Digital Commons Network^™

Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of Embryo Specific Mutants In Maize, Dale Cletus Brunelle

Theses and Dissertations

The maize zygote normally develops over approximately 45-days into a mature embryo comprised of five or six leaf primordia and several root primordia. The developing embryo passes through the proembryo, transition, coleoptilar and stage 1 (first leaf primordium) morphogenetic stages followed by the iterative formation of additional leaf primordia during stages 2 through 6 according to Abbe and Stein (1954). Using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) treatment of maize pollen from W22 inbreed we have produced lethal embryo specific (emb) mutants that have no obvious effects on endosperm development except for some reduction in kernel size in some cases. Thirteen emb mutants …

Glacial Lake Reflectance As A Proxy For Changing Glacial Conditions And Impacts On Streamflow, Lance Diangelis

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change continues to manifest itself through increased temperatures across the Western United States. Subsequently glaciers in the Wind River Range of Wyoming have been in decline since the end of the Little Ice Age and continue to lose mass during the annual ablation season. Understanding these changes is of paramount importance for water resource managers. This study uses data from Landsat 5, 7 and 8 over a 33-year period from 1984-2017 to determine the long-term change in water color for lakes in the range related to glacial flour discharge. Water color can be used to indicate changes in the …

Autonomous Localization Of A Uav In A 3d Cad Model, Akkas Haque

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a novel method of indoor localization and autonomous navigation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs) within a building, given a prebuilt Computer Aided Design(CAD) model of the building. The proposed system is novel in that it leverages the support of machine learning and traditional computer vision techniques to provide a robust method of localizing and navigating a drone autonomously in indoor and GPS denied environments leveraging preexisting knowledge of the environment. The goal of this work is to devise a method to enable a UAV to deduce its current pose within a CAD model that is fast and accurate …

Seperation Of Fuel-Based Contaminents From Oxygen Carriers In Chemical Looping Combustion, Benjamin Robert Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

This project involved the development of a technology for segregating fuel-based contaminants (char) from oxygen carrier material in the context of chemical looping combustion (CLC) application. In chemical looping, the well-mixed solids that flow from the fuel reactor consisting of char and oxygen carrier particles cannot be completely separated into their constituents before they enter the air reactor. The slip of carbon leads to char oxidation in the wrong reactor and poor carbon dioxide separation efficiency. An efficient method to separate char from oxygen carrier material is critical for the deployment of chemical looping technology. This segregation system consists of …

Developing A New Storage Format And A Warp-Based Spmv Kernel For Configuration Interaction Sparse Matrices On The Gpu, Mohammed Mahmoud

Theses and Dissertations

Configuration interaction (CI) is a post Hartree–Fock method that is commonly used for solving the nonrelativistic Schrödinger equation for quantum many-electron systems of molecular scale. CI includes instantaneous electron correlation and it can deal with the ground state as well as multiple excited states.

The CI matrix is a sparse matrix, and the bigger the CI matrix, the more electron correlation can be captured. However, due to the large size of the CI sparse matrix that is involved in CI computations, a good amount of the time spent on the eigenvalue computations is associated with the multiplication of the CI …

Examining Cultural Identification And Alcohol Use Among College Students, Lynn Martell

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has found American Indians (AI) to demonstrate higher levels of alcohol use than Caucasians (CA); however, recent research has found that AI may be drinking at similar or lower rates than CA. Cultural identification (i.e., degree to which an individual associate with, and represents themselves as a member of a specific cultural group) may be a factor contributing to the level of alcohol use among AI. The current study examined cultural identification and alcohol use among University of North Dakota (UND) AI (n=56) and CA (n=88) college students. Results indicated non-significant differences in alcohol use between cultural identification …

Genomic Regulation Of Abiotic Stress Response In The Soil Nematode Oscheius Tipulae, Riley Mcglynn

Theses and Dissertations

Oscheius tipulae is a species of free-living soil nematode that can be found in ecosystems worldwide. Because of this, individuals must be able to respond to heat, freezing, and desiccation stresses in order to survive. They do this by producing a suite of cellular responses, some of which are necessary to survive multiple stresses, and some are stress-specific. While these cellular responses are well known, the ways in which they are regulated in a genome-wide context are not. In this project, multiple high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were utilized to answer this question. First, the O. tipulae genome was …

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 …

Organic Speciation Of Air Particulate Matter With Thermal Desorption – Pyrolysis – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry, Brett Thomas Nespor

Theses and Dissertations

Characterization of particulate matter (PM), more specifically the carbonaceous fraction, is essential for understanding atmospheric processes, source determination, and health impacts. In this thesis, a novel approach to both the quantification and characterization of carbonaceous atmospheric PM was developed and validated on model compounds and collected ambient PM from a local source within Grand Forks, ND.

