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Hijacking The Syrian Revolution, Iman Khairat Nanoua

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The civil war in Syria (started in March 2011) marks one of the greatest tragedies in the Middle East during the twenty-first century, and a fear that its destructive consequences may affect the entire region. The Syrian crisis coincides with the democratic wave that shaped the Arab Spring. The thesis will discuss the decision-making system and the primary actors in the Syrian crisis within the framework of three distinct phases. Each phase contributed to the hijacking of the peaceful demonstrations that sought freedom in a democratic state and of the dramatic developments on the Syrian stage. The first stage of …

Disaster Preparedness & Response: A Survey Of U.S. Dental Hygienists, Brenda Tallon Bradshaw

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine dental hygienists' interests, formal education, views, comfort levels, and intentions for becoming involved in disaster preparedness and response as measured by a 21-item survey entitled "Victim Identification for Disaster Preparedness & Response: A Survey of Dental Hygienists". Methods: A nonprobability convenience sample (n=400) was recruited for an online survey. Data was analyzed for statistical significance using descriptive statistics, chisquare goodness-of-fit tests, a Mann-Whitney U test, and a paired-samples t-test. Similar themes were identified and categorized from open-ended questions. Results: A response rate of 83.5% (n=334) was attained. Regardless of years …

Factors Associated With Quality Of Life Among Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Marian Marconyak

Health Services Research Dissertations

The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has levied associated effects upon the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of children with ASD. These mothers are subjected to various influences upon their lives as a result of their role as caregivers to children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to assess the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Body Functions and Structures, Activities, Participation, Environmental, and Personal Factors associated with QOL among mothers of children with ASD.

English literate, inhabitants of the United States, mothers over the age of 18, of children with ASD were …

Explaining Nuclear Energy Pursuance: A Comparison Of The United States, Germany, And Japan, Lauren Emily Mckee

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Energy is critical to the functioning of the global economy and seriously impacts global security as well. What factors influence the extent to which countries will pursue nuclear energy in their overall mix of energy approaches? This dissertation explores this critical question by analyzing the nuclear energy policies of the United States, Germany and Japan. Rather than citizen opposition or proximity to nuclear disasters, it seems that a country's access to other resources through natural endowments or trading relationships offers the best explanation for nuclear energy pursuance.

Educational Investment Makes Financial Sense: A Longitudinal Study Investigating The Effect Of Fiscal Effort On Personal Income, Mark Loiterman

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

As the United States seeks to compete in the increasingly connected global economy, efforts have been made to improve both internal educational outcomes such as test scores and graduation rates, as well as relative educational outcomes such as the ranking of the United States' test scores on international assessments. Finding the correct strategies to improve education nationally is difficult, since education takes place in a very personal context that differs from state to state, district to district, school to school, classroom to classroom, and student to student. However, because of the importance of increasing educational outcomes, the nation has looked …

Impact Of Transformational Leadership On Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment And The Re-Enlistment Intention Of Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers, Kervin Gregory Sider

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

A key component to the success of the Army National Guard (ARNG) is the retention of its soldiers. The ARNG must maintain enough soldiers to accomplish their mission of supporting the active duty Army. Leadership is one of the important factors that influence soldiers' level of job satisfaction and organizational commitment and ultimately their intention to remain or leave the ARNG. This research study sought to determine the impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and re-enlistment intention. The research questions guiding this study included: (1) Does transformational leadership impact the re-enlistment intention of first term soldiers, mid-term …

The War On Drugs In The American States: Variations In Sentencing Policies Over Time, Katherine Anna Neill

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1970s US drug policy has focused on harsh punishments for drug offenders. A wealth of research indicates that the social and political context of the drug policy discourse is a greater factor in determining drug policy than rising rates of drug use or drug-related crime. While considerable research has examined the factors driving federal drug policy, fewer studies have examined drug policy at the state level. This dissertation studies state drug sentencing policy to determine what factors may explain variation across states. By focusing on the period from 1975 to 2002, this study concentrates on policies passed during …

