Digital Commons Network^™

Adequacy Of Labor Epidural Information For Informed Consent, Darla J. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Legally and ethically, obtaining informed consent for labor epidural analgesia means that the patient has a substantial understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine if labor epidural analgesia education provided by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to expectant women during antenatal childbirth education classes improved the recall of risks associated with labor epidural analgesia. This study also determined pregnant women's sources of labor epidural information and the perceived adequacy of that information. The role of the antenatal childbirth education class as an opportunity for labor epidural education from trained anesthesia …

Characterization Of Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes In The Rodent Hippocampus, Christopher A. Knudson

Theses and Dissertations

Catecholaminergic input, acting through adrenergic receptors (AR), serves an important role in regulating the activity of the hippocampus; however, the synaptic elements whereby the abundant input mediates its actions remains obscure. Immunohistochemical and molecular biological techniques and a variety of experimental animal models, were used to examine the adrenergic receptor profiles displayed by distinct populations of neurons (interneurons and principal cells) or glial in rodent hippocampus. In the adult rat, immunoreactive puncta for eight of the nine adrenergic receptor subtypes were differentially distributed amongst regional glia, blood vessels, and neurons of the subiculum, hippocampus proper and dentate gyrus. Developmentally, there …

Historic Origin, Range Expansion, And Habitat Suitability Of Introduced Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) In California, Ronald E. Loggins

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes this historic origin, recent range expansion, and a generalized habitat suitability model for wild pigs (Sus scrofa ) in California. The genetic origins of wild pigs in California was determined to be of European and Asian descent by comparing published mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data from European and Asian wild and domestic pigs with 107 wild pig mtDNA sequences from California. Based on the clustering of mtDNA genotypes, the recent range expansion of wild pigs in California was a function of both natural range expansion and multiple hunter related introductions. Analysis of the range expansion of wild …

Brownian Dynamics Simulations Of Interactions Between Aldolase, Gapdh Or Ldh With Cytoskeletal Proteins, Eric N. Njabon

Theses and Dissertations

One potentially important step in the compartmentation of glycolysis is the binding of glycoltic enzymes including: fructose-1 .6-biphosphate aldolase (aldolase), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoforms to cytoskeletal proteins like: F-actin or tubulin which is the major building block of microtubules. Tetrameric LOH can have different isoforms resulting from all possible combination of the muscle (M) or heart (H) type monomers. The LDH mixed tetrameric isoforms, LDH-M3H, LDH-MMHH, LDH-MHMH, LDH-MHHM and LDH-MH3, give distinctive electrostatic potentials and charges. If the positive electrostatic potential region between subunits A/D and subunits B/C, remains intact (such as in M3H) the mixed …

Effect Of Motivation On Superlative Responding Among Aviation And Psychology Students On The Mmpi-2, Peter A. Schmutzer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether highly motivating instructional conditions on MMPI-2 had a differential effect on the resulting MMPI-2 profiles of undergraduate aviation and psychology majors, particularly on the validity, clinical, and content scales. Of particular interest was the effect that instructional condition had on Superlative Self-Presentation (S) scale scores among aviation majors. One hundred and thirty-two upper-level undergraduate psychology and aviation majors at the University of North Dakota were randomly assigned to complete the MMPI-2 under one of two instructional conditions, "High Motivation" (HM) or "Standard Instructions" (SI). Results of the study showed that HM …

Expression Of The Gtp And Atp Specific Isoforms Of Succinyl -Coa Synthetase In Mouse And Human., Kristin Nora Tews

Theses and Dissertations

Succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) in eukaryotes is an alpha-beta heterodimer with the nucleotide specificity residing within the beta subunit. It was previously believed that animals have the GTP-specific isoform, while plants and bacteria possess the ATP-specific isoform. However, recent work demonstrated that both isoforms of SCS exist in mammals, and the cDNA sequences for the GTP and ATP-specific beta subunits have been determined for mouse and human. The complete genomic sequence for any of the subunits of SCS in a eukaryotic organism had not been elucidated. The promoter structures of the SCS subunits, as well as the relative expression of the …

Oxidative Stress And Diabetic Cardiomyopathy., Loren Eugene Wold

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease independent of micro-/macro-vascular complications, is manifested by prolonged action potential duration and prolonged cardiac contraction and relaxation. Several rationales have been postulated for the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy including reactive oxygen species generation, although the precise mechanism is still undefined. My central hypothesis is that oxidative damage is the ultimate cause of diabetic cardiomyopathy. In vivo: Mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of the antioxidant metallothionein (MT) were made diabetic with the β-cell toxin streptozotocin (STZ) and isolated myocytes were studied. In vitro: Doxorubicin (Dox), a potent anti-cancer drug and reactive oxygen species donor and STZ …

