Digital Commons Network^™

Plant And Arthropod Associations With Environmental Gradients In A Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Bryon Wayne Deal

Theses and Dissertations

Plants and arthropods are the base of grassland communities, and their interactions with environmental gradients and each other can determine their composition and spatial structure within a site. The composition and spatial structure of these communities can determine how they contribute to grassland function, yet grassland conservation and restoration efforts typically do not consider both plants and arthropods. As a result, our understanding of how plant and arthropod communities assemble in response to environmental gradients, and each other, in the same space is incomplete. Furthermore, most studies of grassland community assembly do not address assembly across multiple taxonomic levels, and …

Sex Offender Treatment And Legal Policy Perception In Relation To Information Presentation Style, Kirsten Sierra Engel

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender treatment, policy, and perception are greatly intertwined in the numerous policies in place. Current policies tend to reflect negative perceptions toward both sex offenders and treatment and an inaccurate view of the effectiveness of current sex offender policies. The source of these inaccurate views, however, is not entirely clear, with some researchers linking it to a simple lack of exposure to accurate information. Additionally, the broadly negative perceptions, emotions, and beliefs may be leading individuals to utilize more superficial routes of processing, as explained by the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Given the potential for the public’s opinion to make …

The Effects Of Flipped Learning On Critical Thinking Disposition Among Undergraduate College Students, Mark J. Dusenbury

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if flipped learning has an effect on students critical thinking disposition, how students’ perceptions of flipped learning changed during the semester, and if students in the flipped classroom performed better academically. Participants for this longitudinal, quasi-experimental classroom study included 81 participants, the majority freshman and sophomores at a large Midwestern university, whom registered for an aviation Human Factors course. Two measures in this study examined critical thinking disposition and students’ perceptions longitudinally (pretest and posttest) during the 16 week semester. Paired samples t-tests, independent samples t-tests, and a MANCOVA were used to …

Chronic Amphetamine Exposure Causes Long Term Effects On Dopamine Uptake In Cultured Cells, Nafisa Ferdous

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which belongs to the catecholamine and phenethylamine families of organic compounds, and plays an important role in the regulation of reward, movement, attention, behavior and cognition. Dopamine neurotransmission is marked by the initiation of its release from the pre-synaptic neurons and the signal is terminated by re-uptake of dopamine from the synapse. The synaptic concentration of dopamine and therefore, the level dopamine receptor stimulation is regulated to an extent by the activity of the dopamine transporter (DAT). DAT is responsible for the uptake of dopamine back into the presynaptic neuron from the synapse. DAT is known …

School Experiences Of Middle School Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shannon D. Grave

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the school experiences of adolescents with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in sixth through eighth grade. Two research questions guided this study: what were the participants’ day to day experiences and what were their perceptions of those experiences? The results of the study yielded three conclusions. First, school can be a confusing and unpredictable source of stress. This stress can be ameliorated through increased predictability in the classroom and through adaptations to materials based on individualized needs and preferences. Specific classroom based strategies were identified and discussed, with clear shared preferences emergent. Participants indicated preferences …

Teachers Walking The Talk: Four Teachers' Perceptions And Instruction Of Reading Minilessons, Cindy Marie Gregg

Theses and Dissertations

This study is about teachers’ reading minilesson instruction. Research questions sought information about teachers’ perceptions of their minilessons, what content was taught, and what instruction was like. Describing teachers’ minilesson instruction is of interest because this type of lesson is well-described in the reading education literature but relatively little is known about what occurs in classroom settings.

