Digital Commons Network^™

Sign Language Word List Comparisons: Toward A Replicable Coding And Scoring Methodology, Jason Parks

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes and evaluates a methodology for sign language word list comparisons. The purpose of this sociolinguistic research tool is to identify similarity relationships among sign language varieties by assessing similarities of lexical items. Similarities are calculated using the Levenshtein distance metric which measures the number of differences between signs.

In this study, the methodology was refined for optimal efficiency through an analysis of: which parameters of a sign should be compared, which values should be included in each parameter value inventory, and which items should be used in the word list. As a result of the study, I …

"The Course Fit Us": Differentiated Instruction In The College Classroom, Mary Volesky Dosch

Theses and Dissertations

Differentiated instruction is a learner-centered philosophy of teaching based on Tomlinson’s research, but stems from a constructivist belief espoused by Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky. Through consideration of three diagnostic areas: readiness, interests, and learning profiles, a teacher differentiates how diverse students access the material (content), how students make sense of the material (process), and how students demonstrate their learning (product).

Differentiated instruction has been used successfully at the elementary, middle, and high school levels showing quantitative improvements for diverse students. A limited number of qualitative studies on differentiated instruction exist at the college level, with even fewer quantitative studies.

The …

Implementation Of A First-Year Seminar: Retention And Student Views Of Advising And Engagement At A Small Midwestern University, Kristi Bitz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore student perceptions of a first-year seminar course as well as academic advising and other student engagement activities before and after the implementation of a first-year seminar course at a small Midwestern university. Retention rates prior to and after the implementation of the first-year seminar course were considered and comparisons of retention rates for students who completed the first-year seminar with students who did not complete the course were analyzed.

Research questions included:

1. What were student perceptions with regard to the first-year seminar course?

2. Was there a difference in advising perceptions …

Anesthesia Implications For Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Jessica Bratrud

Theses and Dissertations

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 33% of the population. Eighty percent of those are undiagnosed (Downey, 2011). This number is expected to grow as our population gets older and more obese. Forty one million surgical procedures are performed in the United States each year, so this does affect the practice of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist’s (CRNA). OSA can lead to an array of complications including cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, myocardial ischemia, cerebrovascular insufficiency, intracranial hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, difficult intubation, and unanticipated admissions to the ICU. It is estimated that the average life span of …

Impact Of Netbook Computers On One Districts Social Studies Curriculum, Joel L. Schleicher

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the impact of a one-to-one netbook initiative on learning in five social studies classrooms. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the overall impact. The researcher explored the impact on teaching and learning social studies with the primary source of curriculum delivery through one-to-one netbook computer access by students. It also focused on measuring student perception of engagement, productivity, and learning of social studies curriculum through the utilization of a netbook computer in place of a traditional textbook in a social studies classroom.

The research and data collection, through …

Lumbar Facet Joint Pain: Pathology And Treatment Via Facet Joint Injection And Medial Branch Neurology, Andrew L. Schott

Theses and Dissertations

Clinic spinal pain or "back pain" as it is sometimes referred is a serious medical problem with se1ious financial and social consequences (Manchikanti, 1999). Back and neck pain are the most common cause of chronic pain and disability (Raso, 2010). Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists are advanced practitioners with the ability to treat lower back pain using advanced interventional procedures; however, they currently are not pardoning these interventions in North Dakota. A comprehensive literature review was utilized to gather current data and group trends in the treatment of lumbar facet joint pain. History and physicals, while helpful, do not accurately diagnose …

Education And Partnering With Coaching Staff And Medical Providers Regarding The Use Of Performance Enhancing Substances In The Adolescent Athletes, Tamala M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The School Nurse In Advocating For Comprehensive Sex Education In Schools, Heather Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lipid Emulsion Therapy As Treatment For Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity, Nina R. Wentz

