Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Firm Profitability By Improving Director Dynamics, Solange Charas

Student Scholarship

Board performance research focused on individual director's economically-motivated behaviors and outcomes has generated inconsistent and disappointing results. Most research does not consider the board as a team, despite recent calls for a focus on collective board processes and behaviors. As 90% of directors rate their individual performance at very effective but only 30% rate overall board performance at an equivalent level, it is obvious that this gap needs to be addressed. The discrepancy between individual and team performance effectiveness was the focus of this research, based on original data from 182 directors and their assessment of their board's dynamic, team …

Order In The Desert: Law Abiding Behavior At Burning Man, Manuel A. Gómez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Global Chase: Seeking The Recognition And Enforcement Of The Lago Agrio Judgment Outside Of Ecuador, Manuel A. Gómez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Community Grants Snapshots: Q1 Of 2013, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Christopher Robichaux, Douglas Luke

Center for Public Health Systems Science

This snapshot provides outcomes of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative from January to March of 2013, and includes site data, cessation services & quit rate data, systems & policy changes, and resources.

Community Grants Snapshots: Q2 Of 2013, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Christopher Robichaux, Douglas Luke

Center for Public Health Systems Science

This snapshot provides outcomes of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative from April to June of 2013, and includes site data, cessation services & quit rate data, systems & policy changes, and resources.

Museums As Sites Of "Being In Conversation": A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Randy C. Roberts

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In times of great change, institutions must be able to adapt while not losing their essence, those qualities that are central, enduring, and distinctive. While it is understood and acknowledged that museums must change their approach to be relevant and sustainable in a world in which there have been monumental shifts in the ways that people communicate, access information, and experience connection, the essential qualities of museums are not well-defined or agreed upon. More than a decade into the new century and in spite of much discussion, contemplation, and experimentation, the 21st century museum model remains unsettled. To explore the …

Researching Critical Incidents Of Transformation, Paul R. Scheele

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examined transformation within individuals in a collaborative adult learning context. Using a combination of methods—surveys and critical incident technique (CIT)—the study explored in depth the experiences of 28 subjects from a population of 100 participants in an open-enrollment workshop, the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium produced by the Pachamama Alliance. The program employs high-impact training approaches to inform participants about social injustices and environmental practices that threaten the planet, and to encourage them to act on that information. The research focused on critical incidents at or shortly after the workshop that produced significant and meaningful change …

Laughing Buddhas: The Everyday Embodiment Of Contemplative Leadership, Kim Nolan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Many of us struggle to find a theoretical framework within which to approach leadership. We may draw upon personal aspects of spiritual practice, scholarship, and vocational experience with hopes of developing a deeper method of conceptualizing all the elements that comprise relevant and meaningful ways of being and leading in the world. The purpose of this phenomenological study extends the inquiry, examining leadership as a path toward wholeness and investigating the research question – what is called into being for the contemplative leader? The roots of the question originate with the conceptual framework set forth by Kriger and Seng (2005), …

The Role Of Agency In Community Health Outcomes: Local Health Departments And Childhood Immunization Coverage Rates, James Anthony Ransom

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Organizational culture is defined as a system of shared meaning held by members of an organization that distinguishes it from other organizations. How organizational culture is experienced in the public sector, particularly local health departments (LHDs), is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LHD organizational culture impacts childhood immunization coverage rates. I used a modified organizational culture survey tool, the Organizational Management Survey, to quantify organizational culture and determine whether an LHD's organizational culture helps explain variations in childhood immunization coverage rates. In addition, qualitative data from an earlier study of LHD immunization staff …

Applying A Leadership Framework To Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus) Post Fordice, Armenta Hinton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a list of outstanding accomplishments that span over a century; however, this segment of higher education continues to be underfunded and remains in a position of justifying its existence in a postracial America. The issues facing HBCUs are significant. Race-based legislation has created a dual system of American higher education that adversely affects these minority serving institutions, impacting the quality of education they dispense and producing potentially negative effects on vulnerable and under-served collegians. Supreme Court Justice Thomas’s opinion in the U.S. v. Fordice (1992) case opposed the creation of HBCUs as “enclaves …

