Copyright (c) 2009 Liberty University All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu Recent documents in DigitalCommons@Liberty University en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:54:06 PST 3600 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/8 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/8 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:06:59 PST Liberty University http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/7 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/7 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:06:11 PST Liberty University http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/6 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/6 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:04:59 PST Liberty University http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/5 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/deb_front/5 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:03:53 PST Liberty University http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/260 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/260 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:16:36 PST The purpose of this project is to analyze the Friend Day evangelistic program, developed by Elmer Towns and published by Church Growth Institute, Lynchburg, Virginia. Through interviews, it traces the program's development. Through analysis of the program and research of literature in the areas of church growth and evangelism, it examines the theological presuppositions of friendship evangelism and discovers the principles of outreach employed in Friend Day. Based on questionnaires mailed to purchasers of the program, the project studies the strengths and weaknesses of Friend Day, and establishes that it is an exceptionally effective tool for local church evangelism. Rick L. Rasberry Education, Religious Religion, Clergy Religion, General http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/71 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/71 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:20 PST Guatemala was predicted to become the first nation to become predominantly Protestant due to the tremendous growth of the Pentecostal church between 1960 and 1990. Historically, the Pentecostal church was very pietistic and did not involve itself in politics. However, the presidency of Efrain Rios Montt (1982-1983) and the election of Jorge Serrano Elias (1991-1993) reflect a change among Pentecostals with regard to political involvement. The Protestant church has moved from a marginalized minority to comprising almost twenty-five percent of the population. In the August, 1994 congressional elections, 20 of the 80 congressmen elected to office were evangelical Christians (25%). Evidence shows that Evangelicals vote for evangelical candidates though the reasons why remain unclear. Despite these developments, the Pentecostal church is still deeply divided over involvement in politics. However, although Pentecostals do not constitute a unified movement, politicians cannot ignore them because they vote in greater numbers than the rest of the population. Thomas Joseph Metallo http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/70 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/70 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:56:10 PST According to Nua Internet Surveys 201 million people are using the Internet worldwide. The Internet has evolved from a communications tool for a select group of scientists to a commercial juggernaut that is predicted to change the way people buy and sell things across a number of industries.This research focuses on consumer behavior in this new medium. The Consumer Decision Process can be categorized into five sub-processes including: (a) Motivation and Need Recognition, (b) Information Search, (c) Alternatives Evaluation, (d) Purchase Decision and Purchase, and (e) Purchase Outcomes. This research considers nine Internet behaviors across these five consumer behavior processes.The behaviors studied include clicking on banner ads, reading e-mail advertisements, searching for product information in online stores and using search engines, using comparison engines and online reviews to evaluate alternatives, purchase products, and access online customer support via e-mail and web sites. Internet user attitudes and intention to use the Internet for each of the behaviors were studied within the theoretical constructs of the Theory of Reasoned Action. It was found that the attitudinal component of the Theory of Reasoned Action was consistently predictive of users' intention to participate in all nine of the consumer behaviors during the 2000 holiday shopping season. Frederick A. Volk http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/69 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/69 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:38:45 PST This study investigated the effects of a home-based, audio cassette marriage enrichment course on marital communication and marital adjustment. The marriage enrichment course evaluated in this study consisted of two audio cassette tapes, each containing two sessions of approximately 45 minutes in length, and one work booklet. The course contained exercises emphasizing the development of communication skills, encouragement of self-disclosure, learning of empathy skills, and the setting of personal and mutual goals. The unique aspects of the course were the home-based setting in which the couples completed the program, and the self-enclosed audio cassette nature of the course.The subjects consisted of 24 Protestant, married couples residing in a medium sized western United States city. A pretest, posttest control group experimental design with a one month follow-up was formulated consisting of one experimental group and a no-treatment control group. Twelve hypotheses were generated predicting that the subjects who participated in the audio cassette course would experience a significant increase in their level of marital communication and marital adjustment at the posttest and at a one month follow-up test. The dependent variables were the scores on the Marital Communication Inventory (Bienvenu, 1969), and the Locke-Wallace Short Form Marital Adjustment Test (Locke & Wallace, 1959). Analysis of Covariance was used to evaluate the data with the pretest serving as the covariate in each analysis.The results of the study indicated that the experimental group, relative to the control group, made no significant changes in the directions hypothesized as a result of participation in the audio cassette marriage enrichment course. The medium used to present the marriage enrichment course, the quantity of material presented in the course, and the home-based nature of the program were discussed as possible