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A Study On Sanguinarine As An Antileukemic Agent- Involvement Of Reactive Oxygen Species-Ceramide-Akt Apoptotic Signaling Pathway, Anees Rahman Cheratta

Dissertations

Dysregulation of apoptosis is a prime hallmark of leukemia. Therefore, drugs which restore the sensitivity of leukemic cells to apoptotic stimuli are promising candidates in the treatment of leukemia. The main objective of this dissertation was to examine the antileukemic effect of sanguinarine, in vitro, and to further examine the signaling mechanisms that may be involved. This study demonstrates that in human leukemic cells, sanguinarine activates a caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death pathway that is characterized by reactive oxygen species-dependent ceramide generation, and subsequent inhibition of Akt signaling pathway. In addition, sanguinarine also induces reactive oxygen species-dependent glutathione depletion and …

The Impact Of Principal Leadership Behaviors On The Efficacy Of New And Experienced Schools To Watch-Taking Center Stage Middle School Teachers, Melanie A. Dopson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative study is to identify the impact of principal leadership behaviors on the efficacy of new and experienced teachers in California STW-TCS middle schools.

Methodology: This quantitative study investigated leadership behaviors of principals that enhance the efficacy of teachers. Teachers from Bay Area – Sacramento STW-TCS middle schools were surveyed using the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and Principal Rating and Rating Scale (PRRS). Demographic information was obtained to compare principal behaviors and teacher efficacy in relation to teacher gender, teacher years of experience, poverty level of school, school size, and location of school …

A Qualitative Study To Discover And Describe Common Ground Strategies Used By Exemplar Law Enforcement Leaders To Proactively Transform And Resolve Conflict As They Attempt To Shape The Future, Christopher M. Fuzie

Dissertations

The purpose of this thematic, qualitative, phenomenological study was to discover and describe the lived experiences of exemplar Municipal Police Chiefs in the use of six domains of conflict transformation; collaboration, communication, emotional intelligence, ethics, process, and problem solving, in order to find breakthrough results and transform conflict. This study was accomplished through the lived experiences, perceptions and interpretations of exemplar Municipal Police Chiefs, and through these experiences, put forward the commonalities, patterns of behavior, or repetitive themes that are used to find common ground and produce breakthrough results. The findings from this research illustrate how exemplar municipal police chiefs …

A Quantitative Study On Student Emergency Financial Assistance: The Impact On Community College Student Success, Persistence, And Completion Rates, Abigail Benz

Dissertations

Financial instability is a common fiscal burden for many community college students and can serve as primary barrier to educational success (Quaye & Harper, 2015). Although traditional financial aid is structured to assist students in financing college expenses, many low-income students often face financial emergencies beyond the scope of financial aid (Johnson, 2015). These financial emergencies have been specifically identified as serious obstacles to educational success and have prompted many institutions to establish student emergency financial assistance programs (Geckeler, Beach, Pih, & Yan, 2008). This study explored one student emergency financial assistance program at a public community college and the …

The Perceived Community Engagement Survey: Structure, Reliability, And Validity Of A Community-Based Organization Measure Of Engagement With The Broader Community, Rafael Rivera

Dissertations

For more than 40 years government funding for community non-profit organizations has grown more than in previous decades. This dramatic increase has led to a proliferation of organizations that claim the status of community-based organizations. Community-based Organizations (CBOs) have become the service delivery providers of communities, particularly underrepresented communities. There has been very little research within the community psychology and other literature exploring if CBOs represent the interest of communities.

