Digital Commons Network^™

Rock Physics Based Velocity-Porosity Correlations Developed For Estimation Of The Elastic Properties Of The Bakken Formations Of The Williston Basin, North Dakota, Lynn D. Helms

Theses and Dissertations

Oil production from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota has benefitted from significant technological advancements since its beginning approximately two decades ago. Most of the advancements resulted from better characterization of shales, which are very heterogeneous and their properties vary at different scales. The need for costly operations such as drilling long laterals and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing for production from these unconventional reservoirs, signifies the importance of understanding the physical and mechanical properties of these formations in order to reduce the risk margins and improve project economics at diffetent phases of the life of the field. Rock physics is a …

Internet Training Modules Targeting Home-Based Parent Involvement With Students In Early Childhood Special Education, Nicole Marie Reybok

Theses and Dissertations

Parental engagement is an essential element in the social-emotional and academic achievement of students. However, barriers to this involvement continue to exist. Barriers may take many forms including time, school and staff perceptions and bias, power dynamic, communication with teachers, curriculum, and differences in language and culture. Barriers to parent engagement are typically increased for parents of children with special education needs. Therefore, it is the responsibility of school staff to identify barriers that may exist for families and help them to develop solutions to overcome those barriers. This quantitative study investigated possible barriers to home-based parent involvement in Early …

The Z Factor: Generation Z And The Perspectives Of Recruitment Professionals On Sustaining Small Private Liberal Arts Institutions During A Decade Of Expected Decline In Higher Education Enrollment, Shawn Adkins

Theses and Dissertations

The increased competitive nature of higher education institutions has caused many small private liberal arts colleges/universities to struggle economically. The cost of keeping such institutions viable is high. Many institutions have had to raise tuitions rates, which resulted in decreased enrollment numbers. As a result, many institutions have been struggling; some even closing. The influences and interferences of college choice among current college-aged students (known as Generation Z) were reviewed with recruitment professionals from a handful of such institutions for this qualitative, constructivist grounded theory study. Data was collected by reviewing relevant research literature and conducting interviews with participants from …

Role Of Aurora Kinase A, Rab4a, And Endolysosomes In The Development Of Alzheimer’S Disease-Like Pathology, Zahra Afghah

Theses and Dissertations

Endosomes and lysosomes (endolysosomes) are organelles that play key roles in cell survival and cell death. These acidic intracellular organelles are the principal sites for intracellular hydrolytic activity required for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Endolysosomes are involved in the degradation of plasma membrane components, extracellular macromolecules, as well as intracellular macromolecules and cellular fragments. Understanding the physiological significance and pathological relevance of endolysosomes is now complicated by relatively recent findings of physical and functional interactions between endolysosomes and other intracellular organelles including endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, plasma membranes, and peroxisomes. Indeed, evidence clearly indicates that endolysosome dysfunction and inter-organellar signaling …

Clinical Teaching And Learning In Respiratory Therapy: An Analysis Of Student And Clinical Instructor Expectations Using The Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory, Jessica Jane Arndt

Theses and Dissertations

Quality clinical education is an essential element of respiratory therapy education yet, many respiratory therapists who serve as clinical instructors lack formal pedagogical training. To enhance clinical education and align expectations, other healthcare disciplines have utilized the Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory (CAT). The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to learn more about clinical education in respiratory therapy by examining the expectations of both clinical instructors and students regarding the CAT teaching methods. Since the required entry level education, credentials, and licensing have been a recent source of controversy within the profession, the impact of these variables was also assessed. …

The Experience Of Saudi Students Writing Academic English In Sex-Separated Classrooms, Rana Alsaadi

Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative research that investigates the experiences of undergraduate Saudi female and male students majoring in English at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. These students were part of different sections of a course that teaches academic English writing and research in an English as a Foreign Language context. These Saudi female and male students draw on their perceptions of three main points; First, how they experienced the academic English writing course in sex-separated classrooms. Second, how the current sex-separated classrooms influence their learning of English and how if this hypothetically change to mixed-sex classrooms their experiences in learning English …