In this study teachers’ explicit instruction of reading content is viewed through the lens of the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model of instruction. In particular, the “Teacher Does” Phase of GRR model was of interest because it aligns with the explicit instructional …

Old Tales, New Renditions: The Foundations And Development Of Anti-Semitic Ritual Murder Libels With Emphasis On A Shift In Centrality From Crucifixion To Blood Motifs In Late Medieval And Early Modern German Contexts, Evan John Halbach

Theses and Dissertations

The terms “ritual murder libel” and “blood libel” both refer primarily to medieval and early modern anti-Semitic allegations that Jews murdered Christian children on religious holidays, either to abuse or profane Christ and Christians, or to acquire Christian blood for use in Jewish ritual, sorcery, or as a medicine to treat stereotypical racial infirmities. Scholars to this point have generally treated the two libels as either synonymous, or have considered distinctions to be relatively insignificant. Insufficient treatment has been given to an inversion of primary and secondary motivations attributed to the libels’ constructed villains. In “ritual murder libels,” contempt for …

Cntf Potentiates Survival And Sprouting Of Axotomized Magnocellular Neurons, Kathryn E. Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is believed to promote neuronal sprouting and survival within the magnocellular neurosecretory system (MNS) by means of astrocyte activation following injury. When CNTF binds to its receptor complex, CNTF receptor alpha, located on the extracellular surface of the astrocyte, it initiates the Jak/STAT3 pathway. The activation of this pathway and the translocation of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) to the nucleus is believed to lead to the release of multiple factors that act in a paracrine manner to influence survival and sprouting of MNS neurons. To confirm the ability of CNTF to activate the astrocyte, the three receptor …

Spirituality And Student Engagement At A Small, Church-Related Private College, Hal Henry Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

The undergraduate collegiate years are filled with growth and development for students. As students experience and progress through their collegiate years, they are often confronted with difficult life questions, such as what is the meaning of life or why am I here? Oftentimes, the question is why do bad things happen? The purpose of this study is to better understand relationship between student engagement and spirituality.

Undergraduate students at a small, church-related private college in the Upper Midwest were surveyed in the Spring 2015 semester using the College Students’ Beliefs and Values Survey (CSBVS).

Alexander Astin’s I-E-O model was utilized …

Tradeshow Exhibits As Places Of Learning: A Case Study Of An Exhibit House In The Midwest, Sachel Colin Josefson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to understand tradeshow exhibits as places of learning. The existing literature suggests that tradeshows are events of learning, but the purpose of this research study was to fill a pronounced gap in the literature by better understanding tradeshow exhibits as places of learning through the perceptions and experiences of industry professionals at a Midwestern exhibit house. Tradeshows have traditionally been understood to be temporary marketplaces where organizations from a given industry convene to display their products and services to potential buyers. While tradeshow exhibits are still seen in this research study as temporary …

Exploring Pedagogical Decision Making And Metacognition Of Faculty Teaching Abroad, Yuliya Kartoshkina

Theses and Dissertations

The number of faculty-led short-term study abroad programs is growing rapidly. However, the literature on pedagogical design of such programs is very limited. This qualitative research study was conducted to explore how faculty members make pedagogical decisions about teaching abroad as well as cognitive processes they engage in when making these decisions. Six faculty members from different institutions and academic departments were interviewed. Their colleagues recognized them as experts in the field based on years of teaching abroad and effectiveness of their practice.

Two important findings came out of this study. First, when making pedagogical decisions about teaching abroad, all …

Design And Implementation Of Co-Operative Control Strategy For Hybrid Ac/Dc Microgrids, Rasel Mahmud

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is mainly divided in two major sections: 1) Modelling and control of AC microgrid, DC microgrid, Hybrid AC/DC microgrid using distributed co-operative control, and 2) Development of a four bus laboratory prototype of an AC microgrid system. At first, a distributed cooperative control (DCC) for a DC microgrid considering the state-of-charge (SoC) of the batteries in a typical plug-in-electric-vehicle (PEV) is developed. In DC microgrids, this methodology is developed to assist the load sharing amongst the distributed generation units (DGs), according to their ratings with improved voltage regulation. Subsequently, a DCC based control algorithm for AC microgrid is …

Estimating Optically-Thin Cirrus Cloud Induced Cold Bias On Infrared Radiometric Satellite Sea Surface Temperature Retrieval In The Tropics, Jared Wayne Marquis

