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Allergen Specific Immunotherapy And The Effect On Allergy Induced Asthma, Cord Tanner Landrum

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers

Allergies are a major public health problem affecting over 300 million people worldwide (Asamoah et. al). An allergic response can occur when a harmless substance, such as tree pollen, is inhaled into the body and mistakenly identified as a harmful substance. Antibodies then bind to the allergen causing a release of chemicals that leads to symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes or skin reactions. For some people, this reaction can also affect the lungs and airways leading to asthma symptoms.

This review analyzes articles from PubMed, Cochran, Clinical Key and references found from UpToDate articles to assess …

Isolation And Characterization Of Stem Cell Population In Human Proximal Tubule Cells And The Effect Of Cadmium In The Isolated Proximal Tubule Stem/Progenitor Cell Line., Swojani Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

The proximal tubules of the kidney are target sites of injury by various toxicants. Cadmium (Cd2+), an environmental nephrotoxicant can cause adverse effects and overt renal damage. To decipher the mechanisms involved in nephrotoxicity, an in-vitro model system is required. Mortal cultures of human proximal tubule (HPT) cells isolated from the renal cortex are used as models, but are difficult to acquire and have limited passage number. The immortalized HK-2 cell line, has served as a model but it lacks vectorial active transport and shows signs of lost epithelial features. Recently a new proximal tubule cell line, the RPTEC/TERT1, was …

Effects Of Early Cadmium And Selenium Exposure On Zebrafish Neural Development And Behavior, Marissa Wold

Theses and Dissertations

Cadmium is a naturally-occurring trace metal frequently found in soil that has been linked with increased prevalence of various cancers via formation of reactive oxygen species. Selenium, a widely-prevalent metalloid, antagonizes the detrimental action of cadmium and has been demonstrated to exert a rescue effect. The present work focuses on the short- and long-term effects of exposure to ecologically-relevant cadmium concentrations on zebrafish development and behavior, and compares this to co-treatment with selenium. This study has demonstrated a decrease in overall brain size, specifically telencephalic area, in response to cadmium exposure, and has documented a sparing effect of selenium treatment. …

Intergenerational Perspectives On Leadership By Men Of The Three Affiliated Tribes, Chad Beldon Dahlen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine perceptions of leadership and education held by three father-son pairs of Native American Three Affiliated Tribes members. Two father-son pairs with one triad of grandfather, father and son have all graduated from college and are considered leaders by their peers or have accomplished significant achievements, and are recognized by their community. Portraiture was used as a methodological framework for this project. Qualitative data were collected using interviews, observations, and formal and informal visits. Document analysis was used to describe and analyze how these Native fathers and sons were able to navigate …

A Cmip5 Ensemble Assessment Of Durum Wheat Production & Climate Change In North Dakota, Usa, Timothy Douglas Hochstetler Dillon

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States (US), North Dakota is the largest producer of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum), hereinafter referred to as Durum. Durum grain has a high protein content and multiple utilities in food products. We investigated the historical trends in Durum production and yield as influenced by changes in precipitation (precip) and temperature (temp). The study accounted for variations in environmental conditions by running a dynamic crop model in thirteen Durum producing counties.

The climate of North Dakota is representative of the highly productive agricultural lands of the Northern Great Plains, encompassing five US states and two Canadian provinces. The …

Examining The Relationship Between Technology Usage And Objective Assessments Of Impulsivity And Cognitive Performance In Young Adults, Sheryl Holter Vogel

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined objective measurements of cognitive performance in tasks a clinician may use when evaluating an adult for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to determine if the cell phone behavior and self-reported text-message dependency and social media use accounted for the variance in scores. Seventy-four participants were included. in stepwise multiple regression analyses. Independent sample t-tests found age of first cell phone was significantly higher for men than women and reported significantly decreased sense of control over their social media use. Reported number of texting behavior (i.e. daily number of texts sent, received, and checked) were positively correlated …

Parting A Read Sea Of Images: An Exploration Of Field Dependent-Independent Responses To Minimalist, Pictographic And Infographic Data Displays, Debra Kaye Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Western society reflects an “eikoncentric era” when contemporary instruction has become image -centered. Textbooks, journals, popular media as well as computer-based and web- based instructional media are filled by pictures that are intended to accomplish learning. Imagery is widely believed to represent an efficient, understandable method for relaying information and clarifying instruction for nearly all learners. However, those who subscribe to the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” often fail to acknowledge individual differences in visual comprehension and cognition. The field dependent-independent (FDI) cognitive style describes individual learner differences that can thwart visual learning. Information graphics are among …

Trpc1-Mediated Ca2+ Entry Regulates Metabolism By Modulating Adipose Differentiation, Autophagy, And Adiponectin Secretion, Anne Schaar