The Discovery And Investigation Of Jig (Cg14850): A Previously Uncharacterized Novel Drosophila Melanogaster Protein, Sayem Hoque Bhuiyan

Theses and Dissertations

Despite Drosophila being one of the most studied model organisms in the world of research, one-third of 14,000 protein-encoding genes that the Drosophila genome possesses code for proteins that are yet uncharacterized. While investigating some of these uncharacterized Drosophila proteins, we identified a scarce protein type–a protein localized in both mitochondria and nucleus. Proteins, dual-localized in mitochondria and nucleus, establish communication between these organelles. This type of dual-localized protein is among the rarest of proteins, which limits us from fully understanding the mito-nuclear communication mechanism. Here, we tell the story of Jig, which we discovered to be one of those …

Traditional And Technology-Enhanced Learning: Faculty Perspectives And Student Experiences And Satisfaction In An Art & Design Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cynthia Margaret Boehm

Theses and Dissertations

Digital skills are essential in today’s digital age, which means that students require technology-enhanced skills in higher education to succeed in their future careers. In this study, faculty and students in an Art & Design (A&D) program at a Midwestern university were surveyed regarding their perspectives and experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this university changed its teaching and learning strategy by offering courses online during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, where quarantine was mandatory. Still, the A&D program did not provide all courses online. This study included online surveys based on three constructs of quality of studio learning, …

Real-Time Machine Learning Models To Detect Cyber And Physical Anomalies In Power Systems, Zakaria El Mrabet

Theses and Dissertations

A Smart Grid is a cyber-physical system (CPS) that tightly integrates computation and networking with physical processes to provide reliable two-way communication between electricity companies and customers. However, the grid availability and integrity are constantly threatened by both physical faults and cyber-attacks which may have a detrimental socio-economic impact. The frequency of the faults and attacks is increasing every year due to the extreme weather events and strong reliance on the open internet architecture that is vulnerable to cyber-attacks. In May 2021, for instance, Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest pipeline operators in the U.S., transports refined gasoline and jet …

An Exploratory Analysis Of A Time Synchronization Protocol For Uas, Marcos Fernandez-Tous

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides a numerical analysis of a Receiver Only Synchronization (ROS) protocol which is proposed for use by Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. The use of ROS protocols could reinforce current technologies that enable transmission over 5G cell networks, decreasing latency issues and enabling the incorporation of an increased number of UAS to the network, without loss of accuracy. A minimum squared error (MSE)-based accuracy of clock offset and clock skew estimations was obtained using the number of iterations and number of observations as independent parameters. Although the model converged after only …

P&I Club Membership As Potential Incentivization For Adherence To Best Space Traffic Management Practices: A Maritime Analogue, Cristin M. Finnigan

Theses and Dissertations

It has been said that the space environment is becoming so accessible, we are at risk of depleting it as a resource, thereby risking society’s space-dependent functions. Law, regulations, policies, and guidelines exist to guide entities to act to preserve the space environment. However, best space traffic management (STM) practice implementation and regulatory compliance could be costly and resource-intensive, especially for a small business. Some entities may not undertake innovative space endeavors at all, or worse, ignore laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines. A question arises of how space actors could be persuaded to work toward meeting STM laws, regulations, policies, …

Fostering Emerging Online Learner Persistence In Teacher Candidates: The Role Of Online Discussions, Staci Ann Gilpin

Theses and Dissertations

As the popularity of online learning continues to grow, so do concerns about online student success. This study aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of online learning and improve outcomes for a distinct group of online learners. Utilizing social presence, the expectancy-value theory of motivation, and capitalizing on innovative technologies, I advance a new framework that expands online discussions for emerging online learners, undergraduates enrolled in online and on-campus courses, and the predominant consumer of online courses. The emerging online learners in this study were also prospective teachers (n=80) enrolled in a teacher preparation course at a small midwestern …