Thermal optical analysis (TOA) is a commonly used method for the determination of organic (OC) and elemental (EC) carbon within atmospheric PM that yields quantitative results, i.e., total concentrations of OC and EC. However, for speciation of OC, there is no universal method. Typical …

Differential Gene Expression Of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Marker Genes In A Model Of Arsenite And Cadmium Induced Bladder Cancer, Danyelle Beth Osowski

Theses and Dissertations

Urinary carcinoma is one of the most prevalent cancers across the United States and is among the leading cause of cancer related morbidities. With muscle-invasive urinary carcinoma having only 15% survival at stage T4, diagnostic tools of this type of cancer is necessary. This work sought to characterize a model of urothelial carcinoma into a specific muscle-invasive bladder cancer subtype, which has important implications in for prognosis, development of targeted therapeutic agents, and disease management. Our laboratory has developed an immortalized uroepithelial cell line, UROtsa, which can be malignantly transformed by arsenite (As+3) and Cd2+ and has been shown to …

The Achieve Model In Professional Experiences Of Information Technology Workers In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study, Michelle Fahey Rakoczy

Theses and Dissertations

The information technology field changes at a fast rate and, combined with the fast pace of change in the higher education environment, it is more important than ever that Information Technology professionals be productive and that retention rate increase in this field. This phenomenological study is an exploration of the professional experiences of IT workers in higher education, including the organizational, leadership, and individual level qualities that shape that experience. The ACHIEVE model is utilized for the theoretical framework for this study as it relates to an impact of leadership practices on followers’ performance. The results of this study provide …

Stroop And Mindfulness: An Experimental Multi-Group Comparison, Anna Lauren Schimmelpfennig

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness has been associated with various benefits, including enhanced cognitive performance and disengagement from problematic emotions. Previous research has indicated that engaging in a brief mindfulness exercise may enhance performance on the Color Word Stroop, neutral Stroop, and emotional Stroop. Participants in the current study were 201 students (139 female), mean age 19.7 years (SD=1.4) from a Midwestern university, who were randomly assigned to listen to a 9- minute mindfulness exercise, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercise, or interview control condition before completing the Color-Word Stroop, Neutral Stroop, and Emotional Stroop. Preliminary analysis reveal that participants generally had positive attitudes toward …

Mitigating Environmental Impacts Of Terminal Lake Flooding: A Case Study Of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Afshin Shabani

Theses and Dissertations

Devils Lake is an endorheic lake in the Red River of the North basin in northeastern North Dakota. During the last two decades, the lake water level has risen by nearly 10 m, causing floods that have cost more than 1 billion USD in mitigation measures. Another increase of approximately 3.0 m in the lake water level would cause spillage into the Sheyenne River. To alleviate this potentially catastrophic spillage, two artificial outlets were constructed. However, the artificial drainage of water into the Sheyenne River raises water quality concerns because the Devils Lake water contains significantly higher concentrations of dissolved …

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 …

Modeled And Observed Dynamical Characteristics Of Convective Mass Transport, Mariusz Starzec

Theses and Dissertations

Convection can rapidly and efficiently transport polluted boundary layer air to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, thereby influencing the chemical composition and distribution of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Whether mass detrains into the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere has differing impacts on the radiative budget and hence, on climate. Currently, there have been only a few observing platforms capable of studying convective mass transport, which have significant limitations and are frequently restricted to field campaigns resulting in a small number of case studies. Outside of these case studies, little is known about the actual heights that convection detrains …

Northern Great Plains Blizzards In Past And Future Climates, Alexander Trellinger

