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2019

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Integration Of Yeast Phenomics And Cancer Pharmacogenomics To Model Precision Medicine, Sean Santos Jan 2019

Integration Of Yeast Phenomics And Cancer Pharmacogenomics To Model Precision Medicine, Sean Santos

All ETDs from UAB

Precision medicine aims to optimize disease treatment by considering the differential influence of functional genetic variation on phenotypic outcomes and therapeutic efficacy. However, current precision medicine paradigms lack consideration of the abundance of genetic interaction and ensuing complexity of phenotypes, thus thwarting resolution of gene-drug interaction at a systems level and ‘precise’ predictions for most patients. Yeast phenomics enables quantitative, high-resolution experimental modeling of gene-drug interaction phenotypes at a systems level by measuring growth curves for the ~6000 yeast knockout/knockdown library strains, which can guide a more global resolution of disease and treatment complexity at the organism level. We postulate …

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Novel Approaches To Enhance Translational Readthrough Efficacy For Cystic Fibrosis Nonsense Mutations, Jyoti Sharma Jan 2019

Novel Approaches To Enhance Translational Readthrough Efficacy For Cystic Fibrosis Nonsense Mutations, Jyoti Sharma

All ETDs from UAB

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic autosomal recessive disease caused by over 1,900 naturally occurring variants in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFTR is an epithelial anion channel which regulates the movement of chloride and bicarbonate ions. Mutations in the CFTR causes diminished CFTR protein and/or reduced CFTR function that lead to clinical manifestations. These include severe epithelial dysfunction of multiple tissues, including the lungs, intestine, pancreas, and reproductive organs. Premature termination codons (PTC), or nonsense mutations, are among the most severe CFTR variants and occur in ~11% of the CF population. PTCs are caused by the presence of …

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Modeling Resilience In Resetttled Syrian Refugees With Disabilities Living In The United States, Nicholas Ryan Sherwood Jan 2019

Modeling Resilience In Resetttled Syrian Refugees With Disabilities Living In The United States, Nicholas Ryan Sherwood

All ETDs from UAB

Since 2011, the ongoing conflict in Syria displaces millions of individuals, many of whom have resettled across foreign borders. The US currently hosts 21,000 Syrian refugees, and of these, approximately 5,000 have at least one type of disability. This thesis asks of these individuals: given your experience as a person with a disability who has survived state-sanctioned violence and navigated forced migration, what have been your greatest sources of strength and resilience? Utilizing systems theory and a transdisciplinary approach, this thesis examines how three forms of identity promote community, interpersonal, and intrapersonal resilience within the target population.

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New Authentication And Privacy Paradigms In Mobile And Wearable Computing, Prakash N/A Shrestha Jan 2019

New Authentication And Privacy Paradigms In Mobile And Wearable Computing, Prakash N/A Shrestha

All ETDs from UAB

Mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) have already become ubiquitous, and wearable technology (e.g., embodied in smartwatches or bracelets) is gaining popularity in many – commercial, medical and personal – domains of day-to-day life. Many of the security schemes, particularly authentication paradigms, have been designed and deployed utilizing the general-purpose mobile devices, and many of them have started using wearable devices. The use of these devices, on one hand, improves user experience, while, on the other hand, opens up security and privacy vulnerabilities. In this dissertation work, we explore new authentication and privacy paradigms, from both offensive and defensive perspectives, in/using mobile …

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Physical Activity Promotion Among Adolescents With Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis, Elizabeth Morghen Sikes Jan 2019

Physical Activity Promotion Among Adolescents With Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis, Elizabeth Morghen Sikes

All ETDs from UAB

Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and disabling disease of the central nervous system with an onset before 18 years of age. Youth with pediatric onset MS may benefit from physical activity as evidenced by past research suggestsing higher levels of physical activity are associated with reduced physical and psychosocial disease manifestations. Unfortunately, published estimates of physical activity participation among those with pediatric onset MS are very low (<10 min/day). This dissertation aimed to describe the current literature regarding physical activity among youth with pediatric MS, and to further explore experiences, patterns, correlates, and potential confounders of physical activity for the ultimate purpose of informing future behavior change interventions. Results are presented through five single study chapters. Briefly, interventions developed to promote physical activity for adolescents with pediatric onset MS should be individually tailored, include a strong social component, aim to educate regarding safety and outcomes of physical activity, and differentially target weekday and weekend day activity and sedentary behavior. Social cognitive theory (SCT) is an appropriate method for promoting physical activity behavior change among youth with pediatric onset MS, and SCT constructs including exercise goal setting, barriers self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and social support should be incorporated in the intervention as appropriate. Further, physical activity is seemingly an appropriate method for the management of functional limitations for youth with pediatric onset MS. Clinicians and researchers seeking to promote physical activity among those with pediatric onset MS may find this dissertation especially useful in providing a framework for the development of behavior change interventions.

