Thesis (Ed. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Mass., 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-115).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-124).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Educational Studies. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 217-231.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Arkadi Nemirovski; Committee Co-Chair: Alexander Shapiro; Committee Co-Chair: Renato D. C. Monteiro; Committee Member: Anatoli Jouditski; Committee Member: Shabbir Ahmed. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

First generation students (FGS) are twice as likely as their non-first generation peers to drop out of college (Chen, 2005). FGS experience a host of challenges related to their generational status including poor academic preparation, limited familial support, nonstrategic college learning behaviors, and problematic coping with academic disappointment. When FGS earn low grades, they often attribute their outcomes to an uncontrollable factor such low intelligence (Dweck & Leggett, 1998) rather than poor preparation for success or misunderstanding, more controllable factors. Some FGS, however, matriculate through college successfully despite their risk status. One reason might be that the FGS who are resilient to their risk status exhibit more self-compassion in the face of perceived or actual low grades. The proposed study investigates relations between self-compassion for poor academic performance and college outcomes (i.e., motivation, self-efficacy, anxiety, fear of failure, goal orientation, and theory of intelligence) for FGS using hierarchical regression. The implications for this proposed study result in an intervention: a self-compassion training program designed to supplement a college learning skills course. Ultimately, this intervention will increase students’ self-compassion as well as the previously stated college outcomes. Finally, increases in self-compassion will improve college students’ retention and achievement. / text

Firewalls, packet filters placed at the boundary of a network in order to screen incoming packets of traffic (and discard any undesirable packets), are a prominent component of network security. In this dissertation, we make several contributions to the study of firewalls. 1. Current algorithms for verifying the correctness of firewall policies use O(n[superscrip d]) space, where n is the number of rules in the firewall (several thousand) and d the number of fields in a rule (about five). We develop a fast probabilistic firewall verification algorithm, which runs in time and space O(nd), and determines whether a firewall F satisfies a property P. The algorithm is provably correct in several interesting cases -- notably, for every instance where it states that F does not satisfy P -- and the overall probability of error is extremely small, of the order of .005%. 2. As firewalls are often security-critical systems, it may be necessary to verify the correctness of a firewall with no possibility of error, so there is still a need for a fast deterministic firewall verifier. In this dissertation, we present a deterministic firewall verification algorithm that uses only O(nd) space. 3. In addition to correctness, optimizing firewall performance is an important issue, as slow-running firewalls can be targeted by denial-of-service attacks. We demonstrate in this dissertation that in fact, there is a strong connection between firewall verification and detection of redundant rules; an algorithm for one can be readily adapted to the other task. We suggest that our algorithms for firewall verification can be used for firewall optimization also. 4. In order to help design correct and efficient firewalls, we suggest two metrics for firewall complexity, and demonstrate how to design firewalls as a battery of simple firewall modules rather than as a monolithic sequence of rules. We also demonstrate how to convert an existing monolithic firewall into a modular firewall. We propose that modular design can make firewalls easy to design and easy to understand. Thus, this dissertation covers all stages in the life cycle of a firewall -- design, testing and verification, and analysis -- and makes contributions to the current state of the art in each of these fields. / text

Three important Irish texts use revelations about Irish involvement in the First World War as a lens through which to examine contemporary Ireland: Jennifer Johnston’s novel How Many Miles To Babylon (1974), Frank McGuinness’s play Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (1985), and Sebastian Barry’s A Long, Long Way (2005). Because significant critical attention has been paid to the texts of Johnston and McGuinness, and because access to Barry’s archive in the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas further illuminates the process by which Barry represents this crucial moment in Irish history, his novel is the focus of this paper. Unlike Johnston and McGuinness, whose projects use the First World War to interrogate the Ireland in which they are writing and force the reader to grapple with their own historically (or mythically) constructed identities, Barry’s A Long, Long Way denies personal culpability and allows for a view of history in which the individual stands forever as a tragic or pathetic victim. Barry’s novel details the experiences of one Irish soldier, Willie Dunne, on the Western Front and plots his changing attitude towards Irish soldiers’ involvement in the War following the Easter 1916 Rising. Exposed to both nationalist and loyalist perspectives, and to the horrors of war, Willie increasingly develops sympathy with the nationalist position, though he never abandons his principal loyalty to his father. While Willie’s narrative presents a more complicated vision of the Dunne family—Barry’s ancestors who have figured prominently in his oeuvre—it fails to escape the tragic impulse in much of Barry’s fiction, in which history is an immovable and oftentimes malevolent force. Such a vision of history allows individuals like Willie Dunne to disavow responsibility for their personal fate and for their roles within a larger Irish history. / text

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a health concern that is over-represented among First Nations peoples. Optimal prenatal nutrition plays a role in the severity of FASD. Prenatal nutrition as it relates to fetal brain development and fetal alcohol exposure is an under-researched area, especially among pregnant First Nations women. Finding current dietary intake patterns of pregnant women who drink alcohol could lead to developing a nutrition provision strategy. However, there is no appropriate dietary assessment research tool that is specific to this population. This study aims to develop an effective, culturally appropriate and interactive dietary assessment research tool using participatory methods to engage with women and communities in the process. We used community health priorities forums, information sessions, volunteering, collaboration with programs, and a trauma-informed approach as methods to engage with pregnant women. To develop the research tool, top sources of fetal brain development nutrients were determined for the food frequency component, several prenatal health workers reviewed the tool, and a pre-test with 20 pregnant women of the target population was completed. Pre-test results show the tool is being well-received. All of this ground work will help pave a path for further prenatal nutrition research with First Nations women. This research will inform programs and policies which strive to improve food and nutrition security and reduce the severity of FASD. / October 2015

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