Human Torches: The Genesis Of Self-Immolation In The Sociopolitical Context, Ryan Michael Nixon

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In 2012 there was a record number of self-immolations globally. This phenomenon has been associated with the civil unrest and the collapse of regimes. Most recently, self-immolations in Tunisia sparked a revolution that led to the collapse of the Tunisian government. In the study of politics, self-immolations frequently appear merely as footnotes in the discussion of other phenomena. Where research has been previously conducted, focus has rested mainly on how it initially became a tool of contention and how it spreads. This paper seeks to understand the conditions that lead individuals to choose this method of protest. To do so, …

Ritualized Rhetoric And Historical Memory In German Foreign And Security Policy, Sara A. Hoff

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Recent changes in German foreign policy behavior have led to questions about Germany's European vocation. At the center of this inquiry is Germany's struggle to resolve the intersection between historical memory and present day international responsibility, especially in cases involving the use of force. This dissertation examines how and when historical memory has influenced, shaped, and informed contemporary German foreign and security policy and rhetoric by examining cases within two policy areas: out of area operations and nuclear nonproliferation. Focusing on the case of Libya, this dissertation also considers the cases of Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Nuclear nonproliferation, a global …

Democratic Counterinsurgents: How Democracies Can Prevail In Irregular Warfare, William Roland Patterson

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation answers the question of whether or not democracies can win counterinsurgency conflicts. This is done first through an analysis of the arguments made by those who claim that democracies are uniquely incapable of doing so due to various limitations imposed by public opinion as well as the arguments of those who argue that democracies can win such conflicts given the correct strategy. Secondly, the question is investigated through an examination of three case studies: Malaysia, Vietnam, and Iraq. This analysis demonstrates that the arguments against the ability of democracies to win counterinsurgencies is not as strong as many …

The Relationship Among Hfacs Levels And Analysis Of Human Factors In Unmanned And Manned Air Vehicles, Veysel Yesilbas

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the structural relationships among the Human Factors Accident Classification System levels for unmanned air vehicle and manned air vehicle accidents and the common relationships between unmanned air vehicle and manned air vehicle accident causes. The study acquired DOD HFACS accident classification data from 347 United States Air Force Class A accident reports for the years between 2000 and 2013.

The dissertation utilized a set of analysis that is considered to contribute substantially to the respective domain of the study. The correlations found among categorical levels were applied to HFACS taxonomy based on the Reason Model via path …

The Impacts Of In-State Procurement Preference Policies On The Economy Of South Carolina, Sawsan A. Abutabenjeh

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This research examined the impact of South Carolina's in-state preference policies on the economy of the state. To achieve this purpose, the research sought to answer the question: what are the impacts of implementing the in-state procurement preference policies on the economy of the state of South Carolina? The question was answered by using seven economic indicators: jobs, personal income, real disposable income, output (sales), Gross State Product (GSP), value added and state's population. The data related to the in-state preference policies were collected from the South Carolina Procurement Services Office. The data was then analyzed using the Regional Economic …

Educational Policy Decisions Effect Upon Same-Gender Public Education, Richard Gerard Catoire

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, with emphasis on greater choice and flexibility for parents and students in public education, to include the provision for same-gender public schools and classrooms, led to a resurgence in same-gender public education in the United States. With the results of the research on same-gender education presenting conflicting evidence and mixed-perspectives on the outcomes of same-gender education in improving academic achievement or attainment, there are still questions to be answered, not only to the effectiveness of same-gender education, but also to policy decisions to establish same-gender public education programs. While proponents of …

Community College Students With Psychological Disorders And Their Perceptions Of Online Learning, Gretchen Winifred Langford Warren

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Research focusing on students with learning disabilities is abundant for secondary and higher education. Studies utilizing data on students with psychological disorders cover secondary and 4-year university education. However, community college students with psychological disorders and their perception of online classes is an area of educational research which lacks data. Students across a wide spectrum of psychological disorders tend to find learning challenging. The community college's learning environment may best fit their learning styles. With modem educational innovations, the online learning methods must take into consideration the unique psychosocial, cognitive, and academic needs of the community college student population.