reasons for the failure of the course to effect any significant changes. Larry D. Anderson http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/259 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/259 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:07:02 PST A number of churches today are utilizing the vehicle of a local church theological institute to equip lay people. The purpose of this project is to evaluate one such institute that operates in conjunction with the Campbell Baptist Church in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The project first examines other lay institute programs as well as current literature that can aid in developing a school of this nature. This helps provide a standard for comparison. After delineating seven essential ingredients for lay institutes the evaluation is made. This study can serve to help other churches develop a quality lay institute program. Donald Bruce McKay Education, Religious Religion, Clergy Religion, General Theology http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lib_fac_pubs/47 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lib_fac_pubs/47 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:03:54 PST Librarianship has changed substantially in recent years. We who work in libraries must continually acquire new knowledge and skills. We must adapt to the reality that academic libraries, along with their parent institutions, face increased accountability. The functions that many of us have thought to be at the core of our profession are slipping from our grasp and will leave behind a mere managerial role. Nevertheless, many academic libraries will find a viable future by adopting and taking seriously the role of supporting learning. As we look at disruptive innovators in the information and learning scene, we should consider carefully whether to treat them as competitors or partners. Our libraries' prospects will be bright if we learn to analyze data, make evidence-based decisions, and communicate to our constituents the value that our libraries create. And while many emerging technologies vie for implementation, we must exercise Christian judgment regarding their ultimate value. Gregory A. Smith http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/will_know/61 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/will_know/61 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:01:31 PST Harold L. Willmington http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/68 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/68 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:25:28 PST Harry Rimmer (1890-1952) was a national leader of American fundamentalism in the first half of the twentieth century. Associated with fundamentalism from its beginning, Rimmer remained committed to the "fundamentals" throughout his life, but eschewed the separatistic tendencies of some fundamentalists, encouraged conservative ecumenism, and was a harbinger of an emerging evangelicalism.Rimmer began his career has an itinerant evangelist, serving in skid row missions, logging camps, Indian missions, military camps, YMCA youth meetings, and city-wide revival crusades. His message and style were typical of fundamentalist evangelists during the era of Billy Sunday; Rimmer used colorful and dramatic techniques for the purpose of "soul winning" and promoting civic morality.Rimmer changed the focus of his ministry during the twenties by increasingly emphasizing Bible and science themes. He launched a crusade against evolution by creating the Research Science Bureau, testifying in behalf of state anti-evolution laws, and appearing in conferences and highly publicized debates. Rimmer was a symbolic creationist, a scientific prophet, who paved the way for later creation-scientists, by doing first-hand research on scientific questions and opposing evolution for both religious and scientific reasons.Rimmer participated in the fundamentalist-modernist controversy in the Presbyterian Church in the thirties. Though he continued to contribute to the creationist cause, the new focus of his work was apologetics and the defense of the Bible. His efforts to change the national church were unsuccessful, but he significantly altered the theological complexion of the Duluth Presbytery.In the last years of his life Rimmer became an evangelical statesmen. Returning to an eclectic, itinerant ministry, he continued his popular conference ministry and student evangelism, started servicemen's centers during World War II, and traveled extensively in behalf of world missions. Rimmer's ministry had a prophetic dimension, as he emphasized eschatological themes, current events, and civic righteousness. He also became an advocate of conservative unity, by proclaiming broadly evangelical doctrines, emphasizing cooperative ventures among evangelical Christians, and supporting organizations such as the National Association of Evangelicals. Roger Daniel Schultz http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/67 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/67 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:36:22 PST This dissertation examines the life of Henry W. Slocum, focusing particularly on his time as a commander in the Civil War. Born in Onondaga County, New York on September 24, 1827, Slocum initially followed a military tack, but later left the army to engage in law and business. When war broke out in 1861, he tendered his services to the government as colonel of the 27th New York regiment. He commanded these men at Bull Run, where he was wounded in the leg. Receiving a promotion to brigadier general, he took command of a brigade, and later a division during McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in 1862. At the end of the campaign, he was promoted to Major General, but continued to command a division until Joseph Mansfield's death at Antietam where he took over the helm of the Twelfth Corps.Slocum led the Twelfth through the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In the Fall of 1863, the War Department transferred him west with his corps. Forced to serve under Joseph I-looker, a commander he hated, Slocum threatened to resign several times. As such, Ulysses S. Grant sent Slocum to command the District of Vicksburg. When Hooker resigned outside Atlanta, William T. Sherman called Slocum back to take command of the Twentieth Corps, which he led through the remainder of the Atlanta Campaign. Slocum watched over the city while Sherman chased Hood into Alabama and Tennessee, and then commanded the left wing of Sherman's infamous marches to the sea and through the Carolinas. For a brief time after the war, the commanded again at Vicksburg, but soon resigned to return to business and politics.After the war, Slocum excelled in his business ventures, but failed in politics. Immediately