Analysis Of Safety Event Reporting Behaviors And Attitudes Amongst Uscg Aviators, Kevan Patrick Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

Safety event reporting is an essential component of Safety Management Systems (SMS) that helps organizations identify and address hazards. USCG aviation has a robust safety reporting process, however subject matter expert review and academic studies suggest that underreporting occurs in the USCG and in similar organizations, and that certain barriers to reporting may exist. A survey was designed and distributed to active duty USCG aviators (151 valid responses received) to identify historical reporting behaviors, attitudes towards pre-identified barriers, qualitative perceptions of reporting barriers, and attitudes towards potential new reporting policy and processes. Statistical analysis of the results found that lack …

The Influence Of Attachment Security Priming On Relationship Social Comparison Interpretations, Alex James Holte

Theses and Dissertations

Relationship social comparisons occur when an individual compares their relationship to another. These comparisons are unavoidable and the interpretation of them can influence how an individual feels about their relationship. Dispositional attachment style may influence how these comparisons are interpreted. Furthermore, research has shown individuals can be temporarily primed for specific attachment styles which results in cognitions and behaviors consistent with that attachment style. The current study examined the efficacy of priming attachment security on how an individual interprets relationship social comparison interpretations (RSCIs) and relationship satisfaction. A final sample of 505 individuals in a dating relationship were recruited from …

Analysis Of The Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, Skills Survey – Healthcare Edition, Jessa Hulteng

Theses and Dissertations

Cultural competence has been identified as one of the methods needed to reduce health disparities for over the last 40 years. Despite being largely accepted method in reducing health disparities, there has been limited progress to increase cultural competence of the healthcare workforce. One of the issues identified that limits progress is inconsistent means of measuring cultural competence. Based on this issue, this study investigated the construct validity of the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey – Healthcare Edition (MAKSS-HC) using exploratory factor analysis methodology, specifically Principle Axis Factoring using oblique rotation. Results were interpreted using the Multicultural counseling competence …

Machine Learning Based Specular Highlight Detection Techniques To Enhanced Uav Indoor Navigation Through Slam, Ramtin Kardan

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned aerial vehicle technology is advancing to the point where it has a lot of potential for use in various applications. While global navigation satellite systems (GPS) enable autonomous flight in outdoor contexts, dedicated, accurate wireless localization is a prospective contender for enabling indoor navigation and associated applications. This thesis represents ongoing research in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to improve mapping solely through a camera to remove map noises resulting from glass reflections. This research aims to investigate Machine Learning (ML) approaches that detect glass specularity in direct and two-step approaches. We used YOLOv4, YOLOv4-tiny, and Deeplabv3 to detect …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between The Use Of Modern Digital Technologies, Language Learning Strategies, And Development Of Second Language Skills, Volodymyr Lazar

Theses and Dissertations

Like many other areas of human knowledge, the field of language learning has undergone changes as a consequence of the application of digital technologies. Extensive exposure and anytime and anywhere access availability to data in a second or foreign language (L2) bring almost unlimited learning opportunities for digital age students, which affects their learning behaviors also known as language learning strategies (LLS). The purpose of the present study is to define preferred LLS patterns of digitally native L2 learners and to establish relationships between types of existing digital technologies, learners’ demographic characteristics, and the use of learning strategies to support …

Efficient Distance Accuracy Estimation Of Real-World Environments In Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays, Fatima Kuehn

Theses and Dissertations

Virtual reality (VR) is a very promising technology with many compelling industrial applications. As many advancements have been made recently to deploy and use VR technology in virtual environments, they are still less mature to be used to render real environments. The current VR systems settings, which are developed for virtual environments rendering, fail to adequately address the challenges of capturing and displaying real-world virtual reality that these systems entail. Before these systems can be used in real life settings, their performance needs to be investigated, more specifically, depth perception and how distances to objects in the rendered scenes are …

