Digital Commons Network^™

The Occupational Therapy Guide For Enabling Meaningful Social Participation Post-Tbi, Vanessa Johnson, Hope Nelson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: The purpose of this scholarly project was to create a guide for occupational therapists to enable meaningful social participation throughout the rehabilitation phases with adults who have sustained a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Guide discusses and presents assessments and interventions recommended for each phase of the rehabilitation process.

A Practitioner's Guide: Using The Cognitive Performance Test To Increase Independent Living Skills For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Alycia Peacock, Grace Spanos

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have the desire to live as independently as possible (Gragoudas, 2014). There are a number of barriers that impact living independently including the ability to complete self-care tasks, money management, home management, and health management (Bond & Hurst, 2010). Other barriers reported for individuals with ID include relationships with caregivers, living alone, and vulnerability (Bond & Hurst, 2010). Research identifies that it is difficult to determine the amount of support needed to promote independence in individuals with ID (Francis & Reed, 2019). Occupational therapists (OTs) possess a unique skillset to assist clients with ID …

Increasing Participation In Meaningful Occupations For Disabled Veterans Through The Promotion Of Spirituality: An Intervention Resource Manual For Occupational Therapists., Tristen Smith, Audrya Tarango

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Veterans with psychological disorders may experience a combination of deficits that decrease their ability to engage in meaningful activities (Speicher, Walter, & Chard, 2014). Increasing the well-being and quality of life for veterans is an optimal opportunity for the OT profession to assert its distinct value in addressing the mental health needs of veterans through the enhancement of spirituality. The inclusion of spirituality in interventions are beneficial when alleviating symptoms of a physical and mental capacity, reestablishing beliefs, values, moral code, and relationships with self and the transcendent (Brémault-Phillips et al., 2019).

Youth Mental Health Community Based Ot Intervention Guide: Putting The Pieces Back Together, Bailey Schumacher, Meaghan Wolfgram

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: Each year, approximately half a million youth are brought to juvenile detention centers. Based on these statistics, 26,000 children are detained each day (Holman & Ziedenber, 2006). Many children and youth who encounter the juvenile justice system have past experiences of exposure to trauma and mental health illnesses. When these are overlooked or neglected, this may lead to worsening mental health and longstanding involvement within the criminal justice system. For young people, action of prevention to keep them in school and in the community is key: kids should not be in jail in the first place, especially not as …

Addressing Culture Throughout The Occupational Therapy Process: Beyond The Basics, Samantha Plutko, Jacey Savage

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Our product, a continuing education course for occupational therapy practitioners, was created with the purpose of giving attendees an opportunity to engage in hands-on learning exercises that will assist them with addressing culture throughout the occupational therapy process.

Identifying Occupational Therapy’S Role In The Interprofessional Team For Combating Barriers To Correct Medication Adherence For Older Adults, Megan Berginski, Bryce Graves, Christopher Hernandez

Critically Appraised Topics

Occupational therapy is crucial to the interprofessional team, with a focus on client-centered interventions, a holistic approach to health promotion and prevention and a comprehensive overlook on quality of life. The focus of occupational therapy is to collaborate with clients to find meaningful engagement in occupations to promote participation. The occupational therapist’s perspective on the person holistically marks their contribution to the interprofessional team in order to meet the needs to provide for the client, their families, and their community (Doll & Earland, 2020). Other than occupational therapists, the interdisciplinary team may consist of nurses, pharmacists and caregivers. Nurses are …

Evidence For The Use Of Health Promotion Programs In Schools, Anna Burggraf, Kathryn College, Taylor White

Critically Appraised Topics

Health promotion is defined as “a process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health” (Scaffa, 2019, p. 442). Promotion of health is a common goal that is shared by numerous disciplines (Reitz & Graham, 2019). Health promotion directed towards occupational therapy is the “client-centered use of occupations, adaptations to context, or alteration of context to maximize individuals’, families’, communities’, and groups’ pursuit of health and quality of life” (Reitz & Graham, 2019). Health promotion is essential for all age groups, especially for young children who are completing their beginning years of school. Children’s thoughts, behaviors, …

