ETD@CUA

Fostering the Patrimony of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: a Study in the Mutual Responsibility of the Order and the Apostolic See (Canons 576 and 631)

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Fostering the Patrimony of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin: a Study in the Mutual Responsibility of the Order and the Apostolic See (Canons 576 and 631) Rosen, Cyprian Robert The 1983 Code of Canon Law describes the patrimony of a religious institute as constituted by the "mind and designs of the founders regarding the nature, purpose, spirit and character of an institute, which have been sanctioned by competent ecclesiastical authority, and its sound tradition" (c. 578). Further, the code declares that both the institute and the competent authority of the Church have the responsibility to foster this patrimony and to promote renewal in accordance with it (cc. 631 and 576). This dissertation studies these responsibilities in relation to the Apostolic See and the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin focusing especially on four elements: fraternity, equality, itinerancy and pluriformity. Chapter one studies the Order of Friars Minor founded by St. Francis of Assisi (1209), tracing the development of the Franciscan patrimony up to the Constitutions of Narbonne (1260). It also examines the roles of Pope Innocent III, Honorius III, and Gregory IX. It concludes with the breakdown of equality when lay friars were relegated to second class status. Chapter two traces the founding (1529) and development of the Capuchin Order as a separate branch of the Franciscan Order and the renewal of its patrimony, particularly the recovery of the element of equality of all friars. It considers the role of Pope Clement VII and the Council of Trent's impact on the Order. The chapter examines Pius X's revocation of passive voice from the lay friars and the classification of the Order as a clerical institute by the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Chapter three studies the Order's renewaL after Vatican II, particularly of the four elements of its patrimony. The chapter focuses on the attempts of the Order to restore full equality to the lay friars and the exchanges between the Order and the Holy See regarding the description of the Order as a "clerical institute." Pope John Paul II's reference to the Order as a "mixed institute" is scrutinized. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the canonical status of the Order and its ongoing attempts to have full equality for lay friars. Degree awarded: J.C.D. Canon Law. The Catholic University of America; This dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only.

Differentiating and Investigating Acute and Chronic Typologies of Suicidal Patients Using Quantitative and Qualitative Suicide Status Form (SSF) Responses

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Differentiating and Investigating Acute and Chronic Typologies of Suicidal Patients Using Quantitative and Qualitative Suicide Status Form (SSF) Responses Grohmann, Kyle Anthony The Suicide Status Form (SSF) was developed by Jobes and colleagues (1997) to provide a standardized, clinically useful multipurpose assessment, treatment, and tracking clinical tool for suicidal patients. Research conducted using the SSF to date has pursued a larger effort within suicidology to study and potentially identify specific typologies of suicidal patents (e.g., chronic vs. acute), who may have uniquely different clinical presentations and responses to treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the two quantitatively derived factor loadings of the "Core SSF Assessment" recently identified by Conrad et al (2009) that differentiated chronic (Factor 1) and acute (Factor 2) styles of responding to the SSF. Following this work, the current study attempted to explore the phenomenological differences between these two different suicidal presentations using qualitative data from three sections from the SSF: (a) the Core SSF Assessment, (b) the qualitative "Reasons for Living vs. Reasons for Dying Assessment," and (c) the qualitative "One Thing" Assessment. In this study, two experts in clinical suicidology classified 97 suicidal inpatients as chronically or acutely suicidal based on demographic, diagnostic, and suicidal attempt history data. This expert sort yielded n=39 individuals classified as chronically suicidal, with n=58 classified as acutely suicidal. Based on this sort, logistic regression analyses were performed using the quantitative rating responses from the Core SSF Assessment to determine if the previously identified two factors from Conrad et al (2009) study were indeed significant predictors of expert rated chronic vs. acute suicidality, respectively. High SSF rating scores on the empirically derived Factor 1 loading were found to significantly predict the expert sorted chronic cases; however SSF rating scores pertaining to the Factor 2 loading did not predict expert sorted acute cases. Additional chi-square statistics demonstrated that interpersonal concerns appeared to be particularly meaningful for both chronically and acutely suicidal individuals, and were observed to contribute to both suicidal states and life-sustaining beliefs. These seemingly contradictory findings raise a paradox for the suicidal individual, where the very relationships that can give an individual reason to live, can also seem to motivate a person towards suicide. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America; This dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only.