Theses and Dissertations

Areas that reside in the high-latitudes such as the northern United States can experience hazardous conditions during the winter months due to snowstorms. When strong winds exist with falling or freshly fallen snow, blizzard conditions are able create significant personal, societal, and economic impacts for the Northern Great Plains. While the climatology for these extreme snowstorms is known, the frequency and intensity of how these events may change in a warming climate is not certain. In order to determine how extreme snowstorms may change in the future climate, climate models can be used but the horizontal and vertical grid spacing …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Gas Transport And Adsorption In Ultra-Tight Formations, Yannick Tambe Agbor

Theses and Dissertations

Kerogen, which plays a very important part in reservoir characterization for ultra-tight formations, is also involved in the storage and production of hydrocarbons in shale. In this work, we study the kerogen structure and its interaction with insitu hydrocarbons to fully understand the fluid flow and adsorption mechanisms in the shale. Also the advancement in pore network modelling has greatly helped the understanding of mesoscale fluid flow. In this work, transport of methane in a type II marine environment kerogen model is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Non Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulations (NEMDS) using GROMACS code and Grand Canonical Monte …

The Effects Of Cultural Participation On Health Outcomes Among American Indian/Alaska Native Elders, Collette Adamsen

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) history represents a number of traumatic events inflicted upon each tribal generation that has yet to recover. These events have led to major consequences on the health of this population. AI/AN people experience the worst health disparities in the nation (Espey et al., 2014; Warne & Lajimodiere, 2015). Previous studies have shown that loss of land, cultural devastation, and inadequate health care access are associated with the high rates of health disparities endured by AI/AN people throughout North America (Walters, et al., 2011). AI/AN beliefs tell us that culture serves a fundamental role in managing good …

Evaluation Of Nest Fate Classification Accuracy, Research Activities And Nesting Behaviors Of Least Terns And Piping Plovers On The Missouri River, Alicia Kyren Andes

Theses and Dissertations

Federally protected interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) are small shorebirds that nest on un-vegetated sand habitat, such as temporary sandbars and permanent islands along inland river systems in the United States including the Missouri River, during the summer months. Extensive monitoring and research has been conducted on the Missouri River populations because they are an important component of recovery efforts for both species; therefore, two of my primary objectives included: 1) estimate rates of and determine factors that influence nest fate misclassifications and 2) evaluate the impacts of research activities on shorebird nesting behaviors …

Quantifying Extravehicular Activity Performance Degradation Due To Sustenance Deprivation, Eryn Beisner

Theses and Dissertations

Modern EVAs (spacewalks) performed onboard the International Space Station require astronauts to endure up to twelve hours of intense mental and physical exertion without food, as they do not stop to eat nor do they currently have the capabilities to consume sustenance in their spacesuits. With the future of space exploration taking aim at the Moon, Mars, and beyond, EVAs are expected to become more demanding than ever. This is a pilot study to attempt to quantify astronaut performance during an EVA to determine if there is significant performance degradation because of acute starvation. Astronauts conducting EVA training at NASA’s …

Intonation Production And Perception In Children With Developmental Language Impairment, Afua Blay

Theses and Dissertations

Studies on intonation production and perception in children with developmental language impairment (LI) have reported mixed outcomes. Some suggest that intonation processing is impaired in this population but others fail to find any evidence of such a deficit. The issue is further complicated by findings that indicate that these children perform poorly on some intonation tasks but not on others. The source of the discrepant findings is unclear. However, one shortcoming is that most previous studies do not report information on severity of LI of participants. Thus, it may be that the mixed findings on intonation processing in children with …

Investigating The Impact Of Offset Fracture Hits Using Rate Transient Analysis In The Bakken And Three Forks Formation, Divide County, North Dakota, Cody Lee Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The common development plan for operators in the Williston Basin has been to initially drill and complete one well in order to hold a 1280 acre spacing unit. Once acreage is secure across the asset, operators return to each spacing unit and drill infill wells. By the time infill wells are drilled, reservoir depletion from the original (parent) well can be observed within the spacing unit. Reservoir depletion increases the likelihood of existing wells experiencing inter- communication when infill wells are hydraulically fractured. Such inter-well communication, or frac-hits, often have detrimental effects on existing wells. As such, understanding the effect …

Clustering Analysis Of Precipitation Sized Particles In Various Synoptic Regimes Using In Situ Observations, Samantha Carr

Theses and Dissertations

It is widely assumed that cloud particles are spatially distributed in a random and uncorrelated fashion (a Poissonian distribution); however, previous studies using airborne observations have shown this is not true for small cloud droplets. Previous work using rain gauges and disdrometer networks have also found this to be true for precipitation size particles; however, little research has been done using airborne observations to study such phenomena. Thus, a question to be addressed in this study is whether clustering of precipitation size particles can be examined using airborne observations.