The Effect Of Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 1 Gene Ablation On Brain And Liver Lipid Metabolism, Regan Clarice Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Although studies in animal and cell culture systems have demonstrated the importance of liver fatty acid-binding protein (FABP1) in liver lipid metabolism, the impact of Fabp1 gene ablation on brain fatty acid uptake and lipid metabolism in intact animals is unknown. To address this, we assessed the effect of Fabp1 gene ablation on uptake and esterification of [1-14C]20:4n-6 into liver and brain lipids in vivo using a steady-state kinetic model. Plasma radioactivity was increased in Fabp1 gene-ablated mice, suggesting that loss of FABP1 impairs hepatic uptake of 20:4n-6. Indeed, liver uptake of [1-14C]20:4n-6 into aqueous and organic fractions was reduced. …

The Role Of Religion In Rape Acknowledgement And Disclosure, Danielle Marie Piggott

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated the dramatic effect trauma can have on religiosity. This study sought to extend this understanding by examining how rape influences religious beliefs and behaviors as well as how religiosity influences acknowledgement and disclosure of rape. The overwhelming majority of the United States population is religious, and religiosity has been associated with several important health indicators, yet very little research has examined the connection between religiosity and specific rape recovery outcomes. A sample of 310 college-aged women completed an online survey with questionnaires about personal religiosity, the religiosity of their surrounding support system, and their sexual history. …

Computational Studies Of Metal-Substituted Systems And Development Of Machine Learning Within Gvvpt2, Minh Duong Popis

Theses and Dissertations

Computational electronic structure theory has become an inexorable engine for understanding and even predicting the properties of novel molecules and materials. In this dissertation, two types of novel metal-containing systems, one a material and one a molecule, were examined using ab initio methods. In addition, progress on using machine learning (ML) to systematize the selection of qualitatively correct descriptions of molecular systems were examined.The ever-increasing demand for smaller, faster, and cheaper electronics has fueled the ongoing search for new materials. Silicene, a two-dimensional (2D) monolayer of silicon (Si) atoms arranging in a honeycomb lattice, has attracted much attention because of …

Betelgeuse, A Parameter Study Using Mesa, Cedric Ramesh

Theses and Dissertations

The star α Orionis (Betelgeuse) has enjoyed increased fame and scrutiny over the past two years, largely due to a mysterious dimming event that began in November 2019. Betelgeuse’s relatively close distance combined with its somewhat substantial angular diameter allows for direct imaging of its surface (as performed by the Hubble Space Telescope, 1996) along with a host of other detailed observations. These observations grant an excellent baseline upon which to conduct a parameter study using MESA (Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics), a 1D software stellar evolution code.Even though one-dimensional stellar evolution is a mature discipline, we continue to …

Fulfilling The Purpose Of Education: Voices Of North Dakota Graduates Pertaining To Curriculum And Graduation Requirements, Sarah Jean Ricks

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was twofold: to determine how graduates of North Dakota high schools perceived their educational experiences in relation to preparing them for their adult lives, and to determine how curriculum and graduation requirements at the time of this study in North Dakota Century Code (NDCC) 15.1-21, titled “Curriculum and Testing,” fulfilled the purpose of education in North Dakota. This study used a mixed-methods research design and includes a literature review and an online survey of 81 North Dakota high school graduates in the Dickinson area regarding the readiness of students who have graduated from North Dakota …

Evaluation Of The Performance Of A Rosemount Icing Detector During Impacts 2020, Greg Lee Sova

Theses and Dissertations

The Rosemount Icing Detector (RICE Probe) is a vibrating cylinder icing probe that measures the supercooled liquid water in the atmosphere that contributes to aircraft icing conditions. The frequency of the RICE Probe vibration decreases with increasing ice accretion. The RICE Probe was mounted on the fuselage of the NASA P-3 Orion aircraft for the IMPACTS 2020 field campaign. During the project, flight scientists had real-time frequency data for qualitative assessment of the presence of supercooled liquid water. For quantitative measurements of the liquid water, flight scientists used the King Liquid Water Sensor (King Probe) and the Cloud Droplet Probe …