The Architecture And Dynamics Of Gene Regulatory Networks Directing Cell-Fate Choice During Murine Hematopoiesis, Joanna Handzlik

Theses and Dissertations

Mammals produce hundreds of billions of new blood cells every day througha process known as hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis starts with stem cells that develop into all the different types of cells found in blood by changing their genome-wide gene expression. The remodeling of genome-wide gene expression can be primarily attributed to a special class of proteins called transcription factors (TFs) that can activate or repress other genes, including genes encoding TFs. TFs and their targets therefore form recurrent networks called gene regulatory networks (GRNs). GRNs are crucial during physiological developmental processes, such as hematopoiesis, while abnormalities in the regulatory interactions of …

Higher Education Faculty Members’ Experiences In Designing A Quality Syllabus For Online Education, Yusuf Adam Marafa

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is rapidly changing, and instructors are striving to match the needs of 21st-century digital learners. There is a growing demand and shift from traditional classes to the online mode of instruction for most post-secondary learning institutions. Additionally, with the recent pandemic (COVID-19), post-secondary institutions had to transform and revise their courses to online and hybrid models. Higher education institutions struggled with limited knowledge, skills, and resources to design syllabi and implement online education courses to meet the needs of their students to attain quality education.

The purpose of this study was to explore higher education faculty members' experiences …

Landscape Ecology Influence On Population Dynamics And Gene Flow: A Muskrat’S Tale, Ayla A. Morehouse

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding movement patterns across a landscape is an essential tool for wildlife managers to understand and predict population dynamics, interactions, and susceptibility to disease and environmental changes. Part of this is due to population spatial synchrony being driven by three primary factors: dispersal, the “Moran Effect”, and trophic interactions. We seek to understand if dispersal may play a larger role in population synchrony and, if so, what landscape features may hinder the movement of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), a small semiaquatic mammal that relies on ditches and shallow wetlands for habitat and local movement. In this study we genotyped eleven microsatellite …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Body Mapping Instruction On Singers’ Static Standing Posture And Posture While Singing, Amanda Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

Physical posture is one of the fundamental aspects of vocal technique, and voice pedagogues suggest that effective alignment is necessary for healthy vocal production. Body Mapping (BMG) is a somatic method that focuses on the understanding and correction of errors in a person’s body map to facilitate effective movement for musical activity. Because this method has balance, physical alignment, and posture as foundational, it may be an effective way to begin to instruct students. This study investigated whether the use of the BMG method, which teaches posture through movement, scientific pictures, and anatomical models, would result in a significant difference …

Engaging Undergraduate Students In Classroom Discussion: Exploring Impacts On Reflective Judgment Skills, Aubrey Mae Madler

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions are to teach advanced thinking skills that help students process information, make judgments, and justify associated beliefs. Such skills are necessary for reflective judgment according to the reflective judgment model (RJM). The purpose of this study was to explore whether engaging undergraduate students in classroom discussion surrounding ill-structured problems impacted these advanced thinking skills. It implemented a quasi-experimental, posttest-only control-group design using the validated semi-structured Reflective Judgment Interview (RJI) protocol to score reflective judgment skills of sixteen undergraduate students. The RJM and its RJI protocol, developed by King and Kitchener (1994) categorizes thinking into three main areas: …

Prioritizing Gifted Pedagogy In Middle School Honors: A Delphi Study, Bailey Nafziger

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the perceptions of gifted specialists and middle school honors teachers to determine which elements from gifted pedagogy can be used to motivate gifted adolescents in an honors classroom setting. In addition, the priorities of gifted specialists and honors classroom teachers were compared to highlight key patterns. The Delphi approach was used to facilitate three rounds of anonymous collaboration between the two expert groups. Three priorities emerged through the collaboration: 1) critical thinking, 2) acceleration, and 3) goals of the class and curriculum. While social emotional issues were priorities in initial rounds, no social emotional priorities were selected …