Theses and Dissertations

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity, due to misapplication of local anesthetic in an otherwise routine procedure, can result in deleterious effects. Although improved regional anesthesia techniques, effective test-dosing, and availability of less toxic local anesthetics have resulted in a decline in local anesthetic toxicity rates, adverse events do occur. A comprehensive review of literature was conducted and current research findings and documented case studies were systematically reviewed. The "lipid sink" phenomenon is the most widely accepted theoretical framework surrounding intravenous lipid emulsion treatment for local anesthetic induced cardiovascular collapse (Rothschild, Bern, Oswald, & Weinberg, 2010). Current evidence suggests that immediate infusion …

Intraoperative Pain Management: Attenuating Postoperative Pain In Pediatric Patients, Alicia M. Wolfgram

Theses and Dissertations

More than 5 million children undergo surgery in the United States each year, and it is estimated that up to 75% (3.75 million) of them experience significant postoperative pain (Fortier, MacLaren, Martink, Perret-Karimi, & Kain, 2009). While we have come a long way in our knowledge of pain in children, it is often found that pain is inadequately assessed and treated. Aside from the cost associated with increased utilization of medical visits, psychological implications (anxiety, avoidance, sleep disturbances), and increased parental distress related to pediatric pain, there are many physiologic changes associated with pain that may delay or prevent wound …

Amyloid-Β Dependent Microgliosis Occurs Through Src Kinase Activation In Alzheimer's Disease, Gunjan Dhawan

Theses and Dissertations

The major histopathologic hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the presence of (3-amyloid plaques that are often associated with reactive microglia in the brain. It has been suggested modulating the microglial phenotype to attenuate an inflammatory response may prove to be useful in determining therapies for prevention or delay of the disease. My dissertation supports he hypothesis that Ap stimulates microglial activation through a specific tyrosine kinase-dependent response involving the Src kinase family. Using primary mouse microglia we observed that both fibrillar and oligomeric Ap stimulated increased microglial protein phosphotyrosine levels including active levels of the kinase Src and a …

Airport Solar And Geothermal Power, Raymond Mills

Theses and Dissertations

This research study has been developed to understand how solar and geothermal energy systems are being utilized by airports throughout the United States. There is currently lit- tle specific research on this topic. As fuel prices continue to rise and sources of non- renewable energies begin to be unavailable and become economically unviable, it is im- portant that industries such as aviation continue to look toward clean, renewable sources of energy. A survey was developed and distributed to 178 airports throughout the United States to determine adoption rates of solar and geothermal energy systems and a host of other vari- …

Interoperative Pain Management: Attenuating Postoperative Pain In Paramedic Patients, Alicia M. Wolfgram

Theses and Dissertations

Intraoperative Pain Management: Attenuating Postoperative Pain in Pediatric Patients

More than 5 million children undergo surgery in the United States each year, and it is estimated that up to 75% (3.75 million) of them experience significant postoperative pain (Fortier, MacLaren, Martink, Perret-Karimi, & Kain, 2009). While we have come a long way in our knowledge of pain in children, it is often found that pain is inadequately assessed and treated. Aside from the cost associated with increased utilization of medical visits, psychological implications (anxiety, avoidance, sleep disturbances), and increased parental distress related to pediatric pain, there are many physiologic changes …

Crew Resource Management Training For Nurse Anesthesia Education, John P. Lonneman

Theses and Dissertations

Communication encores have been identified by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) as the leading cause of wrong site operations and other sentinel events (Makary et al., 2006; Neily et al., 2009). Additionally, poor teamwork in the OR results in higher morbidity and mortality (Mazzocco et al., 2009). The aviation industry has used the concepts of Crew Resource Management (CRM) for more than 20 years to reduce accidents caused by human factors (Rivers, Swain & Nixon, 2003). CRM focuses on communication, leadership, decision making and resource management to achieve safe outcomes. CRM has been shown to lower …

A Review Of Evidence-Based Clinical Performance Evaluations In Nursing Education, Sheila K. Goettle

Theses and Dissertations

The practice of Nursing requires development of higher-level cognitive skills, values, psychomotor and technological skills for care of patients across a variety of settings. Achievement of knowledge alone is not enough; professional education incorporates practice where students develop nursing competencies in order to care for patients in health settings. How does a nurse educator determine if the student has achieved the required competencies of nursing practice? This paper will discuss the results of a review of evidence based clinical performance evaluations in nursing education in order to answer this clinical question: What is the evidence to support an effective method …

Teen Perceptions Of Cellular Phones As A Communication Tool, Denise D. Jonas

Theses and Dissertations

The excitement and interest in innovative technologies has spanned centuries. However, the invention of the cellular phone has surpassed previous technology interests, and changed the way we communicate today. Teens make up the fastest growing market of current cellular phone users. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine teen perceptions of cellular phones as a communication tool by Midwest suburban middle students.