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Discovering Biomarkers Of Alzheimer's Disease By Statistical Learning Approaches, Jintao Long Jan 2019

Discovering Biomarkers Of Alzheimer's Disease By Statistical Learning Approaches, Jintao Long

Other Faculty of Health Theses

In this work, statistical learning approaches are exploited to discover biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The contributions has been made in the fields of both biomarker and software driven studies. Surprising discoveries were made in the field of blood-based biomarker search. With the inclusion of existing biological knowledge and a proposed novel feature selection method, several blood-based protein models were discovered to have promising ability to separate AD patients from healthy individuals. A new statistical pattern was discovered which can be potential new guideline for diagnosis methodology. In the field of brain-based biomarker, the positive contribution of covariates such as …

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Biochemistry: Production Of Recombinant Rh Blood Group Antigens For Detection Of Alloimmunisation, Mashael Alkhanbashi Jan 2019

Biochemistry: Production Of Recombinant Rh Blood Group Antigens For Detection Of Alloimmunisation, Mashael Alkhanbashi

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Due to the importance of the antigen/ antibody reaction, all hospitals and blood banks worldwide rely on routine blood group phenotyping of samples. Using recombinant antigens removes the disadvantage of the current antibody screening when using the human red blood cells, which can complicate the detection of antibody in di erent cases: in the case of multi-transfused individuals and in the case of weak antigens. Although constructing recombinant antigens for some blood group antigens has been achieved successfully, such as; Kell, Du y and Lutheran blood group antigens, no studies have been published describing successful production of RH recombinant antigens …

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Drp1 Inhibition Is Protective Against Mitochondrial And Autophagic Impairment Induced By Alpha-Synuclein, Zhangqiuzi Fan Jan 2019

Drp1 Inhibition Is Protective Against Mitochondrial And Autophagic Impairment Induced By Alpha-Synuclein, Zhangqiuzi Fan

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder with currently no effective neuroprotective or neurorestorative treatments available. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) pathology is one of the key proteins involved in PD pathology, it has been found to induce mitochondrial dysfunction, yet the mechanism is not entirely understood. This thesis project tests the hypothesis that α-syn induces mitochondrial dysfunction through disruption of fission/fusion pathway. Using an inducible cell line, I successfully demonstrated that in a time-dependent manner α-syn overexpression induces mitochondrial fragmentation through disruption of fission/fusion dynamics, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased oxidative stress and impaired mitochondrial respiratory capacity. In …

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The Effects Of Prolonged Running On The Biomechanics And Function Of The Foot And Ankle, Emma Cowley Jan 2019

The Effects Of Prolonged Running On The Biomechanics And Function Of The Foot And Ankle, Emma Cowley

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Running injuries have been linked to morphology and lower limb function, and changes in foot and ankle biomechanics and function within a run may contribute to the predisposition to injury. This thesis investigates the effects of prolonged running on the foot and ankle, and potential mechanisms underlying changes in foot posture. Methods: A series of studies were undertaken from field to laboratory, measuring foot posture changes after prolonged running of different durations. Further measures of ankle invertor strength and medial ankle stiffness were taken in the laboratory studies as well as kinematic and plantar pressure data captured every ten minutes …

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The Nature Of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli St127, Robert William O'Hara Jan 2019

The Nature Of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli St127, Robert William O'Hara

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli ST127 is a recently emerged clone that is reported to cause a small, but significant, proportion of urinary tract infections. Paradoxically, the low prevalence of ST127 in most published studies is also accompanied by a virulence potential significantly higher than many of the leading uropathogenic lineages (cf. ST131) using an established uropathogenic PCR virulence assay. This study explores the contradictory nature of these findings by evaluating some of the major aspects concerning the diagnosis, genomic repertoire and pathogenicity of strains of this sequence type in relation to its recorded prevalence. Analysis was performed to determine if UPEC …

