Digital Commons Network^™

Point-Of-Care Testing In Primary Care May Reduce Overall Cost And Improve Both Patient Satisfaction And Efficiency, Eric A. Sadler

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Objective: Increased demands for primary care are forcing clinical offices to deliver cost and time efficient care while providing exceptional patient experiences. Traditional lab testing methods require multiple steps for the patient and provider. Test results are not available until a later time which may delay decision making, patient discussion and medical planning. Point-of-care testing (POCT) provides an alternative that allows the patient to have testing, discuss the results and establish a treatment plan during a single office appointment.

• Design: A review of literature examined studies that compare cost-effectiveness, patient satisfaction and efficiency of POCT with traditional laboratory …

Resonant Inductive Coupling As A Potential Means For Wireless Power Transfer To Printed Spiral Coil, Mohammad Haerinia, Ebrahim S. Afjei

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

This paper proposes an inductive coupled wireless power transfer system that analyses the relationship between induced voltage and distance of resonating inductance in a printed circuit spiral coils. The resonant frequency produced by the circuit model of the proposed receiving and transmitting coils are analysed by simulation and laboratory experiment. The outcome of the two results are compared to verify the validity of the proposed inductive coupling system. Experimental measurements are consistent with simulations over a range of frequencies spanning the resonance.

Friendship Is Manly: The Brony Fandom And The Challenge Of Masculinity, Samuel Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the cultural phenomenon of Bronies, adult, mostly male, fans of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When large numbers of grown men like a show designed for little girls, how do they contend with the challenges presented by the culturally accepted norms of masculinity? Do these fans disclose their love of ponies to others, if at all? An online mixed methods survey conducted in 2014 looks at how Bronies interact with the show, other fans, and non fans. While some Bronies are cautious about disclosing their fondness for ponies due to potential harassment, there is …

Paul Scott's "The Jewel In The Crown": A Novelist's Philosophy Of History And The End Of The British Raj, Kathryn Ann Hughes Nedegaard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of Paul Scott’s best-known novel The Jewel in the Crown,

published in 1966. Scott noted that much of the research and writing on the British

Raj that ended in 1947, lacked an adequate understanding of the union that had

endured for more than three centuries. Scott believed too that many interpretations

of why the Raj ended relied too heavily on monolithic categories of “us and them”

and that they over-emphasized the socio-political and economic influences of

empire. He also believed that many scholars of the Raj ignored the love that existed

among all the people …

The Pid-5, Everyday Sadism, And Parental Attachment Predict Sexual Aggression, Tiffany Dawn Russell

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to replicate and expand the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression (Malamuth et al., 1991) in an online survey of national (n = 512) and university (n = 100) men. Overall, 28.8% of men (national = 29.5%; university = 25%) reported perpetrating sexual aggression against a woman at least once. In the sexually aggressive group, 81.2% reported perpetrating sexual violence more than once, and 40.3% reported six or more acts. It was hypothesized the Confluence Model would be improved by adding everyday sadism, parental attachment, and the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5). In a structural equation model, …

Measuring The Effect Of Vocabulary Instruction On Reading Comprehension: A Comparison Of Academic And Tier Ii Words, Eiley C. Berg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was (a) to determine if 4th grade students could learn academic vocabulary words or tier II general words using a vocabulary intervention program referred to as the lexicon enhancement program (LeEP), and b) to determine if the category of vocabulary words (tier II general vs. academic) impacts the number of vocabulary words learned, general vocabulary abilities, and reading comprehension. A total of 111 fourth graders participated in this study. Six classrooms were randomly assigned as either the academic group, tier II group, or control group. Pre- and posttest scores of the Zero-One-Two (ZOT; Robinson, 2013) …

Factors That Influence The Adoption Of Geographic Information Systems In A Professional Work Environment: A Study Of The Property Assessment Profession, Daniel J. Fasteen

Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology has been emerging in many professional work environments — including the property assessment discipline. Although many uses of GIS have been thoroughly documented throughout the literature in a variety of disciplines, there has been little research on the perceived factors that influence its adoption in professional work settings. The purpose of this research is to assess factors that influence the adoption of geographic information systems technology in a professional work environment. The work environment being studied is the property assessment profession. An online survey was sent out to property assessment professionals from …

The Protective Roles Of Primary And Secondary Control Strategies Among Familial Caregivers Of Older Adults With Dementia, Nicole Haverstock

Theses and Dissertations

Caring for an older family member with dementia can be extremely stressful, often resulting in diminished psychological health. Prior research has shown that a strong sense of control protects well-being during stressful times. Therefore, greater perceived control may serve to buffer the effects of stress on familial caregivers’ psychological health. According to control theorists (Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995; Rothbaum, Weisz, & Snyder, 1982), a general sense of control is maintained through a dual process involving direct attempts to change the environment (i.e., primary control strategies) and attempts to inwardly adjust cognitions to align with the environment (i.e., secondary control strategies). …