Theses and Dissertations

Passive longwave infrared radiometric satellite-based retrievals of sea surface temperature (SST) at instrument nadir are investigated for cold bias caused by unscreened optically-thin cirrus (OTC) clouds (cloud optical depth < 0.3; COD). Level 2 split-window SST retrievals over tropical oceans (30 S - 30 N) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) radiances collected aboard the NASA Aqua satellite (Aqua-MODIS) are collocated with cloud profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument, mounted on the independent NASA CALIPSO satellite. OTC are present in approximately 25% of tropical quality-assured (QA) Aqua-MODIS Level-2 data, representing over 99% of all contaminating cirrus found. This results in cold-biased SST retrievals using either split- (MODIS, AVHRR and VIIRS) or triple-window (AVHRR and VIIRS only) retrieval methods. SST retrievals are modeled based on operational algorithms using radiative transfer model simulations conducted with a hypothetical 1.5 km thick OTC cloud placed incrementally from 10.0 - 18.0 km above mean sea level for cloud optical depths (COD) between 0.0 - 0.3. Corresponding cold bias estimates for each sensor are estimated using relative Aqua-MODIS cloud contamination frequencies as a function of cloud top height and COD (assuming them consistent across each platform) integrated within each corresponding modeled cold bias matrix. Split-window relative OTC cold biases, for any single observation, range from 0.40 - 0.49 C for the three sensors, with an absolute (bulk mean) bias between 0.10 - 0.13 C. Triple-window retrievals are more resilient, ranging from 0.03 - 0.04 C relative and 0.11 - 0.16 C absolute. Cold biases are constant across the Pacific and Indian Ocean domains. Absolute bias is smaller over the Atlantic, but relative bias is larger due to different cloud properties indicating that this issue persists globally.

A Hydrometeorological And Geospatial Analysis Of Precipitation Within The Glacial Ridge Wildlife Refuge Using The R2ain-Gis Tool, William John Mokry

Theses and Dissertations

Weather radar (radio detection and ranging) is a specialized meteorological tool used to sample and track meteorological objects. This tool is critical for meteorologists and public decision-makers to inform and provide for their constituents in a timely manner, often with the protection of lives and property on the line. With the application of using meteorological and geospatial data in the realm of geographic information systems (G.I.S.), the task of blending the two sciences to inhibit further research and dissemination of information occurs.

This study focuses on the creation and implementation of a new geospatial tool, the Radar and Rainfall Analyzed …

Britain's First War With Kandy: Landscape, Violence, And Conquest In Colonial Sri Lanka, Elizabeth Anne Mjelde

Theses and Dissertations

Accounts of travel to Sri Lanka published during the period of British conquest (1796 through 1818) reveal a consistent yet problematic tendency: despite ongoing military conflict, visual artists constructed representations of the island as a peaceful and orderly place. The contradiction is heightened when travelers’ uniformly tranquil images of Sri Lanka are juxtaposed with documented acts of destruction to land and property, undertaken by troops during Britain’s first war with the inland kingdom of Kandy, a conflict which eventually led to the island’s complete colonization. The present study reconciles this contradiction through analysis of publications by each of five artists …

New Mothers' Perceptions Of Breastfeeding, The Transition To Parenthood, And The Partner Alliance: A Grounded Theory Study, Jennifer Amy Munch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine first-time mothers’ perceptions of the interaction between their partner relationship, transition to parenthood, and breastfeeding. The study utilized the qualitative method of constructivist grounded theory (CGT) to achieve these means. Participants included eight primiparous and cohabiting and partnered mothers. Each participant was between 3 to 8 months postpartum when they completed a semi-structured 1.5 to 2 hour phone interview. They were asked questions related to their experiences with becoming new parents and breastfeeding, including changes, challenges, and overcoming barriers. They were also asked to share their views and feelings related to their …