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A Proteomics Approach To Investigate Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, Nizar Hamed E Saeedi Jan 2019

A Proteomics Approach To Investigate Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, Nizar Hamed E Saeedi

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most commonly known cause of urinary tract infection (UTI). The possession of many virulence factors and global dissemination of multi-drug resistant UPEC strains is posing a critical risk to treatment worldwide. The most virulent UPEC strains have descended from major lineages such as sequence type (ST) 131, ST38 and ST127. Strains of ST127 exhibit the highest virulence potential of most UPEC lineages, but little is known about their pathogenicity. Previous studies have reported the important role of metabolic adaptations in UPEC virulence. This study investigated the metabolic adaptations of UPEC isolates, with a focus …

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Understanding Student Charters Through Psychological Contracts In Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Approach, Julie Ann Osborn Jan 2019

Understanding Student Charters Through Psychological Contracts In Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Approach, Julie Ann Osborn

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The introduction of higher fees and globalisation have created a competitive environment in which UK universities operate. Higher fees and globalisation have placed emphasis on higher education institutions operating as a profit driven sector with feedback sought from consumers in the form of large scale surveys e.g. National Student Survey (NSS). Our understanding of the student experience has been framed within a broadly positivist framework, which arguably limits our understanding. The purpose of this study was to trial a new way of exploring the student experience. This novel approach used the psychological contract as a sensitising concept. It has been …

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Effect Of Phytoestrogens On Breast And Prostate Cancer Cell Lines – Potential Implications For Bone Metastasis, Safaa Salman Mezban Al-Thamiree Jan 2019

Effect Of Phytoestrogens On Breast And Prostate Cancer Cell Lines – Potential Implications For Bone Metastasis, Safaa Salman Mezban Al-Thamiree

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The effect of phytoestrogens on breast and prostate cancer cell lines – potential implications for bone preferential metastasis to bone Safaa Salman Mezban AL-Thamiree Abstract Many epidemiological studies indicate that diets rich in phytoestrogens (PE), especially soy and grain products, may be associated with a lower risk of some steroid hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate. In particular PE have been shown to reduce the incidence of skeletal metastasis which have a high degree of morbidity and mortality. However, the most effective combinations of PEs and the mechanism through which they may reduce bone metastasis remain unclear. Therefore, this …

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Exploring The Sensitivity Of Mantle Cell Lymphoma To Inhibitors Of Bruton’S Tyrosine Kinase, Hannah Patricia Thompson Jan 2019

Exploring The Sensitivity Of Mantle Cell Lymphoma To Inhibitors Of Bruton’S Tyrosine Kinase, Hannah Patricia Thompson

Other Faculty of Health Theses

EXPLORING THE SENSITIVITY OF MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA TO INHIBITORS OF BRUTON’S TYROSINE KINASE Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable B-cell lymphoma which responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy. Inhibitors of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTKi) have shown a significant clinical effect; despite this success however, approximately one third of MCL patients have primary resistance to the drug, and patients who initially respond to treatment frequently acquire secondary resistance with aggressive relapse of the disease. The purpose of this study was to understand how BTKi-resistance or sensitivity is mediated, aiming to identify new targets for therapy or predictive biomarkers of response. Combining …

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Testing The Gliocentric Hypothesis Of Brain Pathology, Sarah Hannah Ellwood Jan 2019

Testing The Gliocentric Hypothesis Of Brain Pathology, Sarah Hannah Ellwood

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Ischaemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, causing cell death and tissue damage. All cell types are affected by ischaemia, however until recently, the impact of acute ischaemia has been studied from a neuronal point of view. Currently, there is a greater interest in glial cells such as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes as they are essential for the correct working of the central nervous system (CNS). This thesis aimed to investigate the regional sensitivity of the glial cells and the mechanisms behind any regional differences. Three mechanistic areas were chosen to be examined; the role of glycogen …

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Faith-Based Support For Alzheimer's Family Caregivers In Madison County, Alabama, Meredith Lewis Jan 2019

Faith-Based Support For Alzheimer's Family Caregivers In Madison County, Alabama, Meredith Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alzheimer's disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, is incurable. Because of the extensive long-term care required for patients with Alzheimer's, the typical caregiver is often a middle-aged family member with his or her own health problems. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to determine the extent to which there was a difference in the perception of quality of life between Alzheimer's family caregivers who receive tangible faith-based support compared to the Alzheimer's family caregivers who receive no social support. The theoretical basis was social support theory, which suggests that support buffers stress. The …