Ecocomposition As Writing Curriculum: An Ecological Approach For Writing Program Administrators And Composition Instructors, Erin Renee Lord Kunz

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation forwards an argument for an ecologically-based composition and rhetoric curriculum that also emphasizes the best practices established by the Council of Writing Program Administration, particularly the writing process. I concentrate on how a writing program administrator can utilize ecological literacy to navigate her own experience in a new place and also how themes of ecological literacy can be applied to the writing program itself. Based on personal experiences as well as literature that establishes the need for best practices in composition and rhetoric curriculum, I argue that ecological composition, or ecocomposition, can assist in implementing an ecological writing …

Parent Understanding Of K-6 Student Mathematics Performance Using Standards-Based Compared To Traditional Report Cards, Jill Ann Olson

Theses and Dissertations

More and more elementary schools are adopting standards-based report cards to report student achievement in an effort to communicate to parents their child’s mastery of standards at each grade level. The effect this has on parent understanding of their child’s achievement is still uncertain. A survey methodology was used in this quantitative study to examine parents’ understanding of their K-6 child’s mathematics performance when reported using standards-based compared to traditional report cards. The researcher sought to determine the effect understanding has on parents’ probability of providing at-home skill building activities in the areas in which the child is not performing …

A Large Scale Inertial Aided Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (Slam) System For Small Mobile Platforms, Ashraf Qadir

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation we present a robust simultaneous mapping and localization scheme that can be deployed on a computationally limited, small unmanned aerial system. This is achieved by developing a key frame based algorithm that leverages the multiprocessing capacity of modern low power mobile processors. The novelty of the algorithm lies in the design to make it robust against rapid exploration while keeping the computational time to a minimum. A novel algorithm is developed where the time critical components of the localization and mapping system are computed in parallel utilizing the multiple cores of the processor. The algorithm uses a …

Teacher Referral Following Natural Disasters, Melissa Anne Quincer

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that teachers are common referral points for children

experiencing mental health difficulties. This is especially true in rural communities and a

major time of intervention has been following natural disasters, when there are not

enough mental health services in an area, or they are too taxed. This study sought to

explore teachers’ referral habits and determine if there is any difference when rural

challenges are present or if the teacher has previously experienced a disaster. To this end,

teachers were recruited, presented with vignettes that either contained rural challenges or

did not contain rural challenges and …

Jealousy In Same-Sex Relationships: A Study Of Sexual And Emotional Infidelity, Courtney Grace Stufflebeam

Theses and Dissertations

The current study employed online, self-report data in relation to jealousy, insecurity, dependency, and relationship power within same-sex relationships. Specifically, I examined the correlational, predictive and comparative aspects of distress and jealousy levels in individuals within same-sex relationships. It was hypothesized that relationship power, dependency and insecurity would predict level of jealousy and distress in the experience of sexual and emotional infidelity. Three hundred and nineteen consenting participants completed the online questionnaires regarding their views and emotions related to the above constructs. Regression analyses provided data indicating that none of the variables predicted an individual’s experience of jealousy and distress. …

A Dual-Level Approach To Enrollment Management, Jason Trainer

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing institutional dependency on tuition revenue paired with rising political pressures towards student success outcomes has many institutions turning to enrollment management (EM) to improve their institution’s enrollment outcomes. EM is a comprehensive and inclusive process focused on achieving the optimum recruitment, retention, and graduation institutional outcomes. The academic community remains at the epicenter of this EM process. Chief enrollment officers failing to create an institutional partnership with the academic community will unlikely attain desired enrollment outcomes.

This study seeks to assist institutions by assessing how a “shared sense of responsibility” for enrollment outcomes is developed through the eyes of …

Factors That Influence Community College Student Perceptions Of Their Instruction Following Behaviors In Online Courses, Vickie Volk

Theses and Dissertations

Enrollments in online courses offered in community colleges have sharply increased over the past decade. At the same time, it appears there is a growing trend toward community college students displaying a tendency to incorrectly and/or incompletely read and follow instructions in online courses. The ability to follow instructions has a direct impact on the success of students in online classes. This study examined factors that influence community college student perceptions of their instruction following behaviors in online courses using self-regulated learning as the theoretical framework. Participants were 102 students enrolled in general education online courses at a Great Plains …

Redefining Islamic Identity: Cosmopolitanism In The Theater Of Tawfiq Al-Hakim And Akbar Ahmed, Gaber Abdelghaffar Abdelrahman Hasaneen

Theses and Dissertations

The question whether Islam is compatible with American, or generally “Western,” values has now imposed itself on public debates, gaining more urgency and traction with every tragic act of terrorism committed in the name of Islam. In these debates Islamic identity is usually defined in Orientalist terms. Fundamentalist Muslims reiterate Orientalist concepts of who a Muslim is. Orientalist observers on the one hand, and on the other fundamentalist Muslims have defined Islam as the West’s inimical Other, which has made the so-called clash of civilizations sound inevitable.