In situ microphysical data collected on the University of North Dakota …

Examining Teacher Perceptions On Change In Secondary School Libraries To Promote Informational Literacy, Sarah Crary

Theses and Dissertations

Libraries in schools are changing from a place to check out books to providing access to information from a multitude of media. The specific changes needed in school libraries and the method to accomplish those changes, specifically from the perspective of teachers, is an area of research with few empirical studies. The purpose of the study was to use Fullan’s Change Theory (2007) initiation phase to identify how ready teachers are to engage in changing the way information literacy skills are taught. The researcher investigated teachers’ perception with openness to change. The researcher analyzed teachers’ perceptions about collaborative roles between …

Dieter's Deficit: Preoccupation And Working Memory, Kelly Cuccolo

Theses and Dissertations

Preoccupying thoughts can cause disruptions of ones’ attentional system and may arise as the result of a clinical disorder, societal pressures, or individual predispositions. Goal acquisition requires one to be preoccupied with one’s behaviors in order for success to be achieved, for example dieters must monitor their weight and caloric intake. As dieting is a widespread phenomenon in American culture it is important to understand the cognitive effect of preoccupation. This study examines the relationship between obsessional thoughts about food, weight, and shape, and cognitive task performance. The performance of Dieters and Non-Dieters on a battery of specific working memory …

A Comparative Analysis Of Manned And Unmanned Aviators's Approach To Safety, Aaron Marlo Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an analysis of differences between unmanned and manned aviation

industry safety. A survey tool was used to collect safety perception, risk perception, and

organizational safety culture data from various individuals throughout the aviation

industry. In general, no difference existed between the unmanned and manned groups,

indicating an overall safe operating environment for aviators. While the results of this

limited study show no overall difference between groups, it provides a baseline study for

which future data, collected from a more mature industry, can be obtained.

A Global Investigation Of Cloud-Radiative Properties Through An Integrative Analysis Of Observations And Model Simulations, Erica Kay Dolinar

Theses and Dissertations

The cloud and radiative properties simulated in an assortment of global climate models (GCMs) and reanalyses are examined to identify and assess systematic biases based upon comparisons with multiple satellites observations and retrievals. The global mean total column cloud fraction (CF) simulated by the 33-member multimodel mean is 7% and 17% lower than the results from passive (Moderate Resolution Infrared Spectroradiometer, MODIS) and active (CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation, CALIPSO) satellite remote sensing platforms. The simulated cloud water path (CWP), which is used as a proxy for optical depth, on global average, has a negative bias …

Evaluation Of Streambank Stabilization Options On The Tongue River In Cavalier, Nd Utilizing Hec-Ras Hydraulic And Sediment Transport Simulations, Alexa Rene Ducioame

Theses and Dissertations

The Tongue River in Cavalier has experienced severe erosion and bank failures in recent years. Two homes have been evacuated and demolished, and another lost ten ft of their yard overnight when a tree slumped into the river. The city lies downstream of Renwick Dam and nine other dams upstream of it which have greatly reduced the average flows through town. The resulting lowered water surface is a probable source of the streambank instability. A series of rock weirs was proposed to be installed in town to raise the minimum water surface elevation and potentially provide benefit to all problem …

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 …

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy Measurements And Density Functional Theory Calculations On Iridium-Modified Silicon Surfaces And Self-Assembled Monolayer Of Organic Molecules On Graphite, Fnu Fatima

Theses and Dissertations

Research was carried out on two different topics, metal induced modifications in various cuts of silicon (Si) surfaces and molecular thin films. But both projects reveal the underlying theme of self-assembly. It is needed to discover functional means to create components for integrated circuits as well as electronic and photonic devices since nature can rely upon self-assembly at the nano-scale.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/STS) studies were performed to characterize the morphology of thin octanoic acid film on graphite and the outcome of 1-deecanethiol adsorption on the electronic properties of iridium (Ir) modified Si (110) surface. It was established …