiences of many religious congregations and the schools in which they serve. Since women who have entered these religious communities in recent decades have entered with academic degrees and in fewer numbers, adaptation and individualization, rather than standardization, best describe the programs of study.Historically, women religious were the primary source of staffing, leadership, and foundational vision that enabled the growth of elementary and secondary schools throughout the United States. While sisters today comprise a small portion of staff in Catholic schools, their influence, witness, and leadership continue., Educational leadership, Teacher education, Religious history, Catholic education, Catholic religious orders, Sister Formation Movement, sister teachers, teacher education, women religious, Education, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America
Development of Bible Based Prayer and Prayer Rituals for Newly Married Couples and Young Families to Deepen Their Relationship with God and with Each Other
Do Catholics incorporate the Bible in their family prayers? Research indicates that Catholics read the Bible the least times compared to those of other Christian traditions. Whereas family devotions are an important part of Catholic spirituality, what is lacking is prayer practices rooted in the Bible. Most Catholics listen to the Bible only when they attend church services. But with today’s prevalent anti-Christian culture and spiritual apathy, church attendance is dwindling among young families. But when couples incorporate Bible usage in their family prayer practices, they learn to live by the Word of God (Matthew 4:4), trust in God, communicate better with each other, and their prayers have positive effects on their children. The target group for this project was young married couples. A five-session project was created for couples to be trained in Bible usage for family prayer and for developing prayer rituals as part of family spirituality. Couples were exposed to various kinds of prayers, such as repentance, forgiveness, lament, trust, surrender, praise, thanksgiving, blessing, petition, intercession, discernment, healing, and deliverance, along with the virtues associated with these prayer dispositions. Couples were presented with the model of relationships in the Holy Trinity for building up relationships with each other. The Trinity bestows the couples with light and love and as the couple draw life and strength from the Trinity, they sustain fruitful connections within their family. Analysis of the data collected from the participants about their prayer practices and Bible usage before, after, and one month after the program revealed an increased awareness of the importance of Bible based family prayer. Married couples appreciated biblical understanding of prayer dispositions and formulation of prayer rituals as cornerstones in their family’s prayer lives and in bringing up God fearing children. Participants reported an increase in the number of times they prayed, and their usage of various types of prayers facilitated trust in God’s providence, peace, and family bonding. Anchoring one’s marriage and prayer practices in the Word of God promotes a personal relationship with God, and healthy communication among family members. , Spirituality, Theology, Spirituality, Degree Awarded: D.Min. Spirituality. The Catholic University of America
The Therapeutic Role of Ethnic/Racial Identity and Acculturation in a School-based Socioemotional Intervention
Ethnic/racial minority youth are disproportionately impacted by disparities in access to evidence-based mental health interventions compared to non-Hispanic White youth. Stigma, discrimination, acculturative stress, economic constraints, limited access to treatment, lack of insurance coverage, and negative attitudes and beliefs toward mental health services are some of the most significant barriers that prevent many ethnic/racial minorities from receiving adequate mental health care. School-based mental health interventions overcome some of these access barriers for ethnic/racial minority youth. However, it is important to understand the extent to which the effectiveness of interventions is impacted by youths’ ethnic/racial identity (ERI; the degree to which an individual explores and commits to their ethnic/racial group), along withacculturation processes. The current investigation explores how ERI and acculturation impact youth psychosocial functioning and how these cultural variables affect treatment outcomes of a school-based socioemotional intervention.Seventy-one children (52.1% male, 98.6% ethnic/racial minority) participated in the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP), a school-based resilience intervention for children with socioemotional difficulties. Correlation analyses explored the relationships between ERI and parent-, child-, and teacher-report of baseline functioning across internalizing and externalizing symptoms, social, emotional, attentional, academic, and adaptive functioning. Moderation analyses examined the effect of ERI on RBP treatment outcomes across domains of functioning and informants. An examination of differences in baseline functioning across acculturation-related variables (i.e., comparisons between U.S.- and non-U.S.