Digital Commons Network^™

Positionality Matters: School Choice Decisions Based On Ethnographic Accounts Of African American Parents, Dr. Stacy L. Thomas

Dissertations

This research delves into experiences with reasoning and selected criteria for choosing the right school for their children. Beginning with a series of vignettes that assist with recognition of parental empowerment, this research archives acknowledgement of their own positionality when it comes to making life changing decisions. As selected parents of African American children grapple with the strategic balance and possibilities of educational outlets, family and finances, they offer ethnographic accounts of their successes and failures with school choice. Individual accounts of parental school choice decisions posing as data ascertained from interviews provided research that explored the critical frequencies and …

Deciphering The Molecular Mechanism Through Which Rhus Coriaria Exerts Its Anti-Cancer Activity, Khawlah Najib Saeed Athamneh

Dissertations

Cancer remains a major health problem around the globe. Among various types of treatments, plants have been shown to have great capacity in cancer treatment, one of which is Rhus coriaria. Commonly known as sumac, Rhus coriaria is a culinary herb that is known to possess different therapeutic values including anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities.

In this Ph.D. project, we tested the effect of Rhus coriaria extract (RCE) on the migration, invasion, and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We showed that non-cytotoxic concentrations of RCE inhibited migration and invasion, blocked adhesion to fibronectin, and downregulated MMP-9. Additionally, we found …

Redefining Burnout: Exploring Common Conceptualizations And The Neurophysiology Of Chronic Stress To Establish An Integrated Allostatic Model, Danny A. Guzzi

Dissertations

Burnout is a widely researched stress-related phenomenon associated with numerous adverse outcomes for employees and organizations. Unfortunately, burnout is not well understood and research to this point has been flawed due to a lack of consensus on the definition, dimensionality, and context of the construct. Prevalent conceptualizations of burnout have been criticized for being arbitrarily developed without solid theoretical foundation and for failing to clearly distinguish burnout from depression or other work-related conditions such as compassion fatigue, secondary traumatization, and vicarious traumatization. The current project first examines relevant literature to identify commonalities among prevalent burnout conceptualizations. Then relevant stress research …

High-Performance Reductive Strategies For Big Data From Lc-Ms/Ms Proteomics, Muaaz Gul Awan

Dissertations

Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics utilizes high performance liquid chromatography in tandem with high-throughput mass spectrometers. These experiments can produce MS data sets with astonishing speed and volume that can easily reach peta-scale level, creating storage and computational problems for large-scale systems biology studies. Each spectrum output by a mass spectrometer may consist of thousands of peaks, which must all be processed to deduce the corresponding peptide. However, only a small percentage of peaks in a spectrum are useful for further processing, as most of the peaks are either noise or are not useful. Our experiments have shown that 90 to …

Towards An Architecture For Secure Privacy-Preserving Opportunistic Resource Utilization Networks, Ahmed A. Al-Gburi

Dissertations

The paradigm of Opportunistic Resource Utilization Networks (oppnets) advances technology in the field of ad hoc networks. The salient feature of oppnets is their use of “helpers” to expand opportunistically when the need for more resources or capabilities arises. Like any other pervasive computing systems, oppnets face numerous security and privacy challenges. These challenges are addressed by utilizing two major ideas: Pervasive Trust Foundation (PTF) and Active Data Bundles (ADBs). The PTF paradigm makes trust the basis for security and privacy in pervasive computing systems, including oppnets. The ADBs are self-protecting data constructs that encapsulate together—in an inseparable way—sensitive data, …

Functional Analysis Of Excessive Crying In Infancy: Two Empirical Case Studies, Jamie L. Hirsh

Dissertations

Excessive crying and infantile colic account for a significant percentage of caregivers’ calls and visits to the pediatrician early in infancy. Despite myriad research studies across medical and psychological disciplines over the years, there is no conclusive evidence regarding a cause for excessive crying in early infancy; as a result, there is no gold standard for treatment. The goal of this study is to develop and test an experimental functional analysis methodology to determine a cause for excessive crying in infants. The study involves the development of an interview and paper-based functional assessment tool for excessive crying in infancy, as …

The Impact Of Male Gender Dissonance On Women’S Potential Eligibility For Advancement To K-12 Public School Superintendent, Mona Lee Montgomery

Dissertations

Purpose:The purpose of this phenomenological replication study was to discover what behaviors female administrators exhibit that may prompt male administrators with whom they work with in California public educationto demonstrate behaviors associated with gender dissonanceand to discover any impact these dissonant behaviors may have on women’s potential eligibility for advancement to the position of K-12 school superintendent.