Measuring Normlessness In The Workplace: A Study Of Organizational Anomie In The Academic Setting, Tayo Glenn Switzer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation explores leadership and change by examining normlessness in the workplace through a multi-layered study of anomie theory, anomie research in the workplace, and organizational and business management theory. The research validates a quantitative survey designed to measure the level of normlessness experienced by workgroups within an organizational context. The survey reflects a set of six normative aspects that when disrupted produce organizational anomie—a state of normlessness that leads to an increase in worker resistance and a reduction in worker consent. The audience studied in this dissertation is associate professors at a large Midwestern research university. Data were gathered …

A Women's Talking Circle: A Narrative Study Of Positive Intergenerational Communication, Pamela Ferris-Olson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Narrative inquiry was used to understand how women’s experiences with their mothers, grandmothers, and daughters and as mothers, grandmothers, and daughters contribute to their meaning making of communication and connectedness with unrelated women. A purposeful sample of nine women aged 31-69 from a small Midwestern city was studied. Six African American and three white women were chosen for their membership in a group that has regularly engaged in positive intergenerational communication for nearly two years. The women’s narratives of personal communicative experiences within their families and with the other women were recorded and interpreted to gain a deeper understanding of …

Ultrasound For Improved Crystallisation In Food Processing, N. Misra, Navneet Deora, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Within the food industry, controlling crystallisation is a key factor governing food structure, texture and consumer appeal, with some foods requiring the promotion of crystallisation in a controlled manner (e.g. chocolate) and others a check (e.g. in honey). Sonocrystallisation is the application of ultrasound energy to control the nucleation of a crystallisation process. The use of power ultrasound provides a non-invasive approach to producing crystals with desired properties. Sonocrystallisation facilitates process control, primarily by modulating crystal size distribution and morphology. This paper details the governing mechanisms of sonocrystallisation. Proven and potential applications of the process in foods, including chocolates, honey, …

Effect Of Delactosed Whey Permeat Treatment On Physiochemical, Sensorial, Nutritional And Microbial Properties Of Whole Tomatoes During Postharvest Storage., Lubna Ahmed, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of delactosed whey permeate (DWP) treatment on the physico-chemical, microbial and antioxidant compounds of tomatoes stored at 15 °C for 21 days compared with traditional chlorine treatment. Fresh tomatoes were treated with 3 ml/100ml DWP or 120 mg/L chlorine solutions and packed in perforated polypropylene bags. The results showed that DWP treatment significantly reduced the number of total aerobic counts (~1.62 log cfu/g) and yeast and moulds (~1.66 log cfu/g) of tomatoes compared to chlorine during storage. Moreover, the tomatoes treated by DWP remained firmer (22 %) than the control …

Comparison Between Gelatines Extracted From Mackerel And Blue Whiting Bones After Different Pre-Treatments, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Zied Khiari, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana

Articles

Gelatines were extracted from mackerel and blue whiting bones after chemical or enzymatic pre-treatments and their functional properties (solubility, foaming and emulsifying properties) were analysed. The pre-treatment significantly (p

Valorisation Of Apple Peels, Laura Massini, Daniel Rico, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

The peels of processed apples can be recovered for further food applications. Limited information on the valorisation of this type of waste is available for cooking varieties, e.g. cv Bramley’s Seedling. Extracts from fresh or dried (oven-dried or freeze-dried) peels were obtained with solvents of different polarity (aqueous acetone or ethanol) and assayed for their total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity; their antiradical power was compared to herb extracts. The dried peels were also characterised as bulk powders by assessing their nutritional value and total phenolic content. High amounts of ascorbic acid (up to 4 mg/g, dry weight) and polyphenols …

Antioxidant Capacity, Arabinoxylans Content And In Vitro Glycaemic Index Of Cereal-Based Snacks Incorporated With Brewer’S Spent Grain, Sofia Reis, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