Factors Impacting Catholic School Teacher Turnover Including Alternative Teacher Certification

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Factors Impacting Catholic School Teacher Turnover Including Alternative Teacher Certification Youngs, Elizabeth Factors Impacting Catholic School Teacher Turnover Including Alternative Teacher CertificationbyElizabeth Youngs, SCLStatement of the Problem Effective teachers are the key determinant among school variables of student success (Convey, 1992; Darling-Hammond, 2007; U.S. Department of Education, 2002; Carroll et al, 2003; USCCB, 2005). Teacher effectiveness is often measured by state certification (U. S. Department of Education, 2002, 2004) and by years of experience in the profession (Allen, 2005; Ingersoll, 2001). Teacher turnover is costly to the school organization and results in teachers of limited experience to be in a classroom, which is detrimental to student learning (Ingersoll, 2001). A shortage of qualified teachers may be caused by high attrition rather than too few available candidates. Alternative routes for teacher preparation and certification have become popular for addressing the perceived scarcity of teacher candidates (Feistritzer, 2005). Teacher turnover is higher in Catholic schools than in public schools (Ingersoll, 2001; Yeager, Benson, Guerra & Manno, 1985) and may be attributed to teacher and school characteristics, working conditions in the school, or the route to certification followed by the teacher (Allen, 2005; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002; Hanushek et al, 2004; Ingersoll, 2001, 2003). The National Center of Educational Statistics (NCES) has regularly surveyed practicing teachers every three or four years since 1987 through the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) to determine trends in teacher turnover. Catholic School teachers are included in the population of those surveyed. Catholic school teacher attrition trends have been studied based on these data (SASS; TFS; Ingersoll, 2001) but have not been studied in depth with relation to the route to certification. This study will focus on route to certification as a factor that impacts teacher turnover.Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to evaluate the factors that affect Catholic School teacher turnover, and to compare the reasons for turnover among traditionally and alternatively certified Catholic School teachers. The questions of this study are as follows:1. What factors are important predictors that Archdiocese of Denver Catholic School teachers will remain in teaching (stayers) or leave the teaching profession (leavers)?2. How do these factors differ for teacher stayers and teacher leavers?3. How does the attrition rate of traditionally certified teachers in Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools compare to the attrition rate of alternatively certified teachers in Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools?4. How does the national rate of attrition for all teachers between the 2001-02 school year and the 2006-07 school year compare to the attrition rate of teachers in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools during this same time period?The hypotheses for my study are as follows: 1. A lower percent of alternatively licensed teachers hired in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools between 2001 and 2006 left teaching than the percent of traditionally licensed teachers hired in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools that left teaching in that same period.2. A lower percent of alternatively licensed teachers hired in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools between 2001 and 2006 left teaching than the percent of all teachers nation-wide that left teaching during those years.Methodology Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools has an annual attrition rate of nearly ten percent. Schools interview and hire teachers prepared through both traditional undergraduate higher education programs and those prepared through an alternative licensure program certified by the Colorado Department of Education and delivered through the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools in partnership with Regis Jesuit University of Denver. There is research about teacher turnover (Allen, 2005; Carroll, 2003; Cochran-Smith, 2006; Convey, 1992; Darling-Hammond, 2004; Hanushek, Kain & Rivkin, 2003; Ingersoll, 2001; NCES, 1992) but none of the research focuses in depth on teachers in Catholic Schools or places particular attention on the method of teacher preparation. This study will address that gap in the research. The participants in this study will be all the teachers newly hired in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools from the 2001-02 school year through the 2006-07 school year. The total pool of newly hired teachers for those years is about 850 with approximately 300 of them being alternatively licensed. They will be invited to respond to a mailed questionnaire modeled on the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) and the Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS). Teacher turnover will be compared for the first four years of service within each cohort. For example, the patterns for teachers hired in 2001 will be studied through 2004, for teachers hired in 2002 patterns will be studied through 2005. This allows for tracking of a four-year trend for beginning teachers from each of six cohort years (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006). These four-year trends for each of the six cohorts will be compared and aggregated to determine patterns of attrition and retention for beginning teachers in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic schools. In addition to comparing the first four years of service of each cohort year, this study will analyze the number and percent of alternatively licensed and traditionally licensed teacher leavers and teacher stayers across the total number of years from their initial hire until the study year. For example, teachers hired in 2001 will have 10 years of data available between their first year of teaching and 2011 when the data are gathered, and those hired in 2006 will have 5 years of data available. Patterns from these data will be compared to determine retention and attrition patterns over longer periods of time. The 55-item questionnaire will collect demographic data about gender, age, family circumstance, number of years teaching in the Archdiocese of Denver Catholic Schools, current teaching status, commitment to Catholic mission, route to certification, and for the leavers, the reason for leaving the school or the profession. Data will be collected about the grade and/or subject taught by each teacher as well as the data about other factors that are important indicators of a teacher's decision to stay in teaching or to leave the profession. The analysis will evaluate and assess the importance of each factor and test if it predicts teacher stability or attrition. Analysis of the data will be accomplished by use of a 2 x 2 Chi-Square contingency table analysis and a multiple regression analysis will be used to determine predictive value of the characteristics studied.To determine the factors that influence teachers to leave or stay in the profession, the number and percentage distribution of teacher stayers and teacher leavers in the sample will be determined. The number and percentage distribution of responses to each of the survey items related to teacher and school characteristics, working conditions and route to licensure will be determined. Any difference in the responses of the teacher stayers compared to the teacher leavers will be identified and compared to national data.Significance of the Study The proposed study will make a significant contribution to the literature about teacher turnover as Catholic parochial school teachers' retention patterns have been minimally studied. The data on Catholic school teachers' patterns of retention in the profession will identify characteristics of stayers and leavers. There is a gap in the literature with specific focus on newly hired Catholic school teachers with particular attention to their route to certification. This study will provide data about the impact of route to certification on Catholic school teacher retention. This study will also identify some of the personal and demographic characteristics of teacher stayers and leavers in order to assist diocesan leaders in the identification, recruitment and hiring of teachers who will remain in Catholic schools.Human Subjects Protection This study falls under Exemption 45 CFR 46.101(b)(2) because the research involved uses only survey procedures , does not involve children, and the data obtained are recorded in a manner that prevents subjects from being directly or individually identified. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America