-born participants; between participants from English-dominant households and those from other-language-dominanthouseholds) was also conducted. Additionally, qualitative analyses examined caregiver perceptions of their child’s difficulties.Primary analyses revealed strong associations between ERI and positive outcomes including greater emotional, attentional, and adaptive functioning, stronger academic skills and enablers (e.g., interpersonal skills, classroom engagement, academic motivation, and study skills), and greater resilience. Three-way interaction effects indicated that ERI played a key role in moderating RBP treatment effects across domains of internalizing problems, social, emotional, attentional, and adaptive functioning. Differences were also observed between subscales of ERI (i.e., Exploration and Commitment), such that ERI Commitment demonstrated greater effects on treatment outcomes compared to ERI Exploration. Acculturation-related analyses demonstrated clear patterns in baseline functioning between cultural groups. Non-U.S.-born participants and participants from non-English-dominant households endorsed better baseline functioning across domains. Differences were particularly salient for teacher-report. Acculturation-related analyses provide support for the immigrant paradox, suggesting that first-generation immigrant youth typically demonstrate better functioning compared to U.S.-born ethnic/racial minorities. Results demonstrate how cultural variables, such as ERI and acculturation, relate to baseline functioning and treatment outcomes.This was the first study to explore ERI and acculturation-related variables in the context of the RBP intervention, and one of the first studies to examine ERI as a moderator of treatment outcomes in a school-based intervention. Findings have direct implications for informing RBP adaptation in order to better meet the needs of culturally diverse RBP participants experiencing socioemotional difficulties. More broadly, results speak to the importance of developing and implementing culturally adapted, identity-focused interventions for ethnic/racial minority youth in schools., Clinical psychology, Acculturation, Ethnic/racial identity, Resilience, Schools, Socioemotional intervention, Psychology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America
A Reinforcement Learning-based Framework for Resource Allocation and Task Assignment in Mobile Edge Computing Networks
Mobile edge computing (MEC) is an emerging paradigm that integrates computing resources in wireless access networks to process computational tasks near mobile users with low latency. This dissertation first investigates one of the MEC applications, adaptive wireless video streaming, to understand the insights. An edge-controlled adaptive streaming (ECAS) scheme is designed, and a prototype is implemented, which provides a unified transmission and in-network processing of multiple video streams and orchestrates the dynamic resource allocation and bitrate adaptation among them based on the MEC concept. Next, the dissertation proposes and investigates a stochastic framework that enables cooperation among the various entities of a MEC system.Specifically, the task assignment problem is investigated for cooperative MEC networks in which a set of geographically distributed heterogeneous edge nodes not only cooperate with remote cloud data centers but also help each other to jointly process user tasks. The challenges in optimizing task assignment are addressed under dynamic network environments when the task arrivals, node computing capabilities, and network states are non-stationary and not known a priori. A novel stochastic framework is developed to model the interactions of the involved entities, including the edge-to-edge horizontal cooperation and the edge-to-cloud vertical cooperation. We cast the cooperative task assignment as a dynamic online optimization problem and formulate it as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). Several centralized and distributed online Reinforcement Learning-based algorithms are designed and evaluated to obtain the optimal task assignment policy by capturing various dynamics and heterogeneity of the available computing resources and network communication conditions with no assumption on prior knowledge of them. Further, by leveraging the structure of the underlying problem, a function decomposition technique is proposed, and a post-decision state is introduced, which are incorporated with Reinforcement Learning to reduce the search space and computation complexity. The evaluation results validate the convergence of the algorithms and demonstrate the proposed online learning-based schemes outperform the state-of-the-art benchmark algorithms., Computer science, Deep Reinforcement Learning, Mobile Edge Computing Cooperation, Mobile Edge Computing Networks, Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Resource Allocation and Task Assignment, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Catholic University of America
An Examination of Treatment Planning Quality and Outcomes Within the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)