Methodology:This qualitative phenomenological replication study explored the experiences of seven female and seven male K-12 public school superintendents in Orange, San Diego, and Riverside Counties in California. Respondents were selected based on delimiting criteria and a purposive criterion sampling method. …

Issues Influencing Medication Adherence In Black Women With Hypertension, Willie M. Abel

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: (a) describe the differences in adherent and nonadherent Black women who have hypertension (HTN), (b) examine issues that influence medication adherence, and (c) explore the relationship of reactant behaviors and medication adherence.

The Unborn One: The Human Experience Of Miscarriage, Kristen M. Swanson

Dissertations

This dissertation's purpose was to describe the human experience of miscarriage and the caring needs of the women who miscarried. Using a qualitative (modified grounded theory) research design, a convenience sample of 20 women who had miscarried within 15 weeks prior to study entry were interviewed twice about their experience with early pregnancy loss and the associated caring needs.

The Spiritual Health Of Oncology Patients: A Comparison Of Nurse And Patient Perceptions, Martha E. Highfield

Dissertations

Nurses who are committed to care of the whole person must be knowledgeable about patients' spiritual needs. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was designed to investigate the spiritual health of oncology patients. Parallel nurse (r =.89) and patient (r =.77) Spiritual Health Inventories (SHI) and demographic sheets were distributed to a convenience sample of 40 nurse-inpatient pairs from two hospitals. Respondents included 23 patients with primary lung cancer and 27 Registered Nurses. Patients reported a normatively high level of spiritual health, positively related both to age (p < .02) and physical well-being (p < .014). Analysis of 21 matched nurse-patient SHI scores indicated that nurse respondents inaccurately assessed their patients' spiritual health. Patients and nurses ranked family members or friends and clergypersons as priority choices of spiritual caregivers. Although not generalizable, findings should assist in future studies.

Development Of An Instrument To Measure Hope, Judith Fitzgerald Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure hope in adults and to evaluate its psychometric properties. A forty item Miller Hope Scale was developed based on the critical elements of hope gleaned from a comprehensive review of literature, including the etymology of hope; as well as from an exploratory study of hope in persons who survived a critical illness. The instrument was critiqued by psychometric and content experts, content validity established and was pretested on 75 subjects. Psychometric properties of the refined instrument were determined by studying 522 healthy adults.

Exploring Workplace Spirituality And The Benefit It Has On Teams, Tracey Kimberly Johnson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the perception of nonprofit leaders on how spirituality in the workplace fosters a positive workplace culture.

Methodology: In this phenomenological qualitative study, data were collected using interviews of 12 nonprofit leaders. The essential data collection method for this study was in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interview questions, key informant interviews, and pilot study data interviews. After the data were collected and transcribed, the coding process began, and themes were identified.

Findings: The research on spirituality in the workplace and spiritual intelligence of nonprofit leaders has been completed. There is still …

The Influence Of Stressful Life Events On The Development Of Type 2 Diabetes, Joshua Minks

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between distress and the development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the presence of established risk factors. Distress secondary to mental health disparities, stressful life events, and work conditions has been shown to promote insulin resistance and the development of T2DM.