Military Combat Veterans, Sentencing Reform, And Problem-Solving Courts, Andrea Sivanich

Theses and Dissertations

Military veterans involved with the criminal justice system may have unique behavioral health and physical needs, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), and could benefit from sentence mitigation that emphasizes rehabilitation. This research is related to sentencing reform and how it may support problem-solving court sentencing, as a subset of community-based treatment options within the criminal justice system. This research is important in that it attempts to determine whether the law distinguishes veteran offenders, as a specific population, from other offenders with treatment needs. To do that, this dissertation examines the role of legal texts in …

Accurate Threshold Estimation For Electronic Control Unit (Ecu) Signatures In Vehicular Environments, Niroop Sugunaraj

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid digitization of modern vehicles using electronic control units (ECUs) has made the modern automobile to realize autonomous operations. ECUs within a vehicle are capable of handling multiple functions within the vehicle pertaining to vehicular control, infotainment system, or electronic control of mirrors, wipers, and seats. Such data are relayed through various communication buses within a vehicle that allows for wired communication between multiple ECUs when referring to in-vehicle communication or wireless communication between a vehicle's ECUs and other vehicles and/or roadside infrastructure. Though network traffic can be intercepted from these communication buses, identifying an ECU responsible for a particular …

Perceptions Of Consensual Sexual Student-Faculty Relationships, Olivia Pottschmidt

Theses and Dissertations

Consensual, sexual relationships (CSRs) involving university faculty members and students are not uncommon (Richards et al., 2014). Given the increased attention of sexual harassment on college campuses, a number of universities have implemented CSR policies that generally fall into three categories: total ban, limited ban, and discouragement. Despite the intention of these policies,--the prevention of sexual assault and harassment--they have been criticized for being vague and too general (Bellas & Gosset, 2001; Jafar, 2003). Examining student perceptions can provide inside into university culture and inform policymaking. To this end, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions stemming from …

Investigation Of Factors That Affect Site Selection For Geothermal Energy Extraction In North Dakota, Ogonna Obinwa

Theses and Dissertations

Geothermal energy is independent renewable energy extracted from deep and shallow subsurface to provide electricity and heat for many applications. At shallow depths of about 3000 feet (914 meters), temperatures as high as 70 degrees Celcius could be extracted and used for domestic and commercial heating systems. Deeper and hotter resources are usually available at depths greater than 10000 feet (3048 meters). The hotter the extracted fluid temperature, the better it is suited for electricity generation. New technologies such as binary cycle systems have made it possible to use moderately hot liquids for electricity generation. However, specific conditions must be …

Hydraulic Fracture Propagation And Its Geometry Evolvement In Transversely Isotropic Formations, Dezhi Qiu

Theses and Dissertations

During the last two decades, the oil and gas industry started production from unconventional reservoirs, thanks to the rapid development of hydraulic fracturing technology. Fractures such as joints, faults, veins, and bedding planes are ubiquitous in unconventional formations such as laminated reservoirs. These discontinuities always form complex networks affecting the hydrological and mechanical behavior of subsurface rocks. Ideally, hydraulic fractures are expected to communicate these fracture networks to form a continuous path for fluid flow. However, the interaction mechanism between hydraulic fracture and natural fractures may result in different propagation paths to form various fracture geometries and stimulated reservoir volume …

The Relationship Between Digit Ratio (2d:4d) And Muscular Fitness: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Brooke Pasanen