after his resignation from the army, he became a Democrat, without fully understanding the consequences. The Republican press attacked him with a vengeance, but he was able to achieve some success after moving to heavily democratic Brooklyn, New York. Slocum died on 14 April 1894 of pneumonia in his home in Brooklyn. In 1902, the nation officially remembered him in bronze by placing a statue on Culp's Hill on the Gettysburg battlefield. Brian Christopher Melton http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/66 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/66 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:14:30 PST This dissertation examines the U.S. wartime presidential campaign of 1944. In 1944, the United States was at war with the Axis Powers of World War II, and Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, already serving an unprecedented third term as President of the United States, was seeking a fourth. Roosevelt was a very able politician and-combined with his successful performance as wartime commander-in-chief-- waged an effective, and ultimately successful, reelection campaign. Republicans, meanwhile, rallied behind New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey. Dewey emerged as leader of the GOP at a critical time. Since the coming of the Great Depression -for which Republicans were blamed-the party had suffered a series of political setbacks. Republicans were demoralized, and by the early 1940s, divided into two general national factions: Robert Taft conservatives and Wendell WiIlkie "liberals." Believing his party's chances of victory over the skilled and wily commander-in-chief to be slim, Dewey nevertheless committed himself to wage a competent and centrist campaign, to hold the Republican Party together, and to transform it into a relevant alternative within the postwar New Deal political order. Often overlooked by historians, the low-key and "uninteresting" Dewey was an institutional preserver, opening the door to a Dwight Eisenhower presidency, and the "Modem Republicanism" of the 1950s. Unlike Taft (and Herbert Hoover before him), Dewey (and Eisenhower after him) tacitly condoned the basic New Deal reform structure. Though set against a backdrop of global war, the 1944 campaign was also an old-fashioned, free-swinging, partisan affair-including stump speeches, rallies and parades, radio and newspaper advertising, harsh rhetoric, and a near record voter turnout on Election Day. As an ordinary event in an extraordinary time, the 1944 campaign was a testimony to the strength of American democracy. Michael A. Davis http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/65 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/65 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:13:46 PST Embryogenesis takes place by cell proliferation, cell growth and Programmed Cell Death (PCD). Two pathways of PCD, apoptosis (or PCD-I) involving caspases, and autophagy (or PCD-II) involving lysosomes, have been well characterized in several species. Using the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) model, we asked whether apoptosis or autophagy was a default program of death across organs and tissues with the other pathway playing a complementary role, or, whether they were parallel pathways independently active in different tissues.To answer this, we used light and fluorescence microscopy techniques and investigated autophagy and apoptosis as functions of time and location during the first week of development of the zebrafish embryo. Lysosomal (autophagic) and caspase 3 (apoptosic) activities were tracked across organs and tissues by the acidotropic dye LysoTracker red ® and caspase 3 substrate PhiPhiLux ® , respectively.We identified both autophagic and apoptosic activities in association with PCD that occurred during the morphogenesis of the olfactory placode, eyes, skin, tail, somites, and vent; but there were also several prominent differences; in the notochord we identified only caspase 3 activity, whereas in the myotome and developing fin buds, we observed only lysosomal activity. In the olfactory placode, apoptosis preceded autophagy.When autophagy and apoptosis were inhibited individually by using 3 methyladenine and Z-DEVD-FMK, respectively, gross morphological abnormalities resulted (some resembling human congenital conditions) and these embryos died within a week. The phenotypic changes were found to be similar in organs and tissues where apoptotic and autophagic activity had overlapped and to vary in regions where one type of PCD had been exclusive.Thus, we determined that in most organs and tissues, neither apoptosis nor autophagy is a default program of death, but that both activities are required for normal morphogenesis; while in some tissues they could be complementary, in most tissues they play essential, individual roles. Nathaniel Abraham http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/64 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/64 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05:47 PST Outer membrane proteins (OMP) of Treponema hyodysenterieae were extracted by a number of methods. Extraction with N-lauryl sarcosine, followed by SDS-PAGE allowed for the differentiation of T. hyodysenteriae from T. innocens and showed profiles of T. hyodyseneriae were stable between serotypes or after many in vitro passages. After growth with an iron chelator, desferal mesylate, a new OMP was visible after SDS-PAGE which had a m.w. of 70kDa. OMP profiles of T. innocens were heterogeneous.Western blot analysis of OMP extracts was used to examine the immune response of swine to infection or immunization with T. hyodysenteriae. Pigs were immunized with sarcosine extracted OMPs and protected from challenge. Immune and convalescent swine serum contained antibody reactive to antigens not recognized by antibodies from non-protected, diseased pigs. Antibody reacts with antigens which migrate to 14 and 19kDa. The 14 and 19kDa antigens may be protective and they may be virulence factors of the organism. These antigens were sensitive to proteinase K and lipase. Protective serum had antibodies to LPS and hemolysin which were isolated from T. hyodysenteriae. Lipopolysaccharide and hemolysin from T. hyodysenteriae migrated in the area of the 14 and 19kDa protective antigens and may be the protective antigens. Colonic antibody and antibody from protective sows milk reacted with several OMP antigens, including the suspected protective antigens.Finally, monoclonal antibodies (MAB) which react with T. hyodysenteriae were developed. Serotype specific MAB was shown to passively protect mice from subsequent challenge with homologous but not heterologous T. hyodysenteriae. A non-serotype specific MAB did not protect mice. The LPS molecule is the basis for serospecificity. These results indicate