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This thesis presents a framework for resiliency planning in state departments of transportation and other transportation agencies. The development of this framework is motivated by the need for more resilient transportation systems, due of the increasing frequency and the effect both natural and man-made catastrophic disasters have on transportation systems. The resiliency framework is based on the urban transportation planning framework and is thus applied in the broader context of general transportation planning. The resiliency framework is then applied in a preliminary review to three statewide transportation plans to show the resiliency deficiencies of those plans and how the framework may be applied to increase resiliency. These plans are selected from three different states with diversity of locations and without any preconceived notions about their incorporation of resiliency in their planning process. This preliminary review reveals a reactive nature towards investments that increase an agency’s resilience. This may be attributed to the problem of limited funding for transportation investments, as well as, limited knowledge by the transportation agencies about the return on such resiliency investments, mostly due to the uncertainty associated with the occurrence of catastrophic disasters, especially the predictability of weather-related events. However, post-disaster transportation system overhauls provide enough evidence for the need for more systemic ways of addressing resiliency in planning processes.

abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a gender difference in how students perceived their classroom environment on the Navajo Nation public school. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

Resiliency measurement is a great tool for evaluating system performance and proposing solutions to prevent damage and to recover from disruptive events. This study proposes an analytic approach to quantify narrow waterway systems’ resiliency during disasters. First, metrics are introduced to quantify the resiliency before, during, and after a disruption. The existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Maritime Transportation Systems (MTS) are examined, and two metrics, 1) the number of inbound and outbound vessels and 2) Total Stopped Vessel-Hours, are selected to measure the resiliency of a waterway system. Second, a heuristic method is developed to derive the KPIs from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Finally, the proposed methodology is performed for the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) AIS data before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey, in August 2017. The results are presented for the entire channel and highlight useful information about the performance of individual docks, terminals, and waterway zones within HSC. This study helps decision-makers identify the weaknesses and potential bottlenecks in a waterway confronting a disruption and come up with remedies.

Enterprises have focused on mechanisms to track insiders who may intentionally exceed and misuse their authorized access. However, there is an opportunity to understand why a trusted individual would want to exploit the trust and seek information with the intent of a malicious outcome. The detection of insider rogue or nefarious activities with information to which a user is already authorized is extremely difficult. Such insider threats require more deliberation than just considering it to be a problem that can be mitigated only by software or hardware enhancements. This research expects to help gain an early understanding of antecedents to such information behavior and provide an opportunity to develop approaches to address relevant character traits which could lead to a higher propensity of information misuse. This research proposes a theoretical framework and a conceptual research model to understand the antecedent factors to opportunistic information-seeking behavior of individuals. The study follows the three-essay format. Essay 1 explores the scholarly literature published about insider behavior to understand information behavior and proposes the theoretical framework for the study. PRISMA methodology was used for the thematic literature review. Essay 2 is a quantitative study of 424 university students surveyed using an online instrument for their responses to various scenarios in the context of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is proposed as a proxy for information misuse. Essay 3 is a qualitative study engaging senior executives from various industries to understand their perspectives on the behavioral characteristics of individuals as they try to protect their corporate information from being misused and protect their reputation and liability from malicious use of their information.

This study investigates the impact of instructors' positive comments on academic resiliency and student performance. Not only is academic resiliency a stable trait, but we hypothesis that it may be induced or impeded; i.e. academic resiliency is malleable. The Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Academic Locus of Control Scale, and the Academic Conscientiousness Scale were collected as covariates. It was predicted that participants randomly assigned to the positive teacher support condition would score better on the final exam and demonstrate increased academic resiliency compared to a baseline measure. Conversely, participants randomly assigned to the negative teacher support condition should do poorly on the exam and demonstrate reduced academic resiliency compared to a baseline measure. There were of73 undergraduate participants (13 male, 60 female) with a median age of 22 (SD=7 .19) recruited from a large Southeastern university students who were enrolled in two web-based courses.

This dissertation contributes to the literature on resiliency and character strengths. College students (N = 223) were administered questionnaires to determine the hassles they experienced in the last month, as well as their levels of life satisfaction, resiliency, and the four character strengths of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Humility/Modesty, and Love. Reponses to the Ego Resiliency Scale were used to divide students into the following three groups: resilient, moderate-resilient, and low-resilient. Self-reported levels of life satisfaction, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, Humility/Modesty, and Love were compared across the three groups to determine whether they were significantly related to resiliency. The results indicate that Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Gratitude, and Humility/Modesty had a significant relationship with resiliency, but that Love did not. Resilient students' levels of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence as well as Gratitude were significantly higher than those of low-resilient students. However, resilient students' levels of Humility/Modesty were significantly lower than those of low-resilient students. Although Love was not significantly related to resiliency, the levels of Love for resilient students were relatively higher than those of low-resilient students. Life satisfaction also was significantly related to resiliency. Resilient students' levels of life satisfaction were significantly higher than those of low-resilient students. Gratitude and Love predicted students' levels of life satisfaction. Therefore, Gratitude seems to be the essential character strength related to both resiliency and life satisfaction among college students.

This practicum is an exploration of the meaning of resiliency within the discourse of the Landscape Architecture discipline. Its significance to ecological thinking and its conjunction to engineering solutions are examined for developing of an integrated approach towards flood mitigation strategies. Although not the only hazard experienced in the Philippines, floods are the most pervasive. The severity of this natural event and the corresponding disaster is augmented by factors produced within the socio-economic realm. To measure the increasing frequency of disasters from floods, the inherent vulnerability of the study area, Metropolitan Manila and historical reports of said events are considered. To further comprehend the role of Landscape Architecture within an integrated framework the three types of resiliency organized by Dovers and Handmer are examined and applied at various scale (regional, local, and micro) pertaining to the study area. This part of the practicum explores methods of resiliency in conventional response as well as ecological resiliency to flood events. / October 2016

This study offers a better understanding of the tourism experiences of at risk youth. A Husserlian phenomenology consisting of semi-structured interviews with a group of at risk youth residing in a treatment centre reveals a broader understanding of the tourism phenomenon as well as the essence of these experiences. Findings revealed that at risk youth value tourism and the opportunities that these experiences provide. The importance of support during this multi-phasic experience contributed to outcomes including increased learning opportunities, liberty to exercise free-choice and independence, skill acquisition, gains in social capital, improved self-perception and ultimately, increased resilience. / October 2016