Theses and Dissertations

A multitude of organs play a critical role in managing metabolism including the liver, pancreas, gut, brain, muscle, and adipose tissue. Abnormal function in any one of these can offset the metabolic balance and negatively affect whole body function thereby contributing to the development of metabolic complications and obesity. Although no single metabolic abnormality is responsible for obesity, understanding how normal cellular processes are regulated provides us with knowledge to reverse them during times of dysfunction. The main focus of this dissertation is on the regulation of adipose tissue due to its dual role of storing excess lipids and endocrine …

Occupational Justice Concerns For Muslim Refugees In The United States, Emily Adams, Megan Peterson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background: Individuals are being displaced at alarming rates and many are from countries with a Muslim majority. Countries are beginning to study the effects of trauma and displacement on quality of life for refugees. The United States however, is lacking in studies involving health care, quality of life, and occupational justice concerns with Muslim refugees.

Objectives: To identify the experiences of Muslim refugees resettling in the United States and the resulting occupational justice issues, using Occupational Perspective of Health (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015) as an overarching theory.

Methods: Participants were obtained through convenience and snowball sampling. Participants …

Regolith Transport Rates And Grain Size Distributions On Hillslopes, Sierra Nevada, Ca, Timothy Wuenscher

Theses and Dissertations

Earth’s landforms constantly change as a result of erosion at the surface. Surface regolith is composed of a variety of different grains sizes, each having a different rate of transport. The varying rates of transport between grain sizes cause the distribution of grain sizes to change along hillslopes over time. The ability to predict grain size distributions as a function of time would be useful for determining slope stability and determining ages of landforms. However, current knowledge is limited for the varying rates of transport of different grain sizes. To better understand grain transport rates, a set of experiments was …

The S.P.I.R.I.T. Program: Spirituality Promotion Interdependence Resiliency Inclusive Therapy, Alycia Heisler, Brianna Safranski

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Native American children and adolescents are some of the most underserved people in the United States (Warzak, Dogan, & Godfrey, 2011). Common mental health problems this population typically experiences are depression, suicidal thoughts or ideation, traumatic experiences, substance use, and results of historical trauma (Brockie, Dana-Sarco, Wallen, Wilcox, & Campbell, 2015). They have the highest rates of these mental health problems, more than any other ethnic group (Evans-Campbell, Walters, Pearson, & Campbell, 2012). There is a need for preventative programs to be implemented with elementary school-aged Native American children and adolescents (Ohl, Mitchell, Cassidy, & Fox, 2008; Stigler, …

Providing Metrics-Based Results To Student Pilots For Critical Phases Of General Aviation Flights, Kelton Karboviak

Theses and Dissertations

This work details the development of the Critical Phase Analysis Tool (CPAT), a tool for analyzing and grading the quality of approach and landing phases of flight for the National General Aviation Flight Information Database (NGAFID). General Aviation (GA) accounts for the highest accident rates in Civil Aviation, and the approach and landing phases are when a majority of these accidents occur. Since GA aircraft typically lack most of the sophisticated technology that exists within Commercial Aviation, detecting phases of flight can be difficult. Moreover, because of the high variability in GA operations and abilities of the pilot, detecting unsafe …

Using Citizen Scientists To Inform Machine Learning Algorithms To Automate The Detection Of Species In Ecological Imagery, Marshall Mattingly

Theses and Dissertations

Modern data collection techniques used by ecologists has created a deluge of data that is becoming increasingly difficult to store, filter, and analyze in an efficient and timely manner. In just two summers, over 65,000 unmanned aerial system (UAS) images were collected, comprising the several terabytes (TB) of data that was reviewed by citizen scientists to generate inputs for machine learning algorithms. Uncontrolled conditions and the small size of target species relative to the background further increase the difficulty of manually cataloging the images. To assist with locating and identifying snow geese in the UAS images, a citizen science web …

American Indian Biculturalism Inventory - Pueblo, Royleen J. Ross

Theses and Dissertations

A time in American history existed when Native Americans were not allowed to express, much less retain their traditions, culture, language, and livelihood. Today, Natives are thriving in various fields at many different professional levels and have not only mastered majority culture’s ways, but have integrated them, on their own terms, into their lives. Warfare was declared upon Native Americans in the educational arena beginning in the late 1800’s, resulting in many indigenous individuals not only meeting the educational challenge posed to them, but excelled beyond expectation. Thus, in contemporary society, many Native Americans have retained their traditional ways and …

The Mobility Of Semi-Volatile Trace Elements From Size Segregated Fly Ash Particles Generated During Pulverized Coal Combustion, Prasanna Seshadri

Theses and Dissertations

Fly ash generated from pulverized coal (PC) combustion has a wide size range, including some fine aerosols. Of particular concern is the abundance and mobility of elements present in the smaller size fractions of the ash, commonly referred to as PM2.5. These particles are usually enriched with toxic trace species which are classified as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) under the amended clean air act (CAA). Interest in the control of PM2.5 is motivated mainly by health considerations and also due to their role impacting the performance of air pollution control devices such as selective catalytic reducers (SCRs).