Sensitivity Of Two-Dimensional Stereo (2ds) Probe Derived Parameters To Particle Orientation, Joseph Robert O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Information on the size distribution, orientation and the axial ratio of ice particles is important for the improvement of precipitation retrievals by polarized radar. However, uncertainty in the natural particle orientation and axial ratios remains due to the difficulty in obtaining in situ observations of these parameters. This difficulty arises because of possible re-orientation of particles by airflow around aircraft sampling instrumentation. Due to this possible re-orientation, observations of ice particles become a function of the viewing angle of the sampling instrumentation. The two-dimensional stereo (2D-S) optical array probe (OAP) manufactured by SPEC, Inc. offers the capability for comparison between …

Exposing Second Year Medical Students To The Clinical Reasoning Process Prior To High Fidelity Simulation Learning, Phondie Simelane Simelane

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical reasoning is a highly complex process that is both difficult to impart and acquire (Bowen 2006, Custers 2005, Merriënboer 2010, Schmidt 2015). Second year medical learners appear to lack strategy to effectively step through the presented scenarios (Allen, personal communication, March 2, 2015). Though possessing a degree of background knowledge, immature clinical reasoning skills make data collection (focused history, focused review of systems and focused physical assessments) a challenge to efficiently navigate. As oppose to discriminating their line of questions, learners sweep through a wide range of information. Consequently, problem solving takes on a shot gun approach resulting in …

Accounting For Students' Course Achievement And Decision To Major In Accounting: A Longitudinal Examination Of Motivation And Emotion Predictors, Tammy Louise Gerszewski

Theses and Dissertations

Accounting programs face the challenge of attracting and retaining the best students in accounting degree programs in order to meet the current and future demands of the accounting profession. Most of the past research into this issue has lacked theoretical foundations and rigor found in other disciplines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between business students’ motivations and achievement emotions, and to test how these constructs predict accounting major selection and academic achievement. To achieve this purpose, two complimentary theoretical frameworks not previously applied within the accounting domain, were used: the control-value theory (CVT) of achievement …

Curriculum Development For Occupational Therapy Education: Integrating Collaboration And The Use Of Simulation Laboratories, Janine Albert, Danielle Nielsen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The Scholarly Project titled Curriculum Development for Occupational Therapy Education: Integrating Collaboration and the Use of Simulation Laboratories by Janine Albert and Danielle Nielsen and advised by Nicole Harris, MOTR/L and Breann Lamborn, MPA was developed to meet the demands of collaborative education in the field of occupational therapy. A literature review was completed to determine the need of collaborative education between Occupational Therapy education and Occupational Therapy Assistant education and the use of simulation laboratories. From the literature review there was a gap found linking the use of simulation laboratories, the occupational therapy process and occupational therapy education. Following …

The Post-Secondary School-To-Work Transitional Program: An Occupational Therapist's Guide To Service Delivery, Annemarie Assel, Erin Haugen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are one of the most prevalent childhood diagnoses, occurring in every 1 in 68 children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Although ASDs are considered childhood disorders, they persist throughout one’s life and are often more pronounced during common life transitions. For adults with ASDs, this is a time marked by fragmented services, as well as disengagement from services (Baldwin, Costley, & Warren, 2014; Friedman, Warfield, & Parish, 2013; Shattuck, Wagner, Narendorg, Sterzing, & Hensley, 2011; Strickland, Coles, & Southern, 2013). Those with ASDs have skills deemed valuable by employers that include being: reliable, …

An Occupational Therapist's Guide For Mindful Practice Under High Productivity Standards, Breanna E. Coleman, Whitney J. Wilhelmi

Occupational Therapy Capstones

In recent years, healthcare service delivery has been influenced by one factor that has shown to considerably limit occupational therapy (OT) practitioners’ ability to be mindful in the work setting (Black, 2010). This influential factor involves increased productivity standards resulting in high burnout, empathic fatigue, job dissatisfaction, lack of mindful practice, and distress to the point of clinical effectiveness (Irving, Dobkin, & Park, 2009; Poulsen et al., 2014; Vadnais, 2014). In the midst of high productivity standards, a need surfaced for the production of a tool that assisted OT practitioners to overcome these standards as well as to incorporate a …