I argue that cosmopolitan observers challenge these misrepresentations. Representation, particularly self-representation, of the …

Community College Faculty Members’ Perceptions Of Creating Digital Content To Enhance Online Instructor Social Presence, Karen M. Arlien

Theses and Dissertations

Current technologies, specifically asynchronous video, allow instructors to enhance their online instructor social presence (OISP) by creating digital content in which they can simultaneously convey their unique persona verbally and nonverbally while supplementing course content. A strong OISP has been shown to contribute toward students’ successful course completion, which continues to be an issue at community colleges. Existing research on the use of digital content to enhance OISP, however, has primarily focused on students’ perceptions even though faculty members are responsible for establishing OISP. The purpose of this study was to ascertain community college faculty members’ perceptions of creating asynchronous …

The Relationship Between Athletes' Perceptions Of Coaching Efficacy And Collective Efficacy In Collegiate Soccer, Frazer Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ confidence and team confidence in a sample of 272 collegiate soccer players (M = 19.84 years; SD = 1.42) from the NCAA and NAIA. Athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ confidence were assessed using a modified version of the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) (Feltz, Chase, Moritz & Sullivan, 1999), and a single item measure asked participants to rate their perceptions of their coaches’ confidence. Team confidence was assessed using the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sport (CEQS) (Short, Sullivan & Feltz, 2005). Athletes also reported the results of their team’s previous …

Fasd, Verbal Comprehension And Maladaptive Behavior, Anthony Brian Athmann

Theses and Dissertations

A Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Diagnosis is comprised of various levels of physical

dysmorphia and behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. Early identification and diagnosis is difficult, requires specially trained practitioners and often results in the delay of receiving necessary services. This is particularly true for those individuals living in

underserved rural areas. However, screening children with commonly used assessment

tools may help to more quickly identify children who have been prenatally exposed to

alcohol. The purpose of the present study was to contribute to the development of a

neurobehavioral profile of alcohol-exposed children through examining if relationship

exists between verbal comprehension deficits …

The Invocative Use Of The Bible's Rhetorical Power In The Transcripts Of Anne Hutchinson's Trials, Carolyn D. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Generally speaking, some Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans invoke the rhetorical power of the Protestant Old and New Testaments in their writings to specify and dictate certain courses of action, especially during the period known as the Antinomian Controversy. These authoritarian, dogmatic, directive allusions to Scripture-- what I call the invocative use of the Bible's rhetorical power--appear frequently in some specific contemporaneous Massachusetts Bay Colony journals, sermons, and letters. The author employs these uses to establish the literary and interpretive contexts for the rhetorical use of the Bible in the transcripts of Hutchinson's civil and ecclesiastical trials. For example, the author …

The Industrialization Of The Knowledge Economy: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Intellectual Property Policies, La Royce Batchelor

Theses and Dissertations

Whether a singular stroke of brilliance or a slow evolution of discovery; ownership of ideas has been the root of innovation and controversy. Innovation is often nothing more than an idea. Ideas may be bought or sold, traded or stolen, developed or lost. Intellectual property is a legal construct created to protect exclusivity of creation and rights of commercialization and distribution. The landscape of intellectual property has become expansive and complicated. It has become difficult to classify intellectual property rights as many people consider them economic rights, and others, property rights, and still more, increasingly in the West, personal rights, …

Negotiating Higher Education In The Us: Voices Of Ghanaian Graduate Students At A Midwestern University, Mildred Emefa Biaku

Theses and Dissertations

In this case study, there was an examination to gain a deeper understanding of the

effects of social interactions experienced by Ghanaian Students with various actors in

curricular and co-curricular departments and perceptions of the support during these

social interactions. Recommendations were made for ways to enhance social interactions.