As funding entities have lately increased their interest in community representation, there has not been a corresponding research base to identify levels of community engagement. This study attempted to address …

Terahertz Wireless Communication Through Atmospheric Atmospheric Turbulence And Rain, Jianjun Ma

Dissertations

This dissertation focusses on terahertz (THz) wireless communication technology in different weather conditions. The performance of the communication links is mainly studied under propagation through atmospheric turbulence and rain. However, as real outdoor weather conditions are temporally and spatially varying, it is difficult to obtain reproducible atmospheric conditions to verify results of independent measurements making it a challenge to measure and analyze the impact of outdoor atmospheric weather on communication links. Consequently, dedicated indoor weather chambers are designed to produce controllable weather conditions to emulate the real outdoor weather as closely as possible. To emulate turbulent air conditions, an enclosed …

Plasticity Of The Cortical Representation Of Finger Extensors Induced By Paired Associative Stimulation, Ian Anthony Gerard Lafond

Dissertations

This dissertation first explored associative plasticity of the human motor cortical representation with the use of noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paired with peripheral electrical stimulation. Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) has grown in popularity because of its potential clinical applications. PAS techniques are used in combination with electromyography (EMG) measurements to study cortical excitability and features of hand movement. This work focuses on a cohesive approach to answer central questions about: the ideal mechanism to facilitate cortical plasticity via PAS, the interaction between the behavior performed and type of stimulation delivered to the targeted cortical network and the effects of …

Forecasting Bike Rental Demand Using New York Citi Bike Data, Wen Wang

Dissertations

The idea of this project is from a Kaggle competition “Bike Sharing Demand”① which provides dataset of Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. and asked to combine historical usage patterns with weather data in order to forecast bike rental demand. This dissertation will extend this work, working with a broader range of project not only just focusing on the phrase of model building but all phases of KDD (Knowledge Discovery in Databases). This dissertation focuses on Citi Bike which is one of the biggest bike share projects in the world, collects Citi Bike data, weather data and holiday data from three …

Predicting Intake Of Applications For First Registration In The Property Registration Authority, Orlaith Mernagh

Dissertations

The motivation for this dissertation is rooted in a real business need. The Property Registration Authority is the state organisation tasked with maintaining a register of land ownership on the island of Ireland. The PRA currently faces a series of challenges; a high level of staff retiring and the inherent loss of knowledge associated with this trend, a lack of recruitment in recent years and a large increase in lodgement of applications for first registration as a result of legislation. The organisation therefore requires a reliable system for predicting future intake. Prior to this project, there has also been a …

Clones In The Mba Classroom: Understanding The Relationship Between Culture And Mba Students’ Attitudes Toward Socially Responsible Business Leadership: A Mixed Methods Cross-National Study, Juan F. Roche

Dissertations

Recurrent corporate scandals have underscored the need for business leaders, the majority of whom were trained in business schools, to address tradeoffs between the interests of investors and those who serve the common good as an expression of socially responsible business leadership (SRBL). This study offers an integrated corporate social responsibility model (ICSRM), which displays the factors that scholarly research suggests promote and hinder corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice. However, because the CSR concept originated in the United States and the American business school model is replicated across the globe, most theories that support this conceptual framework were developed through …

"Intonations Of Their Own Language": An Analysis Of Leadership And Resonance In Two Progressive Young-Adult-Filled Congregations In The Pacific Northwest., D. Bethan Theunissen

Dissertations

Christendom in Canada and the United States is in decline, and young adults are leaving the church in considerable numbers. This exodus is especially noticeable in mainstream religious denominations, although evangelical groups are beginning to experience a similar waning. The fastest-growing “religious” group consists of those who identify with no religion.

Simultaneously, young adults are experiencing a far longer entry process into adulthood after adolescence than those who went before them. They also experience the world as unstable and impermanent. Their needs and the church’s needs could converge but instead seem to be antithetical to each other in ways that …

Campus Mental Health Practices And The Stigma Of Mental Illness: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Affairs Professionals, Megan Krone

Dissertations

Around half of undergraduate college students will experience mental illness to some extent during their academic careers, yet a low percentage of students experiencing signs and symptoms of mental illness will seek help despite the availability of proven, effective treatments. The field of higher education has demonstrated a genuine concern for individuals with mental illnesses and mental health care on campuses, yet implementation of practices that connect students to treatment is inconsistent and effectiveness is uncertain.