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Judicial Independence And Accountability: Withstanding Political Stress In Poland, Fryderyk Zoll, Leah Wortham Jan 2019

Judicial Independence And Accountability: Withstanding Political Stress In Poland, Fryderyk Zoll, Leah Wortham

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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The Evolution Of Currency: Cash To Cryptos To Sovereign Digital Currencies, Anton N. Didenko, Ross P. Buckley Jan 2019

The Evolution Of Currency: Cash To Cryptos To Sovereign Digital Currencies, Anton N. Didenko, Ross P. Buckley

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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National Security And Economic Globalization: Toward Collision Or Reconciliation?, J. Benton Heath Jan 2019

National Security And Economic Globalization: Toward Collision Or Reconciliation?, J. Benton Heath

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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Hiding Behind The Flag: Jurisdictional Impediments Imposed By The Law Of The Flag On The Enforcement Of Violations Of Annex I Of Marpol 73/78 Pursuant To The Act To Prevent Pollution From Ships, Daisy De Wolff Jan 2019

Hiding Behind The Flag: Jurisdictional Impediments Imposed By The Law Of The Flag On The Enforcement Of Violations Of Annex I Of Marpol 73/78 Pursuant To The Act To Prevent Pollution From Ships, Daisy De Wolff

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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Promoting Learner Engagement Through Interactive Digital Tools, Xianquan Liu, Aleidine J. Moeller Jan 2019

Promoting Learner Engagement Through Interactive Digital Tools, Xianquan Liu, Aleidine J. Moeller

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Interactive digital tools and virtual learning spaces can be effective in engaging learners with language, content, and culture that promote language proficiency. However, the mere utilization of technology tools does not guarantee learner growth in language proficiency without careful attention to research-informed learning strategies and standards-based instructional design. Learning objectives and language functions drive instruction, and digital learning tools can provide differentiated learning opportunities and learner support that scaffold the learning process. The authors provide a review of the literature on technology integration in world language education as well as examples of popular digital tools designed to facilitate meaningful, interactive …

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“Taking The Shackles Off”: Metaphor And Metonymy Of Migrant Children And Border Officials In The U.S., Theresa Catalano, Andreas Musolff Jan 2019

“Taking The Shackles Off”: Metaphor And Metonymy Of Migrant Children And Border Officials In The U.S., Theresa Catalano, Andreas Musolff

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The present paper utilizes (multimodal) critical discourse studies and cognitive linguistics to analyze the verbal and visual metonymies/metaphors found in online news sources that report on unaccompanied youths from Central America and Border Patrol/immigration officials in the U.S. Findings reveal verbal and visual metonymies that dehumanize and criminalize child migrants, while Border Patrol/immigration enforcement discourse creates WAR/WILD WEST metaphors that justify the militarization of the border. The significance of the study lies in showing how underlying conceptualizations of migrants by immigration and border control agencies help us understand the social imaginary which allows the government to garner public support for …

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Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez Jan 2019

Recidivism Differences And Measures Of Predictability For Federally Convicted Child Pornographers, Ricardo J. Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a gap in research on the effectiveness of mandatory-€minimum sentences on the recidivism rates of federal child pornography offenders, resulting in policy that may be ineffective and costly. Relevant research can further understanding of criminogenic behavior that results in the exploitation of children and aid future policy making decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between federal sentencing and federal child pornographer recidivism. Central to this study is the research question of whether there exists a statistically significant difference between the likelihood of recidivism in 2 child pornographer cohorts that receive different …

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Influence Of Police Officer Fear And Use-Of-Force Outcomes, Michele D. Stafford Jan 2019

Influence Of Police Officer Fear And Use-Of-Force Outcomes, Michele D. Stafford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officer and community relations tensions have heightened with increases in publicized deadly use-of-force incidents on social media platforms. Though some deadly force encounters have been justified because officers stated they feared for their lives, little is known about the impact fear has on police officers' actions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact fear plays when officers implement use-of-force continuum practices during encounters with civilians. Schacter and Singers' two-factor theory of emotion was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The key research question examined the influence of police officer fear as a factor …