that LPS may be an important virulence attribute of T. hyodysenteriae and that serum, colonic, or milk antibody to this antigen may be important in protecting pigs from swine dysentery. Randall Duane Hubbard http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/63 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/63 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:39 PST Ab initio Hartree-Fock-Roothaan self-consistent-field (HFR-SCF) and generalized valence bond (GVB) geometry optimizations are used to study problems that are inaccessible to experiment. The theoretically determined molecular geometries both reflect bonding interactions in complexes, and indicate the course of reactions.Calculations on monohydrates of metal ions show that these complexes are planar because of the classical ion dipole interaction. The orbital interaction that favors a nonplanar complex between a water molecule and a transition metal can only induce nonplanarity in the absence of a charge on the metal. Calculations on a the neutral complex Fe$\sp0$-H$\sb2$O indicate a maximum strength of 2 kcal for the orbital induced nonplanarity of a metal monohydrate.Theoretically determined geometries are used to find the relative importance of axial and bridging ligands in quadruply bonded dichromium(II) complexes. Complete geometry optimizations are shown to be necessary in examining these complexes. Trends in Cr-Cr bond lengths as a function of bridging and axial ligands are calculated and compared to experimental results. The response of the Cr-Cr bond to axial ligation is shown to depend on the nature of the bridging ligand. By comparing calculated trends in the Cr-Cr bond length to experimentally observed values, we are able to predict a Cr-Cr bond length of 2.05 to 2.10 A in tetracarboxylate complexes that lack axial ligands.Transition states for carbonyl substitution reactions are calculated for several monosubstituted transition metal carbonyl complexes. These complexes are calculated to lose cis carbonyls more readily than trans, in agreement with experiment. The greater ease of cis carbonyl loss had been attributed to both a stronger ground state trans bond, and greater relaxation energy of the cis loss fragment. The results of calculation show a mixture of these two effects for most complexes. The relaxation effects are shown to be more important when the heteroligand is a $\pi$ donor. The direct interconversion of the cis and trans loss isomers is calculated to be slow at room temperature; however, a scheme for trans incorporation of labelled carbonyl upon multiple substitution is shown to be facile. Randall D. Davy http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/62 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/62 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:45:41 PST While East Germany has been regarded since 1949 as the most subservient of the USSR's allies, developments in the latter part of. the last decade, especially with regard to the West Berlin question, worked in such a way as to impel the GDR's leadership to attempt to assume a more important position within the Bloc. The intention of the Ulbricht government was not to achieve independence from the .USSR, but rather to elevate itself to a status from which it could exercise a veto over certain elements of Soviet policy. The area of greatest concern to Ulbricht was the Soviet policy toward the West. The USSR's pursuit of a policy of detente with the West, which required a demonstration of Communist "goodwill" on the West Berlin problem, was viewed by the Ulbricht regime as a threat to the vital interests of the GDR.In the years after 1968, the West Berlin issue came to represent an increasingly divisive matter in relations between the GDR and the USSR. Ulbricht's reluctance to allow a demonstration of Soviet good intentions in West Berlin ultimately led to his removal as First Secretary of the SED in 1971. He was replaced by Erich Honecker, a man who has consistently exhibited his desire to bring the GDR to a position of more thorough compliance with Soviet wishes. In this effort, Honecker has demonstrated, as Ulbricht also did, the close relationship between foreign policy questions such as West Berlin and domestic considerations. The GOR's efforts to develop a sense of national consciousness in recent years illustrates the .impact that foreign and domestic matters have upon each other. Stephen R. Bowers http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/61 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/61 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:18:31 PST The purpose of this paper is to provide a stylistic analysis that contrasts five Thomas Hardy settings by Gerald Finzi with five settings by John Ireland. In order to investigate the apparent intuitiveness with which both Ireland and Finzi approached Thomas Hardy's poetry, biographical information is provided to reveal similarities in the backgrounds of each composer. Highlighted are the compositional techniques and text setting ideologies each composer utilized when facing the challenges and eccentricities of Hardy's poetry. A brief discussion on the philosophical foundations of Thomas Hardy's poetry is also included. The repertoire discussed within are the settings Summer Schemes , The Phantom , Rollicum-Rorum , The Clock of the Years , and Channel Firing by Gerald Finzi as well as Summer Schemes , The tragedy of that moment , Beckon to me to come , Dear, think not that they will forget you and Weathers by John Ireland. Robert Michael Jupin http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/60 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/60 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:03:12 PST The purpose of this study was to ascertain which, if any, variables would effect how a minister felt about counseling and psychology, and what impact this may have on the possibility that he or she would refer to secular counselors for those in their congregations who are having difficulties beyond the pastor's expertise. The study investigated this possibility by examining the following variables: age, pastoral experience, educational level, and the amount of psychology class credits that a minister had in training. In addition, it sought to determine what influence a minister's theological belief and his or her denomination had on their perception of psychology and the decision to refer. A survey instrument was created, submitted to a pilot study, and sent to 250 randomly selected pastors in the State of Virginia. The instrument used a Likert scale to measure minister's positive or negative beliefs and opinions about counseling and psychology, and if he or she would be inclined to refer a troubled church member to a counseling or psychological professional. The resulting answers were tested with respect