Thesis (M.S.O.T.) PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / OBJECTIVE: We examined how gait behaviors in children and adults differed during a structured and during a minimally structured, practice walking task when temporal constraints were imposed. METHODS: Fifteen children between the ages of 5-7 and fifteen adults between the ages of 18-30 participated in an overground walking task: structured (i.e., on a defined path to specific paces) and minimally structured (i.e., freely around a room) interspersed with practice walking to the specific paces. At the beginning and end of the study, participants walked at their own pace on a 6-m long gait carpet. During the structured task, subjects walked on the same gait carpet to the beat of three different metronome paces (slow, normal, and fast). The distance and timing of participants’ steps were measured with the mechanized, pressure-sensitive gait carpet. During the minimally structured practice task, subjects walked freely around the room for two minutes to the same three metronome paces (slow, normal, and fast). All subject trials were videotaped and the two-minute minimally structured practice periods were analyzed using a video coding system. RESULTS: Compared to children, adults demonstrated a greater difference from their baseline walking in all gait parameters (i.e., velocity, cadence, step length, step time, swing time, stance time, single limb support time, and double limb support time) at the slow metronome pace (all ps<.01). However, at the slow pace, children had more difficulty keeping pace with the metronome compared to adults both before (p=.001) and after practice (p=.001). Furthermore, the magnitude of children’s errors in meeting the metronome pace was larger than that of adults at the normal (p=.007) and slow (p=.002) paces. During the two-minute minimally structured practice periods, children demonstrated more gait behaviors than adults however, only foot behaviors (i.e., leaping, cross stepping, walking backward, and toe-walking) reached initial significance when walking at the normal compared to the slow pace. Follow up comparisons did not reach significance for any of the gait behaviors for children or adults. CONCLUSION: We found that children and adults modified their gait patterns when given a temporal constraint in order to try to match the constraint. Children were more prone to maintain gait patterns that were similar to their baseline walking than adults and subsequently had more difficulty matching all of the metronome paces. In addition, children demonstrated a larger variety and frequency of gait behaviors than adults when able to structure their own walking during minimally structured practice tasks. / 2031-01-01

Religion and spirituality are thought to be of great importance for the meaning and quality of life for many individuals, and research suggests that there may be important health benefits associated with religion and spirituality. Religion and spirituality should be related to health behaviors for a number of reasons. Health behaviors are important contributors to an individual's overall health, illness and mortality. Major negative health behaviors related to health outcomes are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, risky driving, and high risk sexual behaviors. Health behaviors may also be linked to personality traits. The key trait examined for this study was extraversion. It includes adjectives such as being active, assertive, energetic, outgoing, and talkative. In this thesis, I take several hypotheses and explore the influence of extraversion, religiosity, and spirituality on health behaviors.

Este proyecto surgió en base a que pudimos identificar que a pesar de que las personas que tienen un gato como mascota están aumentando, siguen siendo escasos los productos para la salud de estos. Además, de que encontramos en base a ciertos experimentos que estas mascotas suelen enfermarse con frecuencia desarrollando comportamientos (agresividad, ansiedad, excitación, no hacer uso de su arenero o nerviosismo) que suelen preocupar a su dueño. Descubriendo que el principal motivo de estos males para los gatos es el estrés. Es que hemos planteado en nuestra idea de producto una bebida hecha principalmente en base de Nepeta Cataria o mejor conocida como menta para gatos. Esta planta es atractiva para el gato y de igual forma lo relaja, produciendo una mejora en su comportamiento. Otros efectos positivos encontrados es que incita a los gatos al juego, lo que los hace que se vuelvan más activos físicamente evitando la obesidad. Asimismo, hace que el gato no presente caída de pelaje o se autolesione. Igualmente, incluimos la valeriana para que esta planta pueda reforzar el sistema nervioso, añadiendo más efectividad al momento de relajar al gato. Además, la valeriana añade un efecto antiinflamatorio intestinal que ayuda a la digestión del gato. Meaw Tea se va a enfocar en un segmento especifico, el cual es Lima Metropolitana, abarcando así 5 distritos: Miraflores, San Isidro, Jesús María, Surco y La molina. Siendo estos lugares los primeros que obtendrán nuestro producto para el cuidado de la salud de su gato.