Although the majority of research investigating suicidal behavior has largely focused on generalized risk factors and warning signs, evidence suggests that such variables carry limited predictive or idiographic value. The “Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality” (CAMS) provides a therapeutic framework for the assessment and treatment of a novel construct called suicidal “drivers” in which the patient is asked to identify the two problems that most directly lead him or her to consider suicide (Jobes, 2016). Ultimately, the goal of uncovering such drivers is to help the patient understand their own suicidality, and to better inform effective treatment planning tailored towards specific drivers. Little is currently known about the ways in which various dimensions of CAMS treatment planning impact patient outcomes. Research is needed to better understand the optimal treatment-planning process of ongoing, patient-specific, suicide-focused care over the course of effective clinical treatment. The current study thus aims to investigate the impact of treatment planning on post-treatment outcomes. Based on previous research, three dimensions of treatment planning were selected to be investigated: Driver change (“static” vs. “dynamic”), clinician elaboration (word count), and adherence ratings. To evaluate the effect of treatment predictors, longitudinal regression analyses were conducted using hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) to evaluate whether (a) dynamic (vs. static) driver change, (b) clinician elaboration (word count), and (c) clinician adherence to the CAMS model were associated with differences in trajectories of change across the 12-month study follow-up period. The study outcomes evaluated were: (a) suicidal ideation (SI); (b) symptoms distress (OQ-45), (c) optimism, (d) hope, (e) suicide attempts, and (f) behavioral health-related inpatient unit (IPU) admissions. Results showed that both driver change and clinician elaboration were significantly associated with differential trajectories in SSI across the 12-month follow-up. Specifically, “dynamic” driver change and smaller clinician elaboration were moderately associated with more rapid and sustained reductions in SI. These results provide empirical support for the importance of suicide specific treatment planning that is both dynamic and succinct, and highlight the need for more rigorous training of CAMS clinicians. It is argued that these results have potential to transform future lines of research into optimal treatment planning for suicidal individuals., Psychology, Clinical psychology, Therapy, CAMS, suicide, therapy, treatment planning, Psychology, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America
Episcopalian Tradition in the Midst of Reform: The Liturgical Works of Richard Wayne Dirksen
Episcopalian Tradition in the Midst of Reform: The Liturgical Works of Richard Wayne DirksenVery Rev. James Junípero Moore, OP, D.M.A.Director: Timothy McDonnell, D.M.A.Richard Wayne Dirksen (1921-2003) was affiliated in various ways with the music of Washington National Cathedral from 1942 to1991.These were years of liturgical reforms in the wider American Episcopal Church. This necessitated providing music for the revised liturgical texts and raising questions about the use of contemporary style, traditional forms, and artistic quality. Although Dirksen was not outspoken in his judgement of music and the liturgy, he did believe that sacred music should be “traditional” – that is informed by the wider corpus of sacred music and not a drastic break with the past. This helped keep the Cathedral liturgical music grounded in the Anglican tradition while also freshly contemporary.I argue that Dirksen, in his role as musician and canon Precentor (director of Liturgy) at the Cathedral, was actively engaged in the production of truly contemporary sacred music, while remaining firmly rooted in the tradition of Christian sacred music. This treatise examines selected liturgical works of Dirksen from before the reforms, his settings of the texts for the reformed Book of Common Prayer 1979, his contributions to The Hymnal 1982, and finally a section on his liturgical works in the years after the reform.I make extensive use of Dirksen's own annotated catalog. I also conducted interviews with Dirksen’s sons as well as with former colleagues and others associated with the Cathedral. I make use of dissertations on the history of the Cathedral music program as well as commentaries on the Prayer Book and Hymnal. Finally, I make extensive use of the Cathedral Archives. This includes Dirksen’s correspondence with the editors of The Hymnal 1982.Forty years after the liturgical reform, very few studies have been done of a particular composer’s music during this critical period in liturgical history. This treatise aims to be a model for future research on sacred music and liturgical reform., Music, Dirksen, Episcopal, Liturgical Reform, Liturgy, National Cathedral, Sacred Music, Musicology, Degree Awarded: D.M.A. Musicology. The Catholic University of America
A Novel EMR Template Designed to Increase Preventative Care in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
AbstractInflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) causes chronic inflammation and damage to the digestive tract, requiring life-long management (Mayo Clinic, 2020). The crux of IBD treatment, long-term immunosuppressive therapies, places IBD patients at increased risk for infections and certain cancers (Farraye et al., 2017). Because of immunosuppressive therapy, unvaccinated IBD patients likely experience costly hospitalization for pneumonia or influenza. The increased financial burden also results from the cost to treat preventable cancers like cervical cancer or skin cancer, both treatable if detected early (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Mitigating the financial impact and improving IBD patient health outcomes require consistent preventative health maintenance from both primary care providers and gastroenterology providers. Statement of the Problem: IBD patients fail to consistently receive preventative care services when compared to general medical patients (Farraye et al., 2017). As a result, the IBD patient shoulders an increased morbidity risk from vaccine-preventable infections and early-detection treatable diseases. This evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention introduced an innovative IBD-focused electronic medical record (EMR) template based on the 2017 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Clinical Guideline for Preventive Care in IBD. This EMR template prompts providers to issue patient orders for recommended vaccinations and necessary preventative screenings. The project director worked with practice site personnel to integrate the customized template into the practice site’s EMR, thereby reminding practice providers to consistently promote preventative care services to all served adult IBD patients. Methods: This Institutional Review Board-approved project utilized a pre- and post-assessment of the IBD EMR template instituted at an outpatient practice, part of the largest gastroenterology group in the Mid-Atlantic region. Data were collected from a retrospective chart review of two randomly selected IBD patient cohorts (N = 250) from the same 60-day period, separated by 1 year. In addition, quantitative provider satisfaction data were gathered at the end of the EBP project via an investigator-developed survey. Data analysis included univariate findings expressing characteristics of the sample and bivariate analysis (t test) to determine the significance of the intervention. Results: The three objectives measured provider increase in issuance of vaccine orders and provision of screening referrals, and provider satisfaction in using the customized template to determine intervention sustainability. Post-intervention analysis revealed providers issued a significantly increased number of vaccine orders (M = .38, SD =.770) when compared to pre-intervention vaccination (M = .12, SD .413, p<.001). Analysis also demonstrated a significant increase in provider issuance of screening referrals post-intervention (M = .38, SD = .779) compared to pre-intervention (M = .10, SD = .355, p<.001). Finally, provider survey results (M = 4.85, SD = .327) supported the template’s relevance and ease-of-use with providers scoring 4 – Agree or 5 – Strongly Agree on all questions. Summary of Conclusions: Past research links the absence of preventative care in the immunocompromised IBD patient with poor patient outcomes (Ananthakrishnan & McGinley, 2013). Despite an overabundance of literature citing the benefits of preventative medicine, offering of these services to patients and issuing preventative vaccination and screening orders remains deficient in the field of gastroenterology. This project focused on a change in the way GI providers prioritize preventative care through the institution of a novel IBD EMR template. The EBP intervention proved successful, with providers issuing more vaccine orders and screening referrals following post-EMR template implementation. These findings may lead to improvements in IBD patient health outcomes and quality of life, and ultimately reduce the financial burden associated with preventable disease management., Nursing, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Preventative Care Services, Nursing, Degree Awarded: D.N.P. Nursing. The Catholic University of America
Global Utopias, Individual Nightmares: Experiences of Migration, Inequality, and Solidarity in Latin American Science Fiction
Today’s global neoliberalism originated in a series of utopic ideas and discourses based on the concept of social wellbeing and comfort. These ideas and discourses, dreams of a better future, promoted the neocapitalist system. These global dreams, however, can turn into nightmares for underdeveloped communities, the latter impacted by increased flow of immigration, environmental stress, social unrest and economic inequality. My dissertation explores how and why contemporary Latin American science fiction represents specific challenges that the dynamics of globalization pose in the region in the turn of the twenty century to the twenty first century. Divided into three areas of inquiry, this dissertation tackles these challenges focusing on the body, the border and the environment. These three areas, studied in three chapters, function as loci in which the processes of globalization inscribe themselves. Likewise, they consist of interconnected places in a state of continuous transformation. I analyze specific tropes from the science fiction mode—such as cyborgs, monsters, ecodystopias and ecoapocalypses—in a variety of contemporary novels, short stories and films by artists from Cuba (Yoss), the US Latino