Heat Transfer in Waste Glass Melts - Measurement and Implications for Nuclear Waste Vitrification

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Heat Transfer in Waste Glass Melts - Measurement and Implications for Nuclear Waste Vitrification Wang, Chuan Thermal properties of waste glass melts, such as high temperature density and thermal conductivity, are relevant to heat transfer processes in nuclear waste vitrification. Experimental measurement techniques were developed and applied to four nuclear waste glasses representative of those currently projected for treatment of Hanford HLW and LAW streams to study heat flow mechanisms in nuclear waste vitrification. Density measurement results by Archimedes' method indicated that densities of the melts investigated varied considerably with composition and temperature. Thermal diffusivities of waste melts were determined at nominal melter operating temperatures using a temperature-wave technique. Thermal conductivities were obtained by combining diffusivity data with the experimentally-acquired densities of the melts and their known heat capacities. The experimental results display quite large positive dependences of conductivities on temperature for some samples and much weaker positive temperature dependences for others. More importantly, there is observed a big change in the slopes of the conductivities versus temperature as temperature is increased for two of the melts, but not for the other two. This behavior was interpreted in terms of the changing contributions of radiation and conduction with temperature and composition dependence of the absorption coefficient. Based on the obtained thermal conductivities, a simple model for a waste glass melter was set up, which was used to analyze the relative contributions of conduction and radiation individually and collectively to the overall heat flow and to investigate factors and conditions that influence the radiation contribution to heat flow. The modeling results showed that unlike the case at lower temperatures, the radiant energy flow through waste melts could be predominant compared with conduction at temperature of about 900 0C or higher. However, heat flow due to radiation was roughly equal to that from conduction as temperatures below about 700 0C. Moreover, the effect was reduced for higher absorption coefficient samples. Modeling further demonstrated that geometry exerts a significant influence on the radiation contribution to heat transfer. Room temperature radiation absorption coefficients of the same samples were determined using FTIR, which were compared with those estimated by modeling. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Physics. The Catholic University of America; This dissertation can be viewed by CUA users only.