to the above named independent variables to determine if these influenced the minister's belief. Twelve null hypotheses stated that there were no significant differences at the.05 level in a minister's perception that members of their congregations can be helped by those who practice psychology and counseling, and whether they would refer a member to a professional counselor with respect to the above variables.Twelve different crosstabulation tables were evaluated using the chi-square test for independence, and five null hypotheses were accepted while seven null hypotheses were rejected. The research indicated that theological belief, the age of the minister, the number of years experience, and the number of college-level credits a minister has earned in counseling, psychology, and/or pastoral counseling does matter for ministers in having a positive or negative influence in their belief that their church members can be helped by those who practice counseling and psychology. At the same time, denomination and the level of education did not appear to influence his or her belief. In determining if the variables affected the pastor's likelihood to refer a member going through difficulties to a counseling professional, it was found that theological belief, denomination, and the number of counseling credits earned do matter in this decision. On the other hand, the age of the minister, number of years in the ministry, and his or her level of education do not influence a minister's decision to refer a parishioner to a counselor or psychologist. Clay E. Peters, II http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/80 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/80 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:52:38 PST Stephen R. Bowers http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/59 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/59 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:52:28 PST This study was a retrospective examination of the experiences of pediatric cancer patients and their families from a contextual perspective. The home, institution, and community contexts were investigated to reveal their influences on the coping efforts of the study participants. Ten families of children with cancer were interviewed, and data were analyzed qualitatively. Walker's (1985) family stress model and Lazarus' (1984) coping paradigm guided the study.The findings indicated that children were ambivalent in their attitudes toward the disease process. While they did not enjoy painful procedures, sickness, frequent hospitalizations, and baldness, they did welcome the special attention brought about by these stressors. Many of the children in the study understood the impact of their illness on the family. They felt guilty about family financial pressures, parental marital problems, and sibling conflicts that resulted from their cancer. Most feared relapse and death but hid their feelings to protect their parents.Mothers handled the stress of their child's illness by learning all they could about the disease, focusing completely on the sick child, and protecting the child from further harm. Fathers tended to take on the role of "strong one" while worrying about finances and attempting to keep the families together. Differing ways of coping between mothers and fathers often caused feelings of resentment and marital difficulties. Parental attitudes toward the staff at the medical center varied from trust, to wariness, to dependency. Parents enjoyed the support of family, friends, and community during the diagnosis phase, but felt bitter about the lack of support they received during the treatment and completion stages. Some parents believed that their exposure to the stressors of the illness process led to personal growth that they would not have experienced otherwise. Many parents emerged from the cancer ordeal with a desire to help others who were battling childhood cancer. They became involved in a variety of community agencies that served the families of children with cancer. Deanna C. Britt http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/58 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/58 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:28:43 PST Mark Wayne Steinhoff http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/57 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/57 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:03:56 PST As the United States reeled from the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in late 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower received a top secret report prepared by a committee of leading scientific, business, and military experts. The panel, called the Gaither committee in recognition of its first chairman, H. Rowan Gaither, Jr., emphasized both the inadequacy of U.S. defense measures designed to protect the civil population and the vulnerability of the country's strategic nuclear forces in the event of a Soviet attack. The Gaither committee viewed these defense measures--ranging from a missile system to defend the continental United States to the construction of shelters to protect the population from radioactive fallout--and the maintenance of sufficient strategic forces to launch military strikes against Soviet targets as essential for the preservation of U.S. security. It concluded that in the case of a surprise Soviet nuclear attack the United States would be unable to defend itself with any degree of success. The committee emphasized the urgent need for the Eisenhower administration to strengthen the country's continental and civil defenses and to accelerate the development of its strategic striking power.This study examines the history of Gaither committee: Why was it created? What were the backgrounds of its members? What evidence did it examine in performing its study? Why did it reach the conclusions it did? How influential was it on the Eisenhower administration? This manuscript illuminates the significance of the Gaither committee in shaping changes in Eisenhower's national security policies and in the development of President Kennedy's. It demonstrates that Eisenhower followed a consistent set of values and used an established decision making system to evaluate the Gaither committee's findings and to make changes in his national security policies. It reveals that Eisenhower sought the assistance of experts from a variety of professions to supplement the advice he received from his official advisers. Finally, it shows that the Gaither committee reached its conclusions based as much on the preconceptions of its members as on the evidence it examined. David Lindsey Snead http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/56 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/56 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:40:34 