Prosthetics Guide For Occupational Therapy Students And New Graduates, Chelsea De Bruto, Kayla Oates

Occupational Therapy Capstones

"The prosthetic technology is effectively an interface between that person and the life they wish to lead" (Gallagher, 2004, p. 828). Occupational therapy can help individuals with prosthetics deal with psychosocial and physical aspects of his or her condition (Gulick, 2011). Current literature covers all aspects of prosthetics, but it is scattered in many different places. The results of a study conducted by Mitchell, Gorelick, Anderson, and Atkins (2014), approximately 3-5 hours or less are spent on prosthetic training, while 85% of respondents felt that it was considered to be “very important”. This scholarly project focuses to bridge this gap …

Factors Influencing Minority Group Pursuit Of Occupational Therapy Education, Heber Hepworth, Courtney Schafer

Occupational Therapy Capstones

There is limited representation of minority groups in the OT workforce and a dearth of research on factors influencing minority groups to pursue and successfully complete OT education. The CINAHL and PUBMED databases were used to explore factors influencing minority population enrollment, experiences in health care programs, and barriers to educational participation. A survey was constructed based on the literature and sent to students in OT programs at the doctorate, master and assistant levels through the AOTA Program Director list-serv. One hundred and thirteen masters (93%) and doctorate (7%) OT students completed the survey. The majority of participants heard about …

The Experiences Of Individuals With Visual Changes After A Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi): An Emphasis On Coping, Katie Kruger, Suzanne Vetter

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: The Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC, 2010) reports that 2,611,129 individuals visit the Emergency Room each year due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, approximately 50% of individuals who have a TBI report visual inefficiencies (Bulson, Jun, and Hayes, 2012; Lew et al., 2009; McKenna, Cooke, Fleming, Jefferson, & Ogden, 2006). Researchers have identified the effects these diagnoses have on ADLs and IADLs. Yet, there is a further need for understanding the experiences of persons post-TBI who have visual inefficiencies, including their coping in everyday life. Aims: This qualitative research study is aimed at determining the …

A Tribute To Justice Antonin Scalia, Michael S. Mcginniss

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bangladesh, Muhammad Salahuddin

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Use Of Assessments In Occupational Therapy Physical Disability Settings, Caitlin Brown, Jana Carroll

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate occupational therapists’ (OTs) perceptions and use of informal observation and formal assessments in order to understand if differences exist between acute care and non-acute care occupational therapy (OT) adult physical disability settings. Non-acute settings may include but are not limited to home health, inpatient rehabilitation, transitional care, outpatient rehabilitation, and long term care.

Methods: Study design involved a nonexperimental survey. Qualtrics software was utilized to disseminate the survey across a five-state region to the population under study. Response rate included 88 OTs who answered consistently to the questions analyzed. Data analyses …

Intentional Integration Of Service And Therapy Dogs In An Occupational Therapy Program Curriculum, Stephanie Rehovsky, Brittni Danner

Occupational Therapy Capstones

This scholarly project involves the intentional integration of Buddy, the service/therapy dog of the University of North Dakota’s Occupational Therapy graduate program. This project contains researched evidence regarding the variety of benefits involved with the implementation of animal assisted therapy (AAT) into the curriculum. The final product contains instructor materials for six existing courses in the graduate and undergraduate program. We have also included future implications for this product including adaptation to other similar graduate occupational therapy programs and future use at the University of North Dakota.

Physical Activities In The Nys/Bya Program On The Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation: A Resource Guide For Adaptation, Lauren Herbert, Melissa Hoffman

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The percentage of children with disabilities in the United States (U.S.) is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the 2000 census, 3.9% of all families reported having a child with disabilities. As of the 2010 census, there were 53.9 million school-aged children (aged 5 to 17) in the U.S with about 2.8 million (5.2%) reporting a disability. Among the American Indian population, these rates are increasing at an even higher rate. American Indians have the highest rates of disability of any group in the United States (Nichols & Keltner, 2005). According to Waldman, Perlman, and Swerdloff (2008), more than …