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Digit ratio (2D:4D), a marker of prenatal testosterone exposure, is a weak negative correlate of sports/athletic/fitness performance. While numerous studies have examined the relationship between 2D:4D and physical fitness, there has never been a comprehensive study that has synthesized studies examining relationships between 2D:4D and muscular fitness. Objectives: To systematically review and meta-analyze the relationship between 2D:4D and muscular fitness measured as handgrip strength (HGS). Methods: This study systematically searched five electronic databases, reference lists, topical systematic reviews/meta-analyses, and personal libraries in November 2020. Peer-reviewed, cross-sectional studies that reported Pearson’s correlation coefficients between objectively measured 2D:4D and HGS were …

Estimating Analysis Temperature And Humidity Biases Due To Assimilation Of Aerosol & Cloud Contaminated Hyperspectral Infrared Radiances, Jared Wayne Marquis

Theses and Dissertations

Observations from hyperspectral infrared sounder (HIS) instruments aboard earth-observing satellites have become a cornerstone of numerical weather prediction assimilation efforts – providing the largest decrease in forecast error of any assimilated satellite observations. The assimilation of infrared (IR) radiances is predicated on the assumption of clear-sky observations. Thus, any signal imparted upon the HIS radiances due to cloud or aerosol will likely result in unexpected and uncharacterized biases in analyzed temperature and humidity fields. Forecasts based upon these biased fields may have large inherent inaccuracies. The process of cloud and aerosol screening of passive satellite products and radiances is imperfect. …

Negative And Positive Attention Bias In Anhedonia And Anxious Arousal: Can Depression And Anxiety Be Distinguished By Patterns Of Engagement And Disengagement Bias?, Helen Sawaya

Theses and Dissertations

Negative and positive attention bias (AB) is the preferential allocation of attentional resources to negative and positive stimuli in the environment, respectively. AB has been studied in various clinical and non-clinical populations and the process has been linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Findings so far suggest that negative AB is a trait-based factor that predisposes individuals to anxiety and depression. Positive AB appears specific to a depressed state, yet findings generally remain mixed. Measures of AB have been recently critiqued for their poor psychometric properties. This study addresses three gaps in the literature to further our understanding of …

Teacher Perceptions Of Parent-Teacher Communications And Practice, Misty Rose Tomchuk

Theses and Dissertations

It has been established in prior research that parent involvement and school-family partnerships have the potential to positively impact student achievement; however, creating and maintaining positive and productive parent-teacher communication can be difficult. Since teachers function as the link between school and the home, there is an increased need to study the perspectives and experiences of teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher perceptions of parent-teacher relationships, teacher conversation competence, and teacher communication frequency with parents.

This study involved an online survey distributed to 234 participants via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The following results were …

Visible Light Communication Cyber Security Vulnerabilities For Indoor And Outdoor Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communication, Rana Shaaban

Theses and Dissertations

Light fidelity (Li-Fi), developed from the approach of Visible Light Communication (VLC), is a great replacement or complement to existing radio frequency-based (RF) networks. Li-Fi is expected to be deployed in various environments were, due to Wi-Fi congestion and health limitations, RF should not be used. Moreover, VLC can provide the future fifth generation (5G) wireless technology with higher data rates for device connectivity which will alleviate the traffic demand. 5G is playing a vital role in encouraging the modern applications. In 2023, the deployment of all the cellular networks will reach more than 5 billion users globally. As a …

An Exploration Of Sexual Consent, Sexual Non-Consent, And Nonverbal Sexual Consent Communication Behaviors, Amongst Community Stakeholders., Brent Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual Consent is a central concept in the field sexual violence and sexual violence prevention (Beres, 2007). However, despite disproportional rates of sexual violence amongst LGBT+ community, currently our understanding sexual consent and its practice is primarily focused on heterosexual encounters of traditional college aged students (CDC, 2017, Muehlenhard, Humphreys, Jozkowski & Peterson, 2016). The current study utilized the Delphi method to develop a better understanding of sexual consent, sexual non-consent, and nonverbal sexual consent communication behaviors among two distinct groups: sexual researchers and men who have sex with men (MSM). Thirty-five panelists (13 researchers 22 MSM) completed one- three …