Paul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in its Epistolary Context

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Paul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in its Epistolary Context Weaver, Jason Paul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in Its Epistolary Context.Jason G. Weaver, Ph.D.Director: Frank J. Matera, Ph.D.The Pauline call to imitation is one of the most distinctive aspects of Pauline thought. The explicit call to imitation occurs five times in the non-disputed Pauline letters: 1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 1 Cor 4:16; 11:1; and Phil 3:17. It is a call to imitate the example that Paul sets before the community to which he writes. Although these letters are the only ones in which Paul explicitly calls others to imitate him, the theme of imitation occurs throughout his writings. The monographs and articles that have addressed the theme of imitation in Pauline thought use either the historical-critical method or a rhetorical method to develop their thesis. This study examines the rhetorical function of the theme of imitation in its epistolary context. The rhetorical situation of the community to which Paul writes is an important element in the study of his letters. Therefore, examining each call to imitation within the rhetorical situation of the community to which Paul writes provides a clear understanding of his call to imitation. Although each call to imitation is found within a different rhetorical situation, this study argues that with each call to imitate him, Paul establishes a new set of community relationships to which each believing community must adhere. Within this new set of relationships there are four themes that are crucial to Paul's call to imitation: humility, suffering, unity, and salvation. These four themes form the shape and structure of true community life. Paul's call to imitation and his desire to create this new set of community relationships requires believers to live in humility and to be willing to endure suffering. The purpose of this imitation is to create unity within the community so that at the parousia all believers will share in salvation. Through his own example and the example of Christ, Paul demonstrates the example he calls others to imitate. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Biblical Studies. The Catholic University of America

Reassessing Pelagianism: Augustine, Cassian, and Jerome on the Possibility of a Sinless Life

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Reassessing Pelagianism: Augustine, Cassian, and Jerome on the Possibility of a Sinless Life Squires, Stuart David The classic understanding of the debate commonly called the "Pelagian Controversy" is that grace was the central issue at hand. This view may be traced back to Augustine, whose superior rhetorical skills successfully established the debate on his terms. As a result of this narrow, Augustinian lens, an assumption has been passed down through the centuries that his opponents were an organized and centralized movement bent on corrupting Christianity.This understanding, however, is dismissed today. Scholars now understand that the men who have been put under this umbrella term had a variety of interests and concerns. They, however, still have tried to determine a common theme that unites these men. A variety of responses have been given: an affirmation of free will, denial of original sin, preserving divine justice, defending the efficacy of baptism, and ethical conerns. These answers are inadequate as the single cause of the controversy. A more fruitful answer is that the tie that bound these men together was the claim that it is possible to live a life free of sin.Although scholars, such as Rackett and Winrich Löhr, have begun to investigate the variety of ways that sinlessness was understood by Pelagius, Caelestius, and Julian of Eclanum, little work has been done with this question regarding their interlocutors.This dissertation intends to fill this lacuna by analyzing Augustine, Cassian, and Jerome concerning the possibility--or impossibility--of living a life free of sin. By doing so, it will attempt to accomplish several goals: (1) it will construct a narrative of how these fifth-century Fathers reacted to their opponents' claim of the possibility of sinlessness. (2) It will then demonstrate that the theological views of the Church Fathers were not uniformly Augustinian; they were much more diffuse and variegated than previously argued. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Historical Theology. The Catholic University of America