PST The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of the southern dissenting clergy in the American Revolution. Rapidly growing in numbers in the quarter century before the Revolution, these men began to take places of leadership in which they could actively influence their communities.Even though their sermons were important sources of whig ideology, the clergy had a natural tendency to steer away from political involvement. This reluctance, along with their location outside the political and religious establishment in the South, forced them into a position of moderation rather than militant leadership regarding the issues leading to the Revolution. Yet in their own way they contributed to the creation and development of patriot spirit. Their activities in the Carolina backcountry, for example, weakened the loyalists, and their support of and modest participation in the extralegal agencies of government everywhere in the South demonstrated their whig thought.Religious issues that aroused the dissenting clergy of the North did not have the same effect in the South. Though of minor concern, the episcopate controversy and the passage of the Quebec Act did not cause enough excitement among the southern dissenters to be classified as causes of the Revolution. The major issue that the dissenting clergy came to support was the struggle for disestablishment of the Anglican church. Undergirded by the efforts of such libertarians as Jefferson, Madison, and Mason, the Baptists and Presbyterian ministers provided the enthusiasm to bring disestablishment to a successful conclusion. By far the best indication of the course of action taken by the dissenting clergy was the example they set during the Revolution. Changing from men of moderation to active participants, they served as soldiers, chaplains, and recruiters of troops. Up to two-thirds of them can be definitely classified as whigs, with another one-third as pacifists. Only a very few were loyalists. Their main contribution, however, was the propagation of a political philosophy of resistance to British oppression and their enthusiasm for freedom of conscience in the realm of religion. Cline Edwin Hall http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/55 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/55 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:56:34 PST This study investigated the relationship between a self-report measure of adult attachment and a self-report measure of psychopathology. Sixty-one outpatients and fourteen acute inpatients were administered the Experiences in Close Relationships (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998) questionnaire and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory--3 rd Edition (Millon, 1994), along with a basic demographics questionnaire. Results indicated that only ten percent of the participants were classified as secure while ninety percent were insecure. Relative to the secure group, both preoccupied and fearful attachment styles reported significantly higher levels of overall psychopathology, especially in regard to personality dysfunction. Moreover, when compared head-to-head with dismissing attachment, preoccupied individuals were more likely to experience elevated symptoms of borderline personality disorder and dismissing individuals reported more symptoms of antisocial personality disorder. There were no identifiable differences between preoccupied and fearful attachment. Results were discussed in terms of their general degree of consistency with previous research conducted with other self-report measures of attachment as well as interview methods such as the Adult Attachment Interview (Main & Goldwyn, 1998). Moreover, specific recommendations were made for future researchers using self-report measures of attachment within clinical settings. Gary A. Sibcy http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/136 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/136 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:20:43 PST Beth E. Ackerman http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/258 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/258 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:42:50 PST The purpose of this project is to research and develop an equipping ministry based on the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer emphasizing spiritual gifts. A 27-item Lay Ministry Survey was completed by 99 men and women at four North Carolina churches. Findings indicate that 43 percent of the respondents believe ministry should be performed by professional pastors. Research reveals that the professional pastor and laity have received a call to serve God by spiritual gifts. The church's responsibility is to affirm the call of believers to serve God through their spiritual gifts. Mark Alan Harris Religion, Clergy Religion, General http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/257 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/257 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:28:00 PST The purpose of this study was to determine which, if any, specific factors are deterring male teachers from pursuing elementary education. The number of male elementary teachers in America's public school systems had continued to decline, and this survey sought to discover what specific factors had contributed to this. This study surveyed 231 male public school teachers from six different school districts in Tennessee, Georgia, and Missouri. Male participants recorded their viewpoints regarding male elementary teachers while at the same time they provided personal information concerning factors which contributed to their own personal grade level selection. Participants were surveyed to determine if colleges and universities were adequately encouraging male teachers to pursue elementary education. Several factors contributed to the male teachers' preference for and selection of secondary education over elementary education, including subject matter, coaching opportunities, and job opportunities. Two major themes were discovered during the study: the age of students was the number one factor deterring male teachers from considering a career in elementary education, and financial incentives was the number one persuading factor that made men more likely to consider teaching in elementary education. Michael David Patrick Education, Administration Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/135 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/135 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:02:00 PST Beth E. Ackerman http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/134 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/134 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:55:34 PST Beth E. Ackerman http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/133 