Subjects (N=79) diagnosed with T2DM within the previous six months were recruited from SSM Health Centers and VA Medical Centers in the greater St. Louis area. They completed the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire, ENRICHD Social Support Instrument, and a demographic survey and analyses were conducted to determine differences between the veteran …

Building A Social Identity: Peer-To-Peer Sexual Harassment In Adolescents, Denise Giannascoli Link

Dissertations

Peer-to-peer sexual harassment is pervasive in secondary schools and is responsible for a number of health effects such as sleeplessness, loss of self-esteem and depression, as well as other negative educational and social effects (AAUW, 1993; Morrisey, 1995; PCSW, 1995; vanRoosmalen & McDaniel, 1998). As a behavior that is learned, the incidence of peer-to-peer sexual harassment may be reduced through interventions aimed at changing inappropriate and harmful behavior. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the basic social psychological process that induces and perpetuates peer-to-peer sexual harassment in adolescents. In order to achieve this goal, it was …

A Psychometric Analysis Of The Self-Report Of Labor Pain, Nancy K. Lowe

Dissertations

This non-experimental, field study investigated the reliability and validity of the postpartum recall of labor pain, and the relationships between pain and a number of selected antecedent, intervening, and labor related phenomena.

College Student Risk Behavior: The Implications Of Religiosity And Impulsivity, Mary A. Cazzell

Dissertations

College student risk-taking among 18 to 21 years olds includes smoking cigarettes, binge drinking, casual sex with multiple partners, automobile accidents due to risky driving or driving under the influence, and substance use. Among 10 to 24 year olds, 72% of all fatalities result from automobile accidents, unintended injuries, homicide, and suicide. Since not all college students participate in risk behaviors, protective factors such as religiosity may be a protective social or psychological buffer that supports positive relationships and moral order. Impulsivity, an inability to squelch inappropriate thoughts or actions, is associated with the later development (in the mid-twenties) of …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Cutaneous Stimulation And Distraction On Children's Perceptions Of Injection Pain, Laurie G. Sparks

Dissertations

Research has shown that children fear injections and perceive them as painful. Virtually all children experience injections through immunizations, and, therefore, methods to decrease injection pain could have widespread results. This study examined the effects of two nursing interventions on injection pain in preschool children: distraction and cutaneous stimulation. A quasi-experimental design was employed to test the interventions. The study was guided by Roy's adaptation theory of nursing and the gate-control theory of pain.

Academic Achievement And Participation In Out-Of-School Educational Robotics Competitions For High School Latino/A Students In Southern California, Jesus Ulloa-Higuera

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in academic performance in mathematics as measured by class grades between high school Latino/a students in Southern California who participated two consecutive years in robotics competitions and high school Latino/a students who did not participate. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference in mathematics academic performance between Latino and Latina students who participated in robotics competitions. A third and final purpose was to describe the experiences of Latino/a college students who participated in robotics competitions and how those experiences influenced their interest in pursuing a STEM college …

Predictors Of Quality Of Life In The Chronic Hemodialysis Patient, Pamela B. Simmons

Dissertations

This was a descriptive, correlational, predictive study designed to investigate the relationships between treatment-related stress, satisfaction with nursing care, and depression in the chronic hemodialysis patient and to determine which were predictive of quality of life (QoL). Demographic variables and selected clinical indicators were also assessed for their ability to predict QoL.

Exploring Older Adults' Perceptions Of The Utility And Ease Of The Use Of Personal Emergency Response Systems, Patrica Ann Mclean

Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore and describe perceptions of the utility and ease of use of a personal emergency response system (PERS) among older adults who are aging in place. Research Question: "What is the meaning of a PERS use for functionally impaired older adults?"

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Method Case Study Of Exemplary Small Business Owner Leaders And The Strategies They Use To Create Personal And Organizational Meaning, Margaret S. Ohlhaver

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this replication of a thematic, mixed-method case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that small business owner leaders use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration.

Methodology. Qualitative interviews with exemplary small business owners were conducted to capture their insights on how they used behaviors associated with character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration to create personal and organizational meaning. In a quantitative survey, followers of each small business owner leader participants were asked to assess how important each of the variable behaviors were …

A Qualitative Self-Study Of Educational Philosophy Within The Context Of A Structured Educational Framework, Tiffany Young

Dissertations

This study came about as the result of my belief that my philosophy as an educator was no longer in alignment with that of the school district in which I taught. As a result, I decided to conduct a self-study that incorporated my own reflections of myself and my teaching, as well as those of my then-current and previous colleagues and thencurrent and previous administrators/building leaders. Participants varied in their positions and in their number of years of teaching experience, roles, age, gender, and then-current teaching status. It was important to me that I had people with whom I had …