This study searched for associations between campus practices and campus culture regarding mental illness. While institutions of higher education are using both traditional and …

School Nurse Perceptions And Decisions About Children Self-Carrying Inhalers In School, Lisa Anne Dominguez Jaurigue

Dissertations

Every state in the United States has passed legislation allowing students to self-carry rescue inhalers in the school setting. Many organizations are stakeholders in respiratory issues, school health issues, and pediatric issues, recommending the support of this practice. Students’ ability to self-carrying rescue inhalers in the school setting has been impacted by school nurse perceptions and decision-making. This study addressed the questions: (a) What are school nurse perceptions and attitudes in regard to children self-carrying inhalers in the school setting? (b) How do school nurses decide whether children can self-carry inhalers in the school setting? and, (c) Are school districts …

Avoiding Hospital-Acquired Conditions: A Qualitative Analysis Of Early Top Performers, Tammy Doolittle

Dissertations

Preventable medical errors in hospitals cost our nation an estimated 180,000 annual deaths and tens of billions of dollars. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandated improvements in quality and patient safety. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, acting on these imperatives initiated legislation-mandated programs halting reimbursement to hospitals for specific hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) coined as Never Events. To date, studies have focused on quantifying incidence of specific HAC and assessing policy impact without correlating findings to actual outcome performance. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of organizational, contextual, process, and other factors occurring …

Spinning Straw Into Gold: A Study Of Resource Creation, Flow, And Conversion In A Nonprofit Collaboration, Elizabeth A. Castillo

Dissertations

Throughout history people have joined together to improve their individual lives. In the modern era, organizations often work cooperatively to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. Collaborating organizations in the nonprofit sector are increasingly expected to produce system-level change as well. This collective impact approach is under-theorized and therefore not consistently actionable. A central puzzle is how formal nonprofit collaborations acquire resource inputs and transform them into outputs, outcomes, and impact while producing financial returns to sustain the backbone organization. Resource dependence theory is sometimes proposed as an explanatory framework, yet it does not explain the generation of a double bottom …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Male-To-Female Transgender Youth Accessing Trans-Related Healthcare In Los Angeles, Marcel Fomotar

Dissertations

Background: According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2015), LGBTI individuals delay healthcare treatment because they fear stigmatization or because they believe many healthcare professionals lack knowledge and experience working with LGBTI individuals. The phenomenon of living as a transgender person and accessing trans-related healthcare is understudied.

Aim: To explore the perceived meaning of accessing transgender-related healthcare among transgender youth.

Method: A phenomenological qualitative design grounded on Husserl’s descriptive phenomenology was used to explore the ascribed meaning associated to accessing trans-related healthcare services among transyouth as they experienced and perceived it. A purposive and thematic sample of Male-to-Female transyouth …

A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Minority Resource Eligibility For Half White Multiracial College Students, Nicholas Reyes Franco

Dissertations

Over the last several decades, multiracial populations have received increased attention in academic literature, particularly regarding identity development and psychological health and wellness. Less attention has been given to individuals with one minority and one white parent (i.e., half white individuals) in the context of affirmative action and higher education. Existing quantitative studies on this topic suggest, on the one hand, that half white individuals are likely to be considered members of racial minorities, yet, on the other hand, less of a minority—and less deserving of affirmative action benefits—than monoracial individuals or multiracial individuals with multiple minority identities. College students’ …

Meaning-Making In Student Conduct Administration: A Developmental Perspective, Sean Robert Horrigan

Dissertations

The field of student conduct administration (SCA) in higher education has grown more complex. Researchers and practitioners have noted the tension for conduct officers between managing legal and policy compliance focused on the adjudication of cases and serving as restorative justice minded educators oriented towards student growth and learning. As a result, the knowledge required and the skills practiced by conduct officers are broad and varied. An overlooked dimension of SCA is how conduct officer development, especially as it relates to meaning-making, influences their experiences, knowledge, and skills. This study, utilizing a developmental theory known as “action logics,” explores how …

Clients As Voting Board Members: A Mixed Methods Examination Of San Diego County Nonprofit Human Services Organizations, Elaine Marie Lewis

Dissertations

The literature suggests that thoughtful board composition generates more strategic and thoughtful policymaking. This study examined one aspect of board composition that is frequently cited as a source of more strategic and thoughtful policymaking: clients as voting members.