Foundational to the study was the "Evolution of Educational Technology" as a historical perspective of technological change, and how new technologies influence society, change communication, and influence how we learn (Saettler, 2004). The "Technology Adoption and …

Lipid Emulsion Therapy As Treatment For Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity, Nina R. Wentz

Theses and Dissertations

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity, due to misapplication of local anesthetic in an otherwise routine procedure, can result in deleterious effects. Although improved regional anesthesia techniques, effective test-dosing, and availability of less toxic local anesthetics have resulted in a decline in local anesthetic toxicity rates, adverse events do occur. A comprehensive review of literature was conducted and current research findings and documented case studies were systematically reviewed. The “lipid sink” phenomenon is the most widely accepted theoretical framework surrounding intravenous lipid emulsion treatment for local anesthetic induced cardiovascular collapse (Rothschild, Bern, Oswald, & Weinberg, 2010). Current evidence suggests that immediate infusion …

The Crna's Role In Educating The Pre-Hospital Provider In The Use Of Rapid Sequence Intubation, Nathan J. Koland

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Implications Of Fatigue And Sleep Loss On Medical Professionals And Countermeasures To Prevent Fatigue, Tracie J. Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The number of hours worked per individual has long been limited by the law in many professional industries. Recent increases in the incidence of medical and diagnostic errors related to fatigue has led to an increased interest in health care worker fatigue. For human beings, functioning on a 24-hour basis poses unique physiological challenges. Acknowledging and managing these challenges can promote performance, productivity, and safety in 24-hour operations. Ignoring these factors can lead to decrements in human capability and to the potential for incidents and accidents that can result in tremendous societal and individual costs. Long duty hours, reduced sleep …

Emergence Delirium: Modifying Risk Factors In Pediatric Patients, Sara J. Skatvold

Theses and Dissertations

Emergence Delirium: Modifying risk factors in pediatric patients

Emergence delirium is a known post-operative phenomenon that is more prevalent in the pediatric population, especially preschool children (Chen, Li, Hu, & Wang, 2010). According to Scott and Gold (2006), "Emergence delirium is a clinical condition in which patients are "awake" but experience alterations in disorientation and other mental status changes that range from confusion and lethargy to violent and harmful behavior" (p. 100). The underlying cause of emergence delirium is not fully understood. Knowledge of risk factors that may lead to emergence delirium will assist anesthesia providers in offering an anesthetic …

Treatment Of Opiate Abuse: Increasing Patient Self-Efficacy And Engagement In Treatment Through Education Of Providers, Kimberly Wight

Theses and Dissertations

Opiate abuse is one of the fastest growing public health concerns in the United States and has far reaching ramifications that effect individual patients and their families, communities, and the healthcare system (U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, 2010). It has been shown that there is significant gap in knowledge among healthcare providers surrounding the topic of opiate abuse and dependence as well as the available pharmacologic treatments that are available to help relieve withdrawal as well as help maintain heal truer lifestyles. In addition to this lack in knowledge there appears to be a gap in recognizing …

General Anesthetics And The Developing Brain, Tracy A. Stanz

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of children undergo seemingly safe general anesthesia and sedation to facilitate procedures located in surgery, imaging suites, radiology suites, emergency departments, and intensive care units. With appropriate doses and administration, anesthetics are thought to be fully reversible and free from lasting harm. However, those assumptions are being challenged with recent research documenting anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity with subsequent neurological sequelae. A comprehensive literature review will be performed using medical databases including CINAI-IL, Google Scholar, Medline, and PubMed. The information gathered will be presented at the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists bi-annual meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota and to the anesthesia …