Carving A Niche For Australian Practice Nurses In Chronic Heart Failure Management, Elizabeth Jane Halcomb

Dissertations

Chronic and complex conditions are a significant concern within contemporary health care systems. The ageing population and improvements in survival from acute cardiac illness have seen an increasing incidence of heart failure (HF). Heart failure represents a significant burden on both the individual and the wider community. Despite effective pharmacotherapy and established evidence-based management guidelines, the overall prognosis from HR is poor. The complexity of the disease process and the highly developed evidence-base makes HR an excellent exemplar for the management of a range of chronic conditions. Studies undertaken as part of the 'Carving a niche for Australian practice nurses' …

Perceptions Of A Traditional High School Bell Schedule In The 21st Century, Shelley Gates

Dissertations

The daily bell schedule in a comprehensive high school has a significant impact on teaching and learning, school climate, and the well-being of students and staff. An increasing emphasis on the need for students to have strong critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity skills provides an impetus for questioning the length of traditional class periods. This change leadership plan focuses on one school’s effort to examine their current school day schedule to determine what, if any, changes should be made to insure alignment between the daily bell schedule and the school’s mission and goals. Based on the work of …

Differentiating Successful And Unsuccessful Nursing Students, Trilla A. Mays

Dissertations

Administrators of nursing programs in community colleges are aware of the need to retain and to graduate students to meet the growing demand for licensed practical nurses (LPNs). High attrition in a 2-year nursing program in South Carolina affected the number of students either graduating as a LPN after completing the third semester, or continuing in the program to become a registered nurse (RN). Guided by Jeffreys's nursing undergraduate retention and success model, this causal comparative study investigated the differences between students who were and were not successful in the initial 3 semesters of the program. Archival student records for …

Anticipating Mothering In The Mexican Origin Woman, Susan M. Baxley

Dissertations

Not all women experience pregnancy and motherhood in the same way. There needs to be a greater understanding of how Mexican origin women experience pregnancy and anticipate mothering since Hispanics comprise the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive inquiry was to explore the meaning of attachment, commitment, and preparation during pregnancy as an anticipatory phase of mothering for the Mexican origin woman giving birth in the United States.

Professional Values Of Licensed Practical Nurses And Time Post Initial Licensure: A Correlational Study, Linda A. Otero

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the correlation between professional values of licensed practical nurses working in long term care settings and time post initial licensure. A quantitative non-experimental correlational research design was used to capture self-reports of professional values of licensed practical nurses then determine if and to what extent a relationship exists between professional values and time post initial licensure. The Nurses Professional Values Scale- Revised (NPVS-R) instrument was used to capture the professional values of 101 LPNs employed in long term care settings in Vermont and correlate the results with time post initial licensure. The …

Factors Associated With Health Care Personnel Intentions To Respond To A Public Health Event, Susan B. Connor

Dissertations

Health care personnel (HCP) are an important link in emergency response. Yet, researchers have reported that not all HCP intend to respond when a public health event (PHE) occurs. Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) was the theoretical framework for this study.

The objective of this study was to explore factors associated with HCP intentions to respond to a future PHE.

When Worlds Collide: The Meanings Of Work And Fathering Among Fathers Of Premature Infants, Shawn Pohlman

Dissertations

This interpretive phenomenological study examined the meanings, concerns, and practices of eight fathers of pre-term infants. Fathers were interviewed six to eight times over a 6 month period, beginning within a month after birth and continuing at home after infant discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The Tenderness Process In Mother-Infant Couples: The Relationship Of Maternal Perception And Anxiety To Infant Satiety And Anxiety, Deidre Marion Blank

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify what impact, if any, maternal perception and anxiety had on an infant at the time of feeding. The framework for testing the relationship was Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory of psychiatry, as it related specifically to mother-infant tenderness. For the study, tenderness was restricted to a reciprocal process in which the infant had a physiochemical need for milk and the mother a complimentary need to satisfy the infant. Of importance to Sullivan was the fact that an infant had to depend on the intervention of others for survival and therefore manifested a …