Extruded snacks and breadsticks were formulated with increasing levels of brewer’s spent grain (BSG). The phenolic content increased by 4 and 7 fold with BSG addition in extrudates (40g/100g) and in breadsticks (35g/100g), respectively. Consequently, antioxidant capacity (DPPH, FRAP) also increased despite a recorded loss of phenolic compounds in extruded snacks. Arabinoxylans content increased up to 20 and 25g of BSG addition /100g of formulated extruded snacks and breadsticks, respectively. Further addition of BSG did not improve the content of arabinoxylans due to the possible formation of polysaccharide-protein complexes. Medium GI breadsticks were obtained with 35g of BSG incorporation /100g …

Does Corporate Social Responsibility Contribute To Human Development In Developing Countries? Evidence From Nigeria, Kevin Lompo, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

Oil companies have been facing criticism linked to their activities in developing countries from various human rights organisations as well as NGOs and the media. To change this negative perception, companies have been increasingly promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which aim at improving living conditions of local communities in oil exploitation areas. In this paper, we explore the impact on the well-being of communities of two kinds of CSR initiatives implemented in two areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Using multidimensional exploratory methods and checking for robustness using binary logistic regression, we investigate the outcome of CSR …

Human And Organisational Factors As A Risk Management Strategy In An Aviation Maintenance Company, Samuel Cromie, Paul Liston, Derek Ross, Siobhan Corrigan, Lindita Vani, Dara Lynch, Solonas Demosthenous, Maria Chiara Leva, Alison Kay, Vangelis Demosthenous

Articles

Aviation has for many years been one of the leading industries in addressing human and organisational factors (HOF) within its different sectors – flight operations, air traffic control, ground operations, maintenance, etc. In particular aviation has led the way in mandating a range of measures that address HOF issues – reporting systems, shift-handover procedures, etc (e.g. UK CAA, 2003). A key element of the regulation has been the mandating of initial and continuation training in HOF for virtually all personnel working in aviation maintenance. By contrast the development of practice and regulation of risk and safety management in aviation has …

Integration Of Nanoporous Zeolite With Optical Fiber Devices For Chemical Sensing, Xinwei Lan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Label-free optical fiber chemical sensors have provoked significant research interest in recent years due to their unique advantages of small size, low cost, potential for distributed sensing, capability of in situ and remote operation, and tolerance to harsh environments. However, existing optical fiber chemical sensors lack the desired sensitivity and specificity for many applications such as chemical and biological analysis, industrial process control, environmental monitoring, and national security.

The dissertation summarizes our research efforts and results in functional integration of nanoporous zeolites with optical fiber devices for development of label-free optical fiber chemical sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity. Fundamental …

Practitioner Countertransference And Evaluation Of Callous And Unemotional Trait Clients, Frances Keleher Braun

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This on-line study evaluated whether the presence of callous and unemotional (CU) traits in a written case description affects practitioners’ countertransference (CT), appraisal of both global and specific client traits and other therapy-relevant variables. One hundred and fifty three mental health practitioners were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One group read a hypothetical case description of a client who did not present with CU traits (NCU Group) while the other group read the same case description as the NCU Group, but with the addition of CU traits (CU Group). The results demonstrated that the presence of CU traits …

The Development Of Intimate Partner Relationships Among Men Sexually Abused As Children, Laura Beltran-Medina

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This phenomenological study sought to understand the experience of seven men who came forward to contribute and discuss their intimate partner relationships for what relational intimacy could reveal about themselves, the meaning of intimate partnership, and their understanding of being in intimate relationships. The theoretical assumptions applied to this study are: (a) Childhood sexual abuse interferes with the ability to achieve deeper experiences of idealized love; (b) Negative effects of adult relational attachment are manifested in anxiety related to sexual intimacy, fear of emotional intimacy, and inability to fulfill dependency needs such as trust, love, and security; and (c) There …

Bringing Hope To Those Forgotten: Is The Provision Of Transitional And Supportive Housing Effective In Reducing Homelessness? A Quantitative Analysis Of Willbridge Of Santa Barbara, Inc., Melissa Cervantes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

No abstract provided.