This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to examine the prevalence of, and the factors associated with clients participating as board members of human services nonprofit organizations in San Diego County. Through a review of the most recent 12 months of board meeting notes, this study also explored the level of participation of two clients on the board of directors of one …

Transitions To Assisted Living Within A Continuing Care Retirement Community, Judith H. Scott

Dissertations

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of older single women who moved from their independent homes to the assisted living setting, both situated within a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC).

Rationale: Anecdotally, CCRC transitions have been viewed as either one dreaded possible step toward the end of life or a supportive place to open a new chapter in older adults’ lives. However, no studies have actually examined this experience among older single women, who comprise a large proportion of people making this transition.

Background: Older adults move to assisted living within a CCRC when …

A Grounded Theory Approach To Healthy Work Environment: Its Impact On Nurses, Patient Safety, And Significance In Healthcare Settings, Nicole Sevilla-Zeigen

Dissertations

A healthy working environment has been an area of interest for occupation health providers. There is anticipation that a safe working environment improves patient safety, which is associated with reduction in clinical nurse errors. Issues with medication errors and poor working environment pose a greater risk to patient safety. The aim of this qualitative study was to provide a broad understanding on nurses’ perceptions on the processes that influence a healthy working environment and the impacts of a healthy working environment on patient safety. An interpretive grounded theory methodology was used in this study to evaluate nurses’ perceptions in acute …

The Effect Of Organizational Commitment, Organizational Based Self Esteem And Work Engagement On Nurses' Perception Of Medication Errors, Vanessa V. Wertheim

Dissertations

Background: Organizations rely on the accurate reporting of medication errors or omissions by bedside nurses to improve the medication delivery system in order to prevent further errors from occurring in the future. In a time where nurses are managing more complex patients with shorter lengths of stay, full engagement in the role is essential. Literature from other disciplines suggests that many factors can influence work engagement (Chughtai & Buckley, 2011; Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá & Bakker, 2002; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003). Two of these factors include organizational commitment and organizational-based self-esteem (Allen & Meyer, 1990; Bowling, Eschleman, Wang, Kirkendall & Alarcon, …

Symptom Experience And Influenza-Like Illness In A Military Population, Monique Bouvier

Dissertations

AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to identify if symptom presentation expressed over the course of an influenza-like illness (ILI) can predict virus type by use of unsupervised machine learning. The secondary objective was to describe clinical characteristics of strain specific coronavirus. Finally, examine the psychometric properties of the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS).

BACKGROUND: ILI outbreaks have been a significant source of non-battle injury among military personnel. Many different viruses cause ILI, and it is difficult to determine which virus is causing the illness. Recent studies have examined the etiology and epidemiology of ILIs. …

Exploring The Intersection Of Fat+Wom*N+Leadership: An Action Research Study, Jessica Jamese Williams

Dissertations

Cultural propaganda promotes an ever-changing feminine ideal which is parasitically reliant on women preoccupying themselves—ourselves—with our physical aesthetic. For women that identify as fat, most spaces openly neglect or are simply intolerant of her and even the stores meant for her are riddled with products meant to bind, reshape and essentially change her body. Fat women embody the paradox of being both conspicuous and unseen. Within systems, fat women are often silenced by shame, bias and discrimination; the unwanted and soiled identity hold us at the margins and serving as a barrier to effectively connect with others and practice leadership. …