The Relationship Between Growth Mindset, Perceptions Of Academic Stress, And Substance Use In First-Year Law Students, Bradley Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental correlational study was to examine the relationship between growth mindset, perceptions of academic stress, alcohol use, and drug use in first-year law students during their first semester of study. Previous researchers found law students reported levels of mental distress during the first semester of law school that were significantly higher than those reported before starting law school. Some commentators have theorized that the stressful nature of law school contributes to – if not creates – this mental distress. This study sought to explore that relationship. Among its 205 participants, this study found a significant positive …

The Key Actions Of School Leaders That Contribute To Effective Implementation Of Restorative Practice, Amy L. Starzecki

Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of students are faced with significant social, emotional, and behavioral needs that translate into a variety of problem behaviors in schools. These behaviors often result in suspension or expulsion. Exclusionary discipline practices such as suspension and expulsion negatively impact student outcomes and achievement. Additionally, these practices are often disproportionately applied to specific student populations (i.e., students of color, students with disabilities, and boys). Schools across the United States are looking for alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices that remove students from classroom instruction. Restorative practice can be an alternative to traditional punitive discipline approaches by promoting strong interpersonal …

Multinomial Logistic And Negative Binomial Regressions Of Campus Instructional Modes, Institutional Characteristics, And Covid-19 Case Counts In Fall 2020 In The Midwest, Katherine Marian Tyler

Theses and Dissertations

In spring of 2020, a global pandemic shifted American institutions of higher education into a crisis with unprecedented unknown information, guidelines that changed continuously, and impacted the personal and professional lives of students, faculty and staff. This study examined the relationships (1) between campus size, geographic setting, locus of control in Midwest and Mountain American higher educational institutions and their instructional mode in fall 2020, and (2) between those institutional characteristics and the number of reported campus COVID-19 cases in the fall of 2020. Using a multinomial logistic regression and a negative binomial regression with an estimated parameter dispersion, the …

Genetic Breed Association And Contraceptive Response Gwas Of The Feral Horses (Equus Caballus) Of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Melissa Amy Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) is home to a herd of feral horses (Equus caballus) which were present on the landscape prior to the establishment of the park and are now maintained as a living history demonstration herd. I used genomic analyses to investigate the TRNP horses’ relatedness to other breeds and the genetic basis for variation in response to a contraceptive vaccine. DNA from 118 horses was genotyped for 70k SNPs spread evenly across the genome. To clarify the relationship of this herd with other horses, I used population genomic analyses to compare the TRNP genotypes to a dataset …

Ice Hockey Goaltender Performance: Examining The Role Of Basic Psychological Needs And Self-Determined Motivation, Nathan Dean Speidel

Theses and Dissertations

Ice hockey goaltending is a physically and mentally challenging task within a complex sport. Although goaltending has been shown to contribute more to team success outcomes than any other ice hockey position, goalies are often misunderstood and either under or improperly coached. As a result, goaltenders, coaches, parents, and hockey organizations alike express a need for deeper understanding of the position, especially its mental aspects. Motivation has long been considered a foundational factor for athletic success and continues to be recognized as essential for athlete performance and overall well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze fundamental psychosocial …

Voice Of The Voiceless: Alumni Of A Rural North Dakota School Respond To Traditional Urban Solutions For Rural Education, Thomas Warman

Theses and Dissertations

Equitable school district funding is a constant challenge for state legislatures. When budgets must be trimmed, the panacea for state legislatures has traditionally been approached strictly through the lens of economic efficiency. Since small rural schools typically have a greater per pupil cost, they are often forced into consolidating with nearby districts based on size alone. This research looked at how North Dakota should approach any changes to N.D. Cent. Code § 15.1-12 (n.d.), dealing with mandatory consolidation. Two theoretical frameworks were used in this research. The first, isomorphism, examined definitions of proper school district size and have been defined …