Characterization Of Src -Suppressed C -Kinase Substrate (Ssecks) In Rat Primary Sensory Neurons., Sandra Marie Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

SSeCKS (src suppressed C kinase substrate) is a proposed protein kinase C substrate that has been localized in the peripheral and central nervous system. In this study, approximately 40% of small primary sensory neurons in the DRG contain SSeCKS-immunoreactivity with many of these cells devoid of SP (4.8%), CGRP (4.7%), or FRAP reactivity (45.0%). In the spinal cord, SSeCKS-immunoreactive axon collaterals terminate in the dorsal third of lamina IIouter suggesting that these fibers are unmyelinated C-, or small diameter myelinated Aδ-, fibers. Additionally, capsaicin treatment essentially obliterated SSeCKS immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn. Quantitative analysis of dorsal root ganglia revealed …

Educating Nurses On The Impact Of Domestic Violence On Preschool Children Ages 0-5, Beverly A. Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Domestic violence crosses all boundaries of culture, ethnicity, religion, education, age and socioeconomic class. Exposing young, impressionable children to violence may be traumatic and life-altering. Exposure to domestic violence can harm children cognitively, emotionally, physically and developmentally. During infancy and early childhood, children make frequent acute and well-child visits to healthcare providers. These frequent visits provide nurses multiple opportunities to identify risk and offer interventions that may foster a child's resilience to the impact of domestic violence exposure.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to provide a continuing education session for nurses to increase their knowledge …

Spinal Versus Epidural Anesthesia For The Management Of Patients With Preeclampsia Undergoing Elective Of Urgent Elective Or Urgent Cesarean Section, Lonna M. Potter

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, is a complication that increases maternal and fetal risk and complicates the selection of regional analgesia and anesthesia. Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) work as part of a collaborative team properly managing analgesia and anesthesia in women with preeclampsia during labor and delivery. The purpose of the project is to identify the degree of hemodynamic stability associated with two commonly used regional anesthesia techniques, spinal or epidural, in patients with preeclampsia. The goal was to identify current evidence supporting best practice in analgesic and anesthetic management of patients with preeclampsia

A comprehensive review of …

Acoustic Correlates Of Fortis/Lenis In San Francisco Ozolotepec Zapotec, Anita J. Leander

Theses and Dissertations

Analyses of the Zapotec family of languages often divide consonants into categories of strong and weak consonants, more commonly known as fortis and lenis. These given categories usually correspond to voiceless and voiced, respectively. In San Francisco Ozolotepec Zapotec (SFOZ) and Santa Catarina Xanaguía Zapotec (SCXZ), prior analyses describe the fortis/lenis distinction in terms of duration, voicing, and articulatory force. This description parallels other impressionistic descriptions in Isthmus-Valley and Southern Zapotec variants. However, no study has objectively identified the acoustic patterns of the fortis/lenis contrast in SFOZ or in any Southern, Valley, or Isthmus Zapotec language. A previous instrumental study …

Postpartum Depression In Anishinaabe American Indians, Natalie M. Nicholson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to better understand the personal experience of postpartum depression among Anishinaabe American Indian women and further examine how various resources such as family, friends, Traditional healing, local and healthcare options were utilized. In addition advice was sought from a Traditional leader as to how these women can care for themselves in the postnatal period and how providers can properly manage their care.

A descriptive qualitative analysis approach was used. Interviews were conducted in 1-1.5 hours in the home of the Anishinaabe American Indian women who are from Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indian Reservation. …

Volume 45, Number 49: July 30, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 45, Number 48: July 23, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 45, Number 47: July 16, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Vol. 33, No. 3: Summer 2008, School Of Medicine & Health Sciences

North Dakota Medicine Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 45, Number 40: May 28, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 45, Number 38: May 14, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Risks Of Skin Cancer And Photoaging Associated With Indoor Tanning, Amy Knutson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vitamin D Supplementation And Breastfed Infants, Jana Zwilling

Theses and Dissertations

Exclusive breastfeeding has been proven to be the best sole source of nutrition for infants until six months of age when supplemental foods may be added. Controversies have arisen regarding the necessity for vitamin D supplementation prior to six months of age in exclusively breastfed infants. There are inconsistent practices and information provided to parents regarding the need to provide vitamin D supplementation to their infants. Therefore, the puqJose of this project was to determine the cmTent evidence for vitamin D supplementation in exclusively breastfed infants in the first six months of life. Current evidence supports supplementing exclusively breastfed infants …