Existential Concerns Of Individuals Living With Chronic Mental Illness In Guam, Christina Maria B. Dela Cruz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Individuals living with chronic mental illness experience a host of challenges associated with the symptoms of their illness. In an effort to help restore healthy functioning, mental health treatment for individuals with chronic mental illness thus focuses primarily on symptom reduction and management. Recent research exploring the lived experience of individuals with chronic mental illness suggests that apart from their symptoms, these individuals also encounter existential issues related to the self, relationships with others, temporality, making meaning out of the illness experience, and managing life with the illness. At the same time, however, this research has tended to focus on …

Moving Away From Understanding: Personal Therapy In Contemporary Doctoral Education, Michael Paul Tartaglia

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Personal therapy has never been a training requirement for clinical psychology in the American Psychological Association (APA). This became more evident when the field of Clinical Psychology at the Boulder Conference over 30 years ago in which personal therapy was omitted as a requirement of doctoral education because there was a lack of sufficient empirical evidence to support such a mandate in the United States. While there has been research in the field of psychodynamic theory on personal therapy, the stance taken during the Boulder Conference (and to some extent the Chicago and Vail Conferences thereafter) continues to be the …

The Impact Of Voluntary Aftercare On Recidivism Rates For Adult Male Sex Offenders, Alexandra Schmidt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The recidivism rate of eighteen sex offenders participating in Stepping Up, a voluntary aftercare program, was compared to the overall recidivism rate of convicted sexual offenders in California in order to determine the effectiveness of voluntary participation in a post-mandated treatment program. Attendance for a minimum of six months in Stepping Up was required for inclusion in the study, and recidivism rates were calculated by a review of records. Although participants in the Stepping Up aftercare program had a re-offense rate of 0%, results were not statistically significant when compared with California's overall recidivism rates. While a 0% recidivism rate …

Can Education Improve The Environment? Applying The Pressure-State-Response Environmental Indicator Framework To Environmental Education Program Outcomes, Brian Johnson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which environmental education (EE) programs are contributing to environmental quality (EQ) improvement. The research applied the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) environmental indicator framework to the reported outcomes of 103 EE programs in order to 1) determine the extent to which existing EE programs are reporting EQ improvement outcomes; and 2) examine the extent to which these programs are impacting indicators in the three areas of the PSR framework. The study consisted of three research phases: evaluation synthesis, semi-structured interviews, and multiple-case study. The study found that 42 of 103 programs (41%) …

Sibling Closeness And Similarity And The Presence Of Perfectionism, Jennifer L. Crowe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explored whether characteristics of the sibling relationship are related to the level of perfectionistic tendencies that an individual reports. The framework of this study was based on Tesser's Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model, which says that the effects of comparisons with a close other, such as a sibling, can be mediated in one of three ways: (a) by reducing the closeness of the relationship, (b) by improving one's performance/impeding on the other's performance, or (c) by decreasing the relevance of the performance to one's self-concept (pursuing different areas and interests). Several hypotheses were offered which were based on the presumption …

The Post-Combat Couple Adjustment Questionnaire: A Preliminary Validation, Valerie Maine

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation presents the results of a psychometric study regarding the preliminary validation of The Post-Combat Couple Adjustment Questionnaire (PCCAQ). This measure was designed to assess post-combat and post-deployment adjustment for male veterans and their female partners. The measure was created using existing literature on veterans, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and couples. The PCCAQ consists of four domains of couple functioning, including: (a) redefining roles, expectations, and division of household responsibilities; (b) managing strong emotions; (c) abandoning emotional constriction and creating intimacy in relationships; and (d) creating a sense of shared meaning surrounding the deployment experience. The PCCAQ was compared …

My Journey From Physician To Psychologist: Relational Touch In Psychotherapy, Brita S. Reed

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

A physician's armamentarium includes the presence of the tool of touch which is used not only to diagnose and to heal, but also to reassure patients that they are safe and well cared for in the hands of the physician. The use of touch in the practice of psychology, however, is relatively proscribed. In this essay, I examine how we, as psychologists, can best "hold" our clients without the use of touch. In the first part of this essay, I explore some theoretical considerations on relational touch in psychotherapy. I define relational touch as touch that occurs between people and …