Perceptions Of Basic Knowledge Needed By Perioperative Registered Nuses For Competency, Janna M. Galloway

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a study of current perceptions of perioperative nurses view of competency in the operating room. Perioperative education, competency standards, and competency assessment have been used to guide clinical and professional nursing behaviors. The need for a standardized education program and competency assessment tool has been identified, but inconsistencies and disagreement about the components that should be included for these areas still remains. A review of current literature was conducted to include topics involving perioperative education, competency assessment, and nursing perceptions regarding competency. A survey of current practicing perioperative nurses was also conducted; both qualitative and quantitative data …

Role Of Mallampati As A Predictor Of Difficult Intubation In Obese Adults, Quyen Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Morbid obesity is increasingly prevalent. Tracheal intubation in this patient population may be hampered by factors such as limited neck extensibility, redundant soft tissue in the neck, chest, and pharynx. It is unclear whether traditional clinical predictors of difficult intubation, such as Mallampati's classification, remain valid for the more obese patient population today. The purpose of this study is to review the current literature to clarify whether Mallampati's classification, first described in 1985, is relevant in the more obese population today. This study is a literature review of morbidly obese adult patients undergoing general anesthesia. A Pub Med search …

It's Not About Me: College Women And Unplanned Pregnancy, Jayne W. Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of single college women who had an unplanned pregnancy while attending a small private four-year university in the upper midwest. The conceptual framework used to provide direction for this study was social constructivism. A phenomenological approach was used to seek the reality constructed by the participants and develop subjective meaning from their experiences. The participants were all students who attended the same university and all had delivered their baby prior to the first interview. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and then analyzed for codes, categories, and themes. The following …

Phonological And Phonetic Aspects Of Enggano Vowels, Brendon E. Yoder

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes aspects of Enggano phonology and phonetics, primarily at the word level. It focuses mainly on vowels and vocoid sequences.

The Enggano phoneme inventory consists of twelve consonants and fourteen vowels in a seven-vowel oral system and an analogous seven-vowel nasal system. There are seven possible syllable types. Word stress is consistently final in both monomorphemic and polymorphemic words. Acoustic measurements show that word stress is indicated by intensity in closed syllables, and possibly by length and pitch in both open and closed syllables.

There are a few allophononic processes in Enggano. An intrusive vowel (Hall 2006) is …

Thematic Groupings In Magpie Miao Narrative, Won Ho Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Magpie Miao is a Hmong-Mien language spoken in Guizhou Province of southwest China. This thesis presents a description of three particles (jik, nid, and dik) and participant reference, which are both useful for understanding boundaries between and climaxes within thematic groupings. The primary data source for this thesis consists of five oral narratives, one of which is included in the appendix.

The three particles function as both aspectual markers and connectives. They function as the former when they occur at the end of a clause and as the latter when they occur at or near the …

Factors Predicting Exercise Behavior Of Graduate Students, Bibha Gautam

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate school is often experienced as a time of increased demands/expectations resulting in heightened levels of stress due to academic work, family responsibilities, job demands, financial pressure, and other life related issues. Besides stress, graduate school also brings about significant physical inactivity due to the shift of the immediate priority to academic accomplishment. Reports of increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among students highlight that this group may have particular risk not well-identified. Yet, relative risk can be reduced by lifestyle modifications, such as eating well, exercising, and stress reduction. The majority of the risk factors, to a …

Strategic Marketing Analysis Of The Pittsburgh Penguins, Tymothy R. Boyle

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines recent trends in the Pittsburgh Penguins popularity as weli as marketing strategy, and looks to analyze the effectiveness of the franchises last three marketing campaigns. A 2011 survey of Penguins season ticket holders is analyzed to find differentiating characteristic’s in select groups of fans, while also looking at differences that have arisen over time in fans identifying traits of the Penguins brand. The franchises last three marketing campaigns are then examined and the conclusion is made that fans identifying branding traits are changing over time. The paper concludes with a suggestion for the organization to modernize its …

Risk Associated With Urinary Tract Infections And Patients Education, Natalie Royal

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.