Missouri Public School Administrators’ Perceived Effectiveness Of Senate Bill No. 75, Joby B. Steele

Dissertations

In this quantitative study, the perceptions of safety and preparedness of Missouri’s high school administrators after participating in active shooter training as mandated by Missouri’s Senate Bill No. 75 were analyzed. As school shootings continue, states have passed legislation to prepare schools to provide safety for students and faculty members (Shah, 2013b). There are currently limited data about the perceived effectiveness of Missouri’s Senate Bill No. 75 and its ability to help administrators feel safe and prepared in the event of an active shooter. This study involved examination of what schools can do to prepare for a school shooting before …

Trust And Doubt: Perceptions Of Divine Inspiration In Seventh-Day Adventist History (1880-1930), Denis Kaiser

Dissertations

The Topic

The belief in the divine inspiration of Scripture has come under scrutiny in North America from the 1850s to the 1920s as critical scholars questioned traditional hermeneutical presuppositions and conservative Protestant theologians retreated into more strict theories of inspiration. In that context various Seventh-day Adventist leaders formulated their individual understandings of the nature, manner, and result of the inspiration of the Bible writers and Adventist visionary Ellen G. White.

The Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe the views that selected influential Seventh-day Adventist thinkers held concerning the divine inspiration of the Bible writers and Ellen …

Organized Activity Involvement Among Urban Youth: Understanding Predictors And Mechanisms, Nicole Arola Anderson

Dissertations

Organized activities (OA) are a major context of adolescent development which are linked with positive development outcomes, yet the research is limited in understanding predictors of involvement and mechanisms that explain its effect. Using longitudinal data from a subsample of youth enrolled in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (N = 1,043), this study examined relations between neighborhood characteristics (i.e., perceived neighborhood safety and neighborhood collective efficacy) and parent characteristics (i.e., parental supervision and parental warmth) and participation in organized activities (OA) at multiple points in adolescence, and whether these relations varied by age and sex. This study …

Inhibition Of B Lymphopoiesis By Adipocytes And Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, Domenick Kennedy

Dissertations

B lymphopoiesis declines with age in humans, mice, and rabbits. Impaired B lymphopoiesis correlates with increased fat in the bone marrow (BM), suggesting that adipocytes negatively regulate this process. In fact, adipocyte factors were found to inhibit B cell development in BM cultures.

Our goal was to understand the mechanism by which adipocytes inhibit B cell development. Through culturing mouse BM cells on OP9 stromal cells in the presence of adipocyte-conditioned medium (ACM), we found that adipocytes promote the accumulation of CD11b+Gr1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). These cells were not simply bystanders, as we report for the first time that …

Monocyte-Induced Regulatory T Cell Differentiation, Jessica Genevieve Lee

Dissertations

Immediately after birth, thousands of foreign antigens challenge the newborn immune system. Many of the invaders are harmless, such as food, pollen, and beneficial bacteria. Newborns have a tolerant immune system that keeps them from developing inflammation or allergies to these new antigens. In utero, this immunoregulatory tendency is important for establishing tolerance to self and maternal antigens. Multiple processes contribute to fetal tolerance, including clonal deletion, anergy, changes in antigen presenting cells (APCs), and the generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, the mechanism(s) of fetal Treg differentiation and the specific APCs required are unknown.

Our lab has previously …

The Relationship Between Light Exposure And Fatigue And Mood In The Patient Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplant, Kimberly S. Anderson-Drevs

Dissertations

Exposure to light is known to produce changes within the human body. It has demonstrated ability to produce changes in the circadian rhythm and the sleep wake cycle and to change the production and secretion of melatonin and corticosteroids. The bulk of research is related to the use of bright light therapy (BLT) for certain depressive disorders. The literature does not provide a standard of care for BLT administration dose or schedule. This study intended to define any relationship between natural and ambient light with a hospitalized patient’s mood and/or fatigue level. Further it aimed to relate cumulative light levels …