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In 2006, 19 states had some type of route to alternative principal certification. An additional five states had either proposed or were considering offering alternative routes to principal certification (Education Commission of the States, 2006). These numbers indicate a nation-wide development and are worthy of investigation. In states across the country that have implemented alternative certification routes, the gatekeepers usually are directors of human resources who recruit, screen, rank, and forward applications to the superintendent. As a result, even though local districts may receive a green light from the state to hire alternatively certified principals; that approval does not guarantee they will be hired. To gain insight into the willingness of directors of human resources to support hiring alternatively certified principals, a two-stage study was conducted. First, 12 purposefully selected directors of human resources nationwide were interviewed. Second, data collected from the interviews in union with a review of the literature on alternative certification was used to identify domains, themes, and items to develop web mail questionnaires consisting of Thurstone and Likert scale statements. The web mail questionnaires were emailed to 689 directors of human resources selected from the directory of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) on November 1, 2005. Principal components analysis was applied to reduce the number of overlapping variables. Multiple linear regression was the major statistical procedure used to determine relationships between the predictor variables and the willingness of directors of human resources to support hiring alternatively certified principals. Five of 20 predictor variables were found to be significant, with anticipated concerns by directors of human resources being the strongest predictor. Conditions of the individual (e.g., "right fit," leadership skills), being located in a primarily urban area, district experiencing a shortage in the quality of principals, and more willingness to support hiring alternatively certified assistant principals than principals were the other significant predictors. Candidates seeking employment in states that have alternate routes may experience a little resistance, but directors, on average, fell into the high neutral (more positive) position when it came to supporting hiring alternatively certified principals. / Ph. D.

The Shocks and Difficulties of Young Managers in the Organizations Abstract Younger Organizations and Younger Managers are the trend in the world. The topic of Young Managers is also popular among people¡¦s talking, but there is no academic study about the related issue in Taiwan. This is an exploratory study, based on literatures to develop the questionnaires for quantitative studies. The targets of this study are 121 young managers who are 35-year-old below and supervise at least 2 direct report staffs. The data was analyzed by applying statistical methods, i.e., factor analysis, one-way ANOVA, descriptive statistics analysis, and correlation analysis. The purpose of the study is to find out the shocks and difficulties of young managers in the organizations, the relation of individual factors with the shocks and difficulties, the relations of ¡§the behaviors of the organizations¡¨ with the shocks and difficulties, as well as the relations of ¡§the behaviors of young managers¡¨ with the shocks and difficulties. Many important findings of this study are as below: Majority of young managers face the shocks and difficulties of ¡§Up & Peers Management¡¨, and sequently is ¡§Down Management¡¨, ¡§Professionalism & Authority be challenged¡¨, and ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨. This study also found young managers in local companies have more difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨, ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨, and ¡§Professionalism and Authority be challenged¡¨ then those who are working in foreign companies. Female young managers have more difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨ than males. Those young managers have been working with current supervisors for 1 ~ 3 years have more difficulties in ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨ than those for over three years and below one year. Young Managers with over 10 years of working experience have less difficulty in ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨ than those below 10 years of working experience. Young managers have more difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨ on staffs of college or lower education level than on those of university or graduate school. No matter what individual backgrounds or conditions the young managers have, their difficulties in ¡§Up & Peers Management¡¨ are the same. This study also found that if the organizations get the young managers involved in top management strategy will increase the young managers¡¦ difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨ and ¡§Up & Peers Management¡¨. If the organizations do too much job arrangement (e.g. workload, degree of working difficulty, and level of reporting line), it will increase the young managers¡¦ difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨ and ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨. This study also found when young managers purposely build up their authority and professional image, their difficulties in ¡§Down Management¡¨, ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨, ¡§Authority & Professionalism be challenged¡¨, and ¡§Up & Peers Management¡¨ are increasing. And if young managers manipulate power game too much, it will increase their difficulties in ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨. This study also found it is great helpful for ¡§People Management & Leadership¡¨ if young managers can keep their physical in good condition and keep their information updated with the world and the market. Key words: young managers, shocks and difficulties, behaviors of the organizations, behaviors of the young managers.

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Leadership is contextual and requires educational leaders in public schools to both comply with sweeping political changes and be the catalyst for consistent positive improvements in service to children. The hypothesis of this study is that educational leaders who are demonstrating transformational leadership behaviors are utilizing systemic thinking to make decisions. Scholars who have examined systemic thinking approach argue that it is an engine for dramatic improvements in both organizational function and consistent, productive growth. This study seeks to answer the question: To what extent do educational leaders demonstrate systemic thinking and transformational leadership behaviors? Using observations and interviews, this qualitative study will examine educational leaders understanding of systemic thinking as a approach, their decision-making process, and the relationship between systemic thinking and transformational leadership behaviors. This study will explore potential connections between systemic thinking and transformational leadership behaviors. Implications for practice may include professional development and training in systemic thinking as it relates to a school leader’s intense decision-making process, as well to what extent that this study shows a positive relationship between systemic thinking pursuant to transformational leadership behaviors. / Educational Leadership

Previous research examining the link between parenting and identity have either indirectly assessed a single dimension of parenting or explored the degree of achievement rather than the process of identity development. The present study examines the influence of maternal and paternal parenting behaviors on the identity formation process in late adolescence. Participants (N = 1134), ranging in age from 18 to 25, completed questionnaires to assess their perceptions of parental behaviors and their current identity status. The results indicate an association between maternal acceptance and identity achievement, and moratorium was correlated with lax control and psychological control. Parental acceptance and psychological control were linked with foreclosure, and all three dimensions of parenting were found to be associated with identity diffusion. The findings are discussed from an intervention standpoint as to which specific parental behaviors can protect against the unachieved identity statuses and facilitate the identity formation process. / Master of Science