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/133 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:50:08 PST Beth E. Ackerman http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/256 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/256 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:38:34 PST William L. Simmer Religion, Clergy Religion, General http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/132 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/educ_fac_pubs/132 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:20:39 PST This presesntation provides a Power Point and a corresponding handout to assist local chapters of Kappa Delta Pi in utilizing faculty professors to publicize the benefits of membership and active participation in KDP. Michelle B. Goodwin http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/54 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/54 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:49:27 PST The view that German and Allied forces fought a senseless campaign for Italy during the Second World War prevails in many histories of that conflict. They present the battle for Italy as a bitterly-contested, prolonged fight up the peninsula, wasting Allied men and resources.Evidence contradicting this judgment shows that Italy's political, economic, geographic, and military assets between the years 1943 and 1945 made it a prize worth winning . Allied leaders never grasped this fact nor made an effective effort to deny Germany this valuable asset.The German defense of Italy secured the loyalty of Axis allies in Eastern Europe and permitted the establishment of a Fascist Italian puppet state under Benito Mussolini.Moreover, Germany reaped an enormous harvest of agricultural and economic products in Italy. German estimates that Italy contributed between fifteen and twenty-five percent of total output in late 1944 show that it was truly a prize worth winning . The Italian economy provided large quantities of consumer goods for Germany, freeing up industrial plants in the Reich for military production. In late 1944, Italian manufacturers shifted operations and directly supported German forces fighting in Italy. Italian skilled labor contributed substantially to the German 'economic miracle' of 1944.The battle for Italy further aided Germany in pressuring Switzerland to supply vital goods and keep open rail lines through the Swiss Alps without which German troops could not have survived in Italy. The Swiss, surrounded by German forces, used their isolation as a convenient reason to reject Allies entreaties that they reduce assistance to Hitler.Occupation of northern Italy also kept Allied air forces far from the Reich's southern boundaries and allowed the continued German exploitation of the natural resources in the Balkans, a key asset that fed the German war machine. Finally, Germany enlisted substantial numbers of Italian laborers and troops who supported its fighting forces and served in antipartisan units. Italian workers kept vital rail lines repaired while Fascist Italian divisions supplemented defenses in coastal and Alpine sectors. Moreover, Italian military equipment captured in 1943 assisted in rebuilding German units crippled in the summer campaign of 1944. Timothy D. Saxon http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/53 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/53 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:12:30 PST This dissertation examines the transmission and eventual manifestation of Christian pietistic and mystical thought into the Colonial and Revolutionary lowcountry South. The facilitators of this transmission include the Continental Pietists, who were themselves heavily influenced by the mystics, and British Evangelicals such as John Wesley and George Whitefield, who, even in their public denials of mysticism, nevertheless demonstrated its strong influence in their ministries. Mystical and pietistic expressions impacted the religious, social, and political life of the lowcountry more than has been previously recognized. Evangelical Pietism's mid-eighteenth century infusion prompted some to correctly recognize its subjective (i.e. inwardly focused and feelings oriented) roots in medieval Catholic mysticism. Such association led them to wrongly conclude, however, that Evangelicals were secret emissaries of Rome sent to disrupt social and religious stability in the region. "Enthusiastic" religion did not play the disruptive role that many feared it would. Granted, misguided notions led to early concerns in the lowcountry, but in the end, Evangelical Pietism's transcendent and flexible qualities contributed to the formation of political and social consensus, provided a new means to obtain significance in the larger British world, helped transform the image of slavery into a uniquely Christian institution, and supplied impulse for unified action during the Revolutionary Era. Samuel C. Smith http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs/100 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/bio_chem_fac_pubs/100 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:06:05 PST We used immunofluorescence techniques to determine the localization of nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) kinase in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. We found that cytoplasmic NDP kinase can be separated into two populations according to subcellular localization and response to extracellular stimuli. Specifically, within minutes of stimulation of resting fibroblasts with serum, growth factors or bombesin, a portion of NDP kinase becomes associated with membrane ruffles and lamellipodia. Another pool of NDP kinase accumulates independently of stimulation around intracellular vesicles. Transfection of cells with activated Rac mimics, whereas expression of dominant negative Rac inhibits, the effects of extracellular stimulation on the translocation of NDP kinase to the cell cortex. Neither Rac mutant affects the vesicle-associated pool. Association of NDP kinase with vesicles depends on microtubule integrity and is disrupted by nocodazole. In cell-free assays NDP kinase binds tightly to membrane vesicles associated with taxol-stabilized microtubules. Binding of NDP kinase to this fraction is reduced by ATP and abolished by GTP, as well as guanine nucleotides that are NDP kinase substrates. Thus, the localization of the two NDP kinase pools identified here is regulated independently by distinct cellular components: the appearance of cortical NDP kinase is a consequence of Rac activation, whereas vesicular NDP kinase is responsive to microtubule dynamics and nucleotides, in particular GTP. These results suggest that in fibroblasts NDP kinase participates in Racrelated cortical events and in GTP-dependent processes linked