Reactive Airway Disease In Relation To Indoor Air Quality, Latoria Williams

Theses and Dissertations

You're at work. The housekeepers have just sprayed a chemical in the air. You can't breathe. The purpose of this project is to identify the types of diseases and symptomology created by poor indoor air quality and use this information to inform other healthcare professionals

Many different terms are used to describe this phenomenon; environmental health, environmental illness, sick building/house syndrome, and multiple chemical sensitivity. There are also a wide variety of diseases/symptoms created by this phenomenon. The search revealed that back in the 70s and 80s the term used was reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) but the more popular …

Childless Women In The Plays Of William Inge, Tennessee Williams, And Edward Albee, Suzanne Macdonald Winkel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of three major twentieth-century American playwrights—William Inge, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee—and their dramatic use of childless women characters in Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) respectively. Although the plays of Inge, Williams, and Albee have been analyzed individually by numerous scholars, they have not been studied together as works about procreation and childlessness. The study's historical focus is the post World War II era during which time the three plays proposed for analysis were written and produced. Commonly called the baby boom …

Toward A New Perspective In Literary Criticism: Transgenerational Psychoanalysis And Anasemic Procedures, Gustav Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation—Toward a New Perspective in Literary Criticism: Transgenerational Psychoanalysis and Anasemic Procedures"—is a contribution to literary criticism. It offers a new perspective in psychoanalytical criticism on how characters in literary narratives can be interpreted. By examining key concepts in psychoanalysis, which have been used in the humanities for decades, the present inquiry draws on transgenerational psychology, as elaborated by German and French theorists, and anasemic interpretations generated by M. Torok and N. Abraham's psychoanalytical approach. Based on the assumption that a character's psychic life is determined by factors that cannot be confined to intrapsychic processes alone, the transgenerational perspective …

Altered Signaling By Fibronectin Fragments Creates A Potent Chondrolytic State, Lei Ding

Theses and Dissertations

It has been shown that fibronectin fragments (Fn-fs) greatly augment cartilage proteoglycan (PG) depletion by up-regulating matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and catabolic cytokines. The activities of three different Fn-fs have been studied: an amino terminal 29-kDa which is most potent with a weak affinity to the α5β1, integrin, the receptor for native fibronetin (Fn); a 50-kDa gelatin-binding Fn-f with no known interaction with Fn receptor; and a 140-kDa Fn-f which is the least potent and has a RGDS sequence which can bind to the α5β1 integrin. Confocal studies showed that Fn-fs caused diffusion of α5β 1 integrin clusters which were seen …

Regulation Of Pro-Inflammatory Responses By Ligands Of The Nuclear Receptor Pparγ, Andrew P. Woster

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation-related neurotoxicity is evident in a number of different models neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Multiple Sclerosis, and HIV-associated dementia. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists inhibit a number of select pro-inflammatory changes in models of CNS and systemic inflammation. Recent reports suggest that these anti-inflammatory effects are due to mechanisms other than canonical nuclear receptor-mediated transcriptional alteration. Results reported here demonstrate that rosiglitazone, a PPARγ-activating thiazolidinedione, decreases tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) secretion in both primary microglia and the monocytic cell line, THP-1. Cells were pretreated with various PPARγ ligands, including rosiglitazone, prior to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide …

Light Induced Changes In The Photoreceptor Outer Segments, Vikram Palamalai

Theses and Dissertations

Light induced retinal degeneration in animals has been used to study human retinal degenerative disorders. Apoptosis is the final common pathway for photoreceptor degeneration in both the experimental model and human disease but the mechanism is unknown. Oxidative stress plays a role because antioxidants have been shown to be protective against experimental degeneration. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) are also protective suggesting a role for nitric oxide. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) a key enzyme in glycolysis was identified as one of the proteins undergoing significant nitration in our studies on light induced retinal degeneration. This study focuses on the changes …

Volume 45, Number 32: April 02, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

The Forum: Spring 2008, Rick Abbott, Holly Johnson, Travis Waswick, Amanda Unruh, Jessica Skroch, Emily Hill, Andrew Rilometo

UND Publications

Spring 2008 journal of the Honors Program at the University of North Dakota. The issue includes stories, poems, essays and art by undergraduate students.

Best Management Practices For Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration On Private Lands In The Prairie Pothole Region, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about managing private lands in the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership region to promote effective carbon sequestration. Outlines how to maximize carbon sequestration across various landscapes. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Vol. 33, No. 2: Spring 2008, School Of Medicine & Health Sciences

North Dakota Medicine Archive

No abstract provided.