Ancient and Medieval Interpretation of the Complaints of Jeremiah

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Ancient and Medieval Interpretation of the Complaints of Jeremiah Sullivan, Susan Goodpaster Ancient and Medieval Interpretation of the Complaints of JeremiahSusan G. Sullivan, Ph.D.Director, Edward M. Cook, Ph.D. Poem prayers in the book of Jeremiah use strong, sometimes accusatory, language, in the first person, in speaking to God. They stand out from the rest of the book, with little or no connection to preceding and following sections. The traditional list includes Jeremiah 11:18-20, 12:1-6, 15:10-11, 15:15-18, 17:14-18, 18:18-23, 20:7-10, and 20:14-18. Modern interpreters call them "confessions," "laments," or "complaints," noting similarities between these and Gunkel's "laments of the individual," though most do not include all elements of the lament genre. "Complaint" best describes their strong emotional content, addressed to God, connected with specific misery that does not resolve into praise. This dissertation considers ancient and medieval interpretation of these complaints, with particular focus on Jeremiah's harsh language. It looks at the traditional list of complaints, plus Jeremiah 4:10, an accusatory sentence; first in the Masoretic Text, then in the ancient versions: Septuagint, Targum, Vulgate, and Peshitta. It considers the meaning of the words of the complaints and how these were transmitted. It then considers a representative sample of interpretation in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Syriac. It includes Greek and Latin patristic; Latin medieval; Jewish ancient, rabbinic, and medieval; and Syriac ancient and medieval interpreters. It examines their choice of words, content and mode of interpretation, and methods of dealing with Jeremiah's strong complaints and accusations. Reverent interpretation by ancient and medieval interpreters transmitted these texts very carefully, with few emendations, including some slight softening of Jeremiah's harsh language. The texts were handed down in "streams of tradition" in language groups. Interpreters found meaning for the texts in the details of Jeremiah's life, but did not limit understanding to this original meaning. They considered theological questions raised by his complaints and related them to communities of their own day. Their conviction that these texts would reveal useful insights about God and God's work with, and expectations of, humanity, was shown in practices valuable for our own day: carefully transmitting each text, paying close attention to its details, seeking connections between these texts and the rest of Scripture, and considering theological implications and applications to communities. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures. The Catholic University of America

Two-dimensional Continuous Wavelet Transform in Fringe Pattern Analysis

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Two-dimensional Continuous Wavelet Transform in Fringe Pattern Analysis Ma, Jun A vital task of fringe pattern analysis is to extract the phase distribution of interferograms in which certain physical quantities are concealed. Because of its robustness, the two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform (2D-CWT) technique has drawn a lot of attentions in recent years, and becomes one of the most important techniques in fringe pattern analysis. Hence, the dissertation investigates the theory of the 2D-CWT thoroughly, and elaborates the proposed algorithms based on the 2D-CWT technique to extract the phase distribution of interferograms efficiently and accurately. Both computer simulation and real experiments are conducted to verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms as well.First, when analyzes the interferogram whose phase distribution is non-monotonic by using the 2D-CWT technique, the phase ambiguity issue is inevitable. To cope with the phase ambiguity issue, in this dissertation, a phase determination rule is proposed according to the phase distribution continuity, and a frequency-guided scheme is employed to obtain the correct phase distribution following a conventional 2D-CWT analysis.However, the processing of 2D-CWT is usually time-consuming. In order to speed up the 2D-CWT analysis, the dissertation introduces a concept called the cover map. The cover map is constructed by discretizing the continuous dilation and rotation parameters. Then an algorithm is proposed based on the discretized parameters so as to substantially reduce the processing time without affecting the analysis accuracy. In addition, the dissertation evaluates the performance of different kinds of mother wavelets for the 2D-CWT technique being used in optical fringe pattern analysis. Based upon the investigation, a 2D modulated Mexican hat wavelet is introduced to improve the performance of the 2D-CWT analysis.Finally, in fringe pattern analysis, a technique is highly demanded to automatically analyze the interferograms that contain complex fringes and high-level noise as well as defects. In this dissertation, a hybrid technique is proposed to combine the concepts of the 2D-CWT technique and the phase-shifting technique. The novel technique takes the advantages of the two existing techniques, and has the ability to accurately and automatically analyze multiple phase-shifted complex interferograms involving noise and defects. Degree awarded: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering. The Catholic University of America