Data for this qualitative study was collected using three methods; non-participant

observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. Participants for the study were six

Ghanaian international students and five service providers selected from departments

across the campus of a university in the Midwest. It was found that there were systemic

issues that …

The Impact Of Parental Involvement On Academic Achievement In Children, Martin Blank

Theses and Dissertations

Academic achievement in children is affected by many factors including family income, family structure, class size, parental education, and parental expectations. Recent research on academic achievement has evaluated the relationship between parental involvement in children’s education and academic achievement. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study investigates the socioeconomic and parental factors that affect academic achievement in children. The question of endogeneity between parental involvement and academic achievement is also explored. The statistical analysis performed utilized OLS regression and instrumental variable techniques. OLS regression techniques demonstrate a negative relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement …

Space Solar Power Satellite Systems, Modern Small Satellites, And Space Rectenna, Corey Marvin Bergsrud

Theses and Dissertations

Space solar power satellite (SSPS) systems is the concept of placing large satellite into geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) to harvest and convert massive amounts of solar energy into microwave energy, and to transmit the microwaves to a rectifying antenna (rectenna) array on Earth. The rectenna array captures and converts the microwave power into usable power that is injected into the terrestrial electric grid for use. This work approached the microwave power beam as an additional source of power (with solar) for lower orbiting satellites. Assuming the concept of retrodirectivity, a GEO-SSPS antenna array system tracks and delivers microwave power to …

Adolescent Victims' Experiences With Cyberbullying: A Grounded Theory Study, Melvina S. Brandau

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to construct a Grounded Theory that explains the processes involved in cyberbullying from the perspectives of those who have been victimized. A Constructivist Grounded Theory approach was used to explain the processes that occur as cyberbullying begins, unfolds, and ends, as well as to determine the methods that adolescent victims use to cope, and the context in which cyberbullying occurs.

Cyberbullying is a pervasive public health issue, affecting an estimated 10-30% of youth. Cyberbullying, though closely related to traditional physical bullying, has qualities that make it distinctive. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying is relatively new …

Trash Matters: An Investigation Into The Current Waste Management And Recycling Strategies In Rural North Dakota And Foreseeable Solutions, Amy Densborn

Theses and Dissertations

Rural North Dakota is behind the times for establishing an economically and socially beneficial method for collecting recyclables from residents, and in some areas providing sustainable trash removal. As the waste stream continues to grow, so will the burdens on our landfills, our resources and our environment for generations to come. An even worse alternative to landfilling garbage is the use of burn barrels, which release dioxins into the local environment, settling on vegetation and waterways and further bio-accumulate in the food chain. Rural residents currently do not have conveniently located or affordable disposal options for household generated waste and …

The Role Of Child Characteristics, Parental Self-Efficacy, And Social Support On Parental Stress In Mothers And Fathers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lindsey Devries

Theses and Dissertations

Although parents of any child experience stress related to child rearing, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are especially prone to parenting stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship that child characteristics (symptom severity, adaptive behavior, and problem behaviors), parental self-efficacy, and social support have on parenting stress in mothers and fathers of children with an ASD. Participants included mothers (n= 26) and fathers (n=18) of children ages 3 to 24 years in age with a diagnosis of ASD. Maternal and paternal participants completed measures of symptom severity (GARS-3; Gilliam, 2013), adaptive and problem …

The Effect Of Pulsed Flow On The Heat Transfer Coefficient Of A Vertical Tube Suspended In A Fast Fluidized Bed, Tyler Curran

Theses and Dissertations

An experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of pulsing the fluidizing air on the heat transfer of a small vertical cylindrical heater suspended along the axis of a 101.9 mm diameter fast bed. Spherical aluminum metal power with a density of 2700 kg/m3 and dp50 of 107 μm was used in this investigation. Experiments were first conducted without pulsing the air supply. Solids fractions were observed as high as .0154 with superficial velocities from 1.98 m/s to 4.04 m/s and recirculation rates up to 27.6 kg/m2 s. The maximum heat transfer observed was 74.1 W/m2 K at a …

"Mad In Craft": Action And Melancholy In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Daniel Arthur Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains two parts. First, I will present a character analysis of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet; secondly, I will perform the role and conclude this project with a brief reflection on the experience. For the character analysis, I will examine Hamlet’s inner action and his melancholy.

The Impact Of The Group Performance And Assessment Program (Gpa Program) On Math Interest, Effort, Self-Efficacy, Peer Influence, And Performance In A University College Algebra Setting, Dewitt Lasalle Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

College algebra courses, as important as they might be to the students that take them, continue to represent some of the most difficult of the pre-major courses in the required general education environment. Various pedagogies aimed at improving student performance have been explored through educational research with results generally mixed. Using a theoretical framework of Vygotsky’s social learning theory (1962, 1978), this research compared the impact of the Group Performance and Assessment Program (GPA Program) versus the traditional lecture pedagogy on four psychosocial factors of student performance: math interest, effort, self-efficacy, and peer influence. Using a retrospective Likert-type survey, this …