to intracellular vesicle trafficking. Betty C. Gallagher http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/52 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/52 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:15:00 PST Cytosolic nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) have been implicated in a variety of signaling pathways that occur at membranes, including those that control cell migration and spreading. This is particularly intriguing, as cytosolic NDPKs (NDPK A and NDPK B) are soluble proteins and do not have membrane-binding motifs, leading to the question: how do NDPK's participate in such a wide array of membrane signaling processes?Our lab has shown that one portion of cytosolic NDPK is translocated to the ruffling plasma membrane upon activation of both receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and that the Rac1 signaling pathway is responsible for that migration. Although NDPK does not bind directly to Rac1, it moves to the cell periphery in conjunction with Rac1. While investigating the association of cytosolic NDPK with the plasma membrane, we found that another pool of NDPK is bound to membrane vesicles that are associated with microtubules (Mt/Ves). A detailed study of this NDPK population shows that, unlike the pool that is involved in Rac1 signaling, NDPK's presence in these vesicles is not dependent on extracellular stimulation; rather, it is controlled by the nucleotide triphosphate to nucleotide diphosphate ratio ([NTP]/[NDP]), as evidenced by the effect of nucleotides on Mt/Ves isolated from fibroblasts. More importantly, purified and cytosolic NDPKs bind to both immobilized lipids and liposomes in a nucleotide-sensitive manner. This indicates that NDPK can bind directly to intracellular membrane compartments, most likely to provide CTP for phospholipid biosynthesis and GTP for the many small GTPases involved in microtubule-dependent traffic.We also found that NDPK localizes to yet another microtubule-based cell compartment: the sensory primary cilium, an organelle implicated in many signaling pathways. NDPK enters the cilium during its development, when it reaches about 5.5 microns (or 24% of final primary cilia length) in A6 cells. In primary cilia NDPK is present in the soluble portion, or matrix, and in association with the membrane fraction. The function of NDPK within primary cilia is most likely to regenerate GTP for microtubule turnover and for signaling systems, making it an important contributor to primary cilia structure and function. Kimberly Ann Parrott Mitchell http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/51 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/fac_dis/51 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:58:33 PST Late Cretaceous marine sedimentary deposits from North America, The Netherlands, and Belgium are correlated on the basis of ammonites, calcareous nannofossils, sequence stratigraphy, and absolute age methods. These correlations provide the rationale for the construction of fifteen stratigraphically correlated assemblages (SCAs), informal sub-stage level subdivisions designed to provide a broad framework for compiling and organizing marine vertebrate fossils from far-ranging localities with high levels of biostratigraphic resolution.A database of 1,805 globally distributed mosasaur specimens, each assigned to one of the fifteen SCAs and consisting of a minimum number of 354 individuals, is quantitatively analyzed to illuminate trends within the group. Four trends are recognized. First, mosasaur generic richness cannot be shown to change during the Maastrichtian stage, at the close of which all mosasaurs are extirpated. This trend is incompatible with long-term extinction scenarios, but is compatible with geologically instantaneous extinction hypotheses, such as a bolide impact at the end of the Cretaceous. The extinction of mosasaurs may be explained by a collapse of the primary production-dependant marine food web, in which mosasaurs were apical predators. Second, mosasaur richness decreases along poleward-trending latitudinal gradients, confirming earlier hypotheses. Third, mosasaurs experienced a significant expansion during the Coniacian through Santonian, followed by stable high richness levels from the early Campanian through latest Maastrichtian. This indicates that mosasaurs did not experience long-term richness declines in the latest Cretaceous. Fourth, despite stable generic richness levels, mosasaurs continually exploited new predatory modes recognized via accumulation of novel tooth forms. At the time of their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, mosasaur were at the zenith of their morphological and ecological diversity, the extent of which was unparalleled by any other group of marine reptiles. Marcus R. Ross http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/255 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/255 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:31:31 PST The purpose of this study was to examine whether a Title II Mathematics and Partnership grant positively affected student achievement levels for 3rd grade students in a public school system. The primary participant populations for this study were third grade students enrolled in 4 elementary schools in north Georgia from 2005-2008. Over 4,500 student assessments were used to conduct the statistical research and variables such as gender, race, and socio-economic levels were not disaggregated in the data collection. The data sources included the first quarter, second quarter, and third quarter post formative assessments which were administered every nine-week grading period in the school system. Findings indicate that there is a significant change in the scores between quarters in all three years of the study. The data indicates that in the final year of the study, student achievement slipped to below baseline results in mathematics and equal to baseline results in science. Michael R. Schlabra Education, Curriculum and Instruction http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/254 http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/254 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:28:17 PST A review of current literature demonstrates that very little material is available to assist pastors and church leaders in transitioning their churches from a rural to suburban context. This project will serve as a tool to assist pastors in leading their churches to transition from a rural to suburban context. Based on demographic studies, an historical analysis, the development of a plan to move the church forward, analyzing potential disruptions, and seeing the end result of the rural to suburban transition, the goal of the project will be fulfilled. Jeremy Paul Roberts Religion, Clergy Religion, General Religion, Philosophy of