The three trace …

Neural-Vascular Interactions In An In Vitro Model Of Cortical Forebrain Development, Kayla Michelson

Theses and Dissertations

Progressive restriction of neural stem and progenitor cell fates in the cortex has been linked to a clearly defined sequence of transcription factors that regulate neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the developing cortex. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms contributing to cell fate choice, largely focusing on intrinsic properties of the neural stem cells (NSCs), themselves, rather than microenvironmental influences such as vascular investment. To investigate the influence of vascular cells on cortical NSC fate choice, we developed a novel coculture system that utilizes Transwell® membranes and primary cultures that include an enriched NSC …

Examination Of The Depositional History Of The Lower Tyler Formation (Pennsylvanian) And Source Rock Analysis In Mckenzie County, North Dakota, Dilyn Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Results from source rock analysis and sequence stratigraphy techniques suggest the lower Tyler Formation in McKenzie County, North Dakota is a deltaic dominated environmental system. There is a complex relationship between marine and terrestrial deposition. The source rock analysis performed on seven key wells showed a majority of the samples consist of type III terrestrial kerogen. Five of those wells also indicated a type II marine kerogen. The sequence stratigraphy techniques applied showed the three high gamma ray shales marked high stand system tracts. The two paleosol facies present in the lower Tyler Formation overlie marine shales suggesting rapid sea …

Electroencephalogram Signal Processing For Hybrid Brain Computer Interface Systems, Md. Ali Haider

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to evaluate and compare three types of brain computer interface (BCI) systems, P300, steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) and Hybrid as virtual spelling paradigms. Hybrid BCI is an innovative approach to combine the P300 and SSVEP. However, it is challenging to process the resulting hybrid signals to extract both information simultaneously and effectively. The major step executed toward the advancement to modern BCI system was to move the BCI techniques from traditional LED system to electronic LCD monitor. Such a transition allows not only to develop the graphics of interest but also to …

The Effects Of 27-Hydroxycholesterol And Palmitic Acid On Parkinson's Disease-Like Pathology, Jared Schommer

Theses and Dissertations

Synucleinopathies is the overarching term used to describe a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by aggregates of α-synuclein (α-syn) protein in the cytoplasm of neurons, nerve fibers, and glial cells. The cause(s) for synucleinopathies are likely multi-factorial with genetic predisposition and environmental factors participating in the pathogenesis of the diseases. Dietary factors including dyslipidemia of cholesterol, its metabolites, and fatty acids have shown conflicting results as risk factors in recent years. Our overarching hypothesis is that dietary factors including 27-Hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) and Palmitic Acid (PA) can affect key proteins involved in synucleinopathies.

Findings regarding risk related specifically to dietary cholesterol …

Modeling Threats To Honey Bees In North Dakota From Land-Use Change And Pesticide Applications, Daniel Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

North Dakota supports the highest number of honey bee colonies in the US due to its abundance of floral resources, but threats from land-use change and pesticide applications have altered the quantity and quality of those resources in recent years. This thesis explored landscape scale pesticide use trends from both spray applied and seed treated insecticides on lands within 1.6km of ~13,000 registered apiaries North Dakota from 2001 to 2015. The regional application of five spray applied insecticides was collectively modeled using InVEST’s Habitat Quality Model during years of heightened land-use change. In these models, regional application rates were converted …

The Impact Of Implicit Attitudes On Behavioral Intentions To Prevent Suicide, Julio Brionez

Theses and Dissertations

The suicide rate in the United States of America continues to climb despite national strategies to reduce it (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & National Center for Health Statistics, 2016; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Surgeon General & National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, 2012). What the strategies lack is mechanisms to target implicit attitudes (IAs) about suicide. This omission is important as IAs have been effective at predicting future suicide attempts (Nock et al., 2010). This study used an implicit association test of attitudes to suicide (IAT-SUICIDE) to examine IAs to suicide …

Wild And Domestic: Short Stories, Sara E. Dupree

Theses and Dissertations

Wild and Domestic is a collection of short stories set in rural northwestern Minnesota that center around themes of parenting, family, and the desire for stability and security. This desire for domestic harmony often comes into conflict with the characters’ strong desire for personal freedom, self-expression, sexual gratification, and a deeper connection to the natural world—desires that are linked to the concept of wild. The collection also invites readers to reflect on its animal characters. In many of the stories, animal characters, both wild and domestic, play a role in setting up the crisis or climax of the story by …