Development Of A Deep Neural Network Based Method For Quality Control Of Modis Maiac Aerosol Data For Aerosol Modeling Applications, Joel Braxton Aldridge

Theses and Dissertations

Quality-assured satellite aerosol data have been shown to improve aerosol analysis and forecasts in Chemical Transport Models. However, biases present in the satellite-based aerosol data can also introduce non-negligible uncertainties in the downstream aerosol forecasts and impact model forecast accuracy. Therefore, in this study we evaluated uncertainties in Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) aerosol products and developed a deep neural network (DNN) based method for quality control of Terra and Aqua MODIS MAIAC Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data using the version 3 level 2 AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data as the ground truth. This method …

Exploring The Reality Of Media Relations In Governmental Organizations In Saudi Arabia, Turki Ali Alrashid

Theses and Dissertations

Media relations in Saudi governmental organizations play an important role in transmittingnews and messages of organizations to the publics. Although the field of media relations in Saudi Arabia is important, there is a lack of scientific studies in this area. Therefore, this dissertation studied the reality of media relations in Saudi governmental organizations. The goal of this study was to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that could positively impact the development of media relations in Saudi governmental organizations. This dissertation used a quantitative research method through the use of a Qualtrics survey in order to ask Saudi government organizations' …

Exploration Of Deep Learning Models For Maximum Throughput To Hybrid Beamforming And Compressive Channel Estimation, Youness Arjoune

Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this dissertation is to improve the capacity of 5G and Beyond systems by improving spectral efficiency, efficiently managing interference, and addressing the radio spectrum’s poor management while enhancing cost, energy, and computation efficiencies. The first contribution of this dissertation consists of designing effective hybrid beamforming solutions using the theory of deep reinforcement learning. The results demonstrate that deep reinforcement learning achieves near-optimal spectral efficiency and provides autonomous decision-making that can learn from interacting with the wireless environment. This method enhances hybrid beamforming computational efficiency, hardware efficiency, and energy efficiency. These methods are also desirable in scenarios …

Investigation Of Cats Aerosol Products And Application Toward Global Diurnal Variation Of Aerosols, Logan Lee

Theses and Dissertations

A comparison of 1064 nm aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) with collocated Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), Aqua and Terra Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark Target, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) AOD for the period of Mar. 2015-Oct. 2017 is presented in this study. In addition, vertical profiles of aerosol extinction from CATS and CALIOP are also compared for the same period. Upon quality assurance checks of CATS data, reasonable agreement is found between aerosol data from CATS and other sensors. Using quality assured CATS aerosol data, for the first time, variations in AODs …

Validating Nde Dataset And Benchmarking Infrared Thermography For Delamination Detection In Bridge Decks, Eberechi Orie Ichi

Theses and Dissertations

We collected and developed an SDNET2021 dataset, a rare combination of annotated non-destructive evaluation (NDE) data, from five in-service bridge decks in Grand Forks as a feed for validating, benchmarking, developing, training, and testing artificial intelligence (AI) models to evaluate, monitor, and assess bridge conditions. The developed dataset, which serves as ground truth, contains sound concrete as class 1 and delaminated sub-surface concrete as classes 2 and 3. The SDNET2021 dataset consists of 488 delaminated (class 2 and 3) and 1,448 sound (class 1) Impact Echo (IE) signals, 214,943 delaminated (class 2 and 3) and 448,159 sound (class 1) Ground …

Scaling Near-Surface Remote Sensing To Calibrate And Validate Satellite Monitoring Of Grassland Phenology, Morgen W.V. Burke

Theses and Dissertations

Phenology across the U.S. Great Plains has been modeled at a variety of field sites and spatial scales. However, combining these spatial scales has never been accomplished before, and has never been done across multiple field locations. We modeled phenocam Vegetation Indices (VIs) across the Great Plains Region. We used coupled satellite imagery that has been aligned spectrally, for each imagery band to align with one another across the phenocam locations. With this we predicted the phenocam VIs for each year over the six locations.Using our method of coupling the phenocam VIs and the meteorological data we predicted 38 years …