diaspora (Alex Rivera), Bolivia (Paz Soldán), Mexico (Gabriel Trujillo), Nicaragua (Gioconda Belli), and Argentina (Juan Solanas and Rafael Pinedo). I argue that science fiction writers and filmmakers use these tropes as mechanisms to give visibility to the effects of specific problems arising from the implementation of global policies—mainly market liberalization and privatization of services—in Latin American realities. These authors unmask the inequalities of globalization and neoliberalism. In so doing, they (re)present ways of resistance and cooperation as alternative forms to navigate the system. Ultimately, these authors are bounded by a utopian impulse—to turn their works into symbolic artifacts of solidarity. , Latin American studies, Borderland, Environment, Globalization, Latin American, Migration, Science Fiction, Spanish, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Spanish. The Catholic University of America
Words, Thoughts, and Phrases: Defining and Measuring Literalness in English Bible Translations
The bulk of the project is spent examining five English translations of eight texts from the Hebrew Bible in order to determine how literal each translation is. According to this project, a literal translation is a word-for-word translation in which lexical items and formal features are retained. The English translations are the King James Version, the New International Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the English Standard Version, and Robert Alter’s The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. The Hebrew texts are Genesis 1, 2 Sam 18:1-15, Ruth 3, Ps 120, Ps 121, Ps 130, Eccl 4, and Obad 1-18. The texts are first subjected to a constituent analysis to ascertain whether each translation accurately represents each constituent of the Hebrew text in English. Next, a word order analysis is performed on each text to show divergences between the Hebrew and English texts. Finally, each text is examined for lexical variation, showing how each English version translates repeated uses of the same Hebrew word. In each of these analyses, the English translations are given scores to rate how closely they reflect the underlying Hebrew text. In the end, Alter’s translation is the closest to the definition of literal proposed in this paper, while the NIV is the furthest. This is not to say that the NIV is inherently inferior to the other translations surveyed. Conclusions are meant to be objective and not evaluative., Near Eastern studies, Bible translation, Linguistics, Old Testament, Translation theory, Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures. The Catholic University of America
Advance Care Planning in Community Dwelling Older Adults with Chronic Illness
The aging population, coupled with the increasing health care costs of managing their chronic illnesses, put Advance Care Planning (ACP) at the center of the national medical and public health debate in this country. Because of the aging population, and the increased numbers of individuals with chronic illness, it is important to understand and convey the complexities of ACP for this vulnerable group in the society. Recent published data reveal that many adults (not just older adults) have not expressed their preferences for End of Life (EOL) care nor have they communicated their preferences to families or health care providers. ACP in the older adult population is not occurring consistently. The aim of this research was to understand the process that community dwelling older adults with chronic illness use in making ACP. Grounded Theory was the methodology used in the study. Data obtained from fifteen semi-structured interviews were analyzed and a substantive theory, Taking Charge, was developed. Taking Charge was the core concept which described the theory comprised of five dynamic stages: Awareness, Vulnerability, Barriers/Facilitators, Life Experiences, and Action. The findings of “Taking Charge” corroborate/support prior research study findings that have identified the many factors that influence an individual’s ability, or inability, to complete ACP. Further, the study focuses particular attention on aspects of ACP that have not been studied in depth: readiness to engage and the developmental transitions taking place as older adults age and approach their death. “Taking Charge” posits that readiness to engage is linked to “awareness.” Being aware allows individuals to adapt, by employing new tactics - develop new knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This leads to identifying meaning and experiencing a sense of control. Ultimately, healthy transitions enable decision-making to occur that positively reflects autonomy and self-determination. Conversely, lack of awareness stalls decision-making. Individuals cannot accept the challenges of the developmental transition: they avoid knowledge and skill acquisition, maintain unrealistic expectations, and limit new choices. This leads to feeling and experiencing a loss of control, and ultimately results in either poor ACP planning, or none whatsoever. , Nursing, Aging, Gerontology, Advance Care Planning, End of Life, Nurse Practitioner, Older Adult, Nursing, Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Nursing. The Catholic University of America

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