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The Moderating Influence Of Social Media On The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Police And Community Violence Among African American Men, Herman Charles Tucker Jan 2019

The Moderating Influence Of Social Media On The Relationship Between Perceptions Of Police And Community Violence Among African American Men, Herman Charles Tucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American males experience homicides significantly higher than other groups throughout the United States. More African Americans are victims of violence, especially deadly violence, compared to any other racial or ethnic group. While research has been conducted on the association between perceptions of police and violence among African American men ages 18 to 44, no research exists on whether social media use moderates this association among African American men ages 18 to 44. This quantitative, cross-sectional study included 45 African American men. The Past Feelings and Act of Violence (PFAV) instrument, the Perceptions of Police (POP), and the Social Media …

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High School Science Teachers' Perspectives On Their Technology Knowledge, Content, And Pedagogy, Mentor Mentor Jr. Jan 2019

High School Science Teachers' Perspectives On Their Technology Knowledge, Content, And Pedagogy, Mentor Mentor Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a southeastern U.S. school district, it was unknown how teachers integrated technology into their classroom teaching in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Teachers should be knowledgeable of their content, pedagogy of the content, and delivery instruction to improve students' learning outcomes. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to examine how teachers integrated technology into their teaching to improve science students' learning outcomes. Mishra and Koehler's and Shulman's theories of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge served as the conceptual framework. Purposeful sampling was used to select 12 certified science teachers, with at least 1 …

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Evaluation Of Shared Governance Implementation At A Community Hospital, Teresa Nardontonia Jan 2019

Evaluation Of Shared Governance Implementation At A Community Hospital, Teresa Nardontonia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Shared governance is a model in which staff collaborate through a decentralized decision-making structure, sharing ownership and accountability and partnering to make decisions about clinical practice, professional development, patient experience, quality improvement, and research. The hospital shared governance project team aligned its shared governance model with the American Nurses Credentialing Center Pathway to Excellence standards. The purposes of this project were to do a process evaluation of shared governance implementation at one 64-bed community hospital in central Florida and make recommendations for continuous quality improvement. The project followed the plan-do-study-act methodology developed by Deming. Through the collection of meeting minutes …

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Internet And Telecommunications Companies' Provision Of Customer Information To The Government, Gbenga Ayodeji Osinowo Jan 2019

Internet And Telecommunications Companies' Provision Of Customer Information To The Government, Gbenga Ayodeji Osinowo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The strategy of the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program is to incorporate the private sector into the bulk data collection of customers information, yet there is little legislative and judicial oversight. As a result, internet and telecommunications companies participated, placing at risk protected privacy interests of their customers. Using policy feedback theory and narrative policy framework as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative, case study was to explore how the federal government gains compliance of the internet and telecommunications industry to engage in information sharing with NSA during post 9/11, 2001 terrorists' attack. Secondary data were collected …

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Comparison Of Army Veterans' And Nonveterans' Individual Work Performance, Petrina Veola Stack Jan 2019

Comparison Of Army Veterans' And Nonveterans' Individual Work Performance, Petrina Veola Stack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business managers lack knowledge and understanding of the transferability of Army veterans' individual work performance (IWP) in the private sector, which results in organizations' failure to hire Army veterans who possess strong IWPs. The purpose of this nonexperimental, cross-sectional study was to compare Army veterans' and nonveterans' transferable IWP as defined by task performance (TP), contextual performance (CP), and counter-productive work behavior (CWB). The IWP framework provided the theoretical foundation for this study. The research question examined how veterans' IWPs compared to those of nonveterans. The sample frame included U.S. Army civilian veterans and nonveterans at a large military installation …

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Influence Of Administrators Support On Third Grade Student Behavior In Schools, Alicia Vink Jan 2019

Influence Of Administrators Support On Third Grade Student Behavior In Schools, Alicia Vink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicated that teachers' perceptions of administrator support behaviors, behavioral interventions, and students' classroom behaviors have a strong connection to students' academic outcomes. A lack of administrator support practices present challenges to teachers' effectiveness and students' academic and social success. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address the relationships among teachers' perceptions of administrator support, the FAST (Families and Schools Together) behavioral intervention program, and teachers' perceptions of student classroom behavior. Spillane's distributed leadership theory was used as a framework. The data were a subset of archival data from a target population of approximately 200 teachers working at …

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