Juror Perceptions Of Child Witness Testimonial Aids, Rachael Sophia Mickelson Hendrickson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the present study is to assess the affect testimonial supports have on mock jurors’ perceptions of child witnesses in a sexual abuse case. In general jurors’ perceptions operate on a two-factor model. The two factors are child competency and honesty. Jurors perceive children’s competency and honesty differently based on the child’s age and the mock juror’s gender. Testimonial supports have been suggested as a way to relieve some of the stress that a trial brings on a child. However, this seems to exacerbate the negative perceptions jurors already hold of child witnesses. The current juror perceptions of …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Metal-Ti3sic2 Based Multilayered Composites, Quan Tien Tran

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the design and development of novel multilayered MAX reinforced metal (MRMs) composites is reported. In literature, different studies have focused on MAX Reinforced Metals (MRMs) composites, however no research on MRMs have been on multilayered composites. In this thesis, two different types of composites were designed, (a) Type I, and (b) Type II multilayered composites. In type I composites, MRMs layers were interleaved between metal layers to create a multilayered composite. Similarly, in Type II composites - MRMs were interleaved with two different types of metal layers. In the Chapter II, synthesis of the Ni-Ti3SiC2 multilayered Type …

Battered Women Who Kill: Stereotype Influence Through The Media, Sonja Bauman

Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that stereotypes have significant influence over how individuals view women who experience domestic violence (Ayyildiz, 1995; Browne, 1989, 1993; Callahan, 1994; Goodmark, 2008; Jenkins & Davidson, 1990; Mahoney, 1991; Russell & Melillo, 2006; Schneider, 1986; Terrance & Matheson, 2003; Wimberly, 2007). It has also been suggested that battered woman syndrome may not be a complete or appropriate explanation of the emotions and experiences of battered women (Ayyildiz, 2007; Callahan, 1994; Schneider, 1986; Wimberly, 2007). The current study examined the influence of stereotype fit and battered woman syndrome nomenclature on public perceptions of a battered woman who killed …

Health Aspects Of Community-Engaged Natural Play Space Planning, Design, And Implementation, Eric Castle

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity, loss of social capital, and fewer connections to nature are three community health issues faced by many. A team of concerned individuals attempted to address the spectrum of these health issues by collaboratively engaging communities to plan, design, build and program natural play spaces located in public parks. This exploratory study, utilizing a grounded theory approach, conducted focus groups with community members who engaged in this process. The specific objectives of the study were twofold; 1) to generate theory regarding the perceived impact on social capital from the community-driven planning and construction process of the Connecting Children in Nature …

Teacher-Writer Perceptions On The Essence Of Writing: Influences, Identity And Habits Of Mind To Sustain A Writing Life, Shari L. Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

This body of work contains three articles that support the need for K-12 teachers to write

professionally and personally. The research sought to explore the questions of initial influences

to write, essentials to sustain writing and the relationship of teacher-writer development to self

authorship. Much of the previous literature produced by scholars, authors and teacher-writers

focus on the benefits for students when teachers are confident as writers. Student motivation to

write rests on the beliefs of the teacher who provides a model for writing as this shapes student

beliefs about themselves as writers. However, there is little research that provides …

The Involvement Of Polyol Pathway In Hypgerglycemia And Cadmium Toxicity In The Establishment Of Diabetic Neprhopathy, Bethany Anne Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), where prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia induces damage to proximal tubule cells of the kidney. Since progression to ESRD correlates to pathological changes in the tubular segments of the kidney, the effects of hyperglycemia in the PT portion of the nephron may be particularly relevant to the progression of DN. Development of this disease also is likely to occur in the context of exposure to other renal toxins, and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd2+) may be the most relevant due to the accumulation of this metal in the major …

Amyloid Precursor Protein And Insulin Homeostasis, Joshua Kulas

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease in which the brain progressively deteriorates resulting in cognitive decline, language impairment, diminished spatial awareness, memory loss and ultimately, death. AD is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and the number of people afflicted by AD is expected to more than double in the next 30 years. AD is characterized in part by the formation of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. It is known that these plaques are composed of the peptide Aβ, which aggregates as a function of age and is produced locally within the brain by cleavage of the Amyloid precursor …

Enhancement Of Phoshorus Removal Via Bioretention Cells Amended With Low Cost Materials, Nick Lindstrom

Theses and Dissertations

As bioretention systems are becoming an increasingly popular low impact development (LID) application for stormwater mitigation, they lack mechanisms that demobilize phosphorus (P) especially dissolved phosphorus (DP). In many cases, these LIDs release more P than is input due to a high P index derived from the plant material inherent within bioretention systems. The objectives of this project are to utilize low-cost water treatment residuals (WTR) as bioretention amendments to capture P. The adsorption characteristics are observed by means of batch level experiments to observe the P adsorption potential without the influence of hydraulic parameters, and column experiments to observe …