Digital Commons Network^™

An After-School Wellness Program For Children In Low Socioeconomic Neighborhoods, Sarah Faehnrich, Kalee Mccann

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop an interdisciplinary after-school program for fifth graders living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. This program entitled Let’s Move, Cook, and Learn With Friends! is intended to reduce obesity through promoting healthy habits in children by increasing physical activity, consumption of healthy food, and positive interactions with peers. Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic that can result in lifelong health problems if not treated proactively (Vizcaino et al., 2008). Therefore, the goal of this scholarly project is to raise their knowledge about obesity and decrease the risk factors for childhood obesity.

A literature …

Addressing Vehicle Safety For Children With Additional Emotional And Behavioral Needs, Madeline Aandal, Bailey Stotts

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: More than 148,000 children were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2011 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Currently, while it is understood that transporting children with special needs likely to affect behaviors (SNLAB) provide safety challenges (Yonkman, Lawler, Talty, O’Neil, & Bull, 2013), there is little information regarding how to evaluate and intervene for this significant aspect of daily life. The purpose of this project was to develop an occupational therapy protocol for evaluation and intervention for car safety to be used by occupational therapists working with children who have emotional and behavioral needs.

Methodology: An extensive …

The Efficacy Of Electrocardiograms As A Screening Tool To Detect Cardiac Abnormalities In Young Athletes, Cody William

Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Posters

• Sudden cardiac death (SCD) among athletes can be attributed to increased cardiovascular demands associated with vigorous exercise.

• The majority of athletes who experience sudden cardiac death are asymptomatic.

• Pre-participation history and physicals, (H&P) help to identify underlying cardiovascular disorders with the potential to increase the risk of SCD in an athlete.

• The efficacy of pre-participation H&Ps to identify underlying cardiac etiology has been debated.

• The purpose of this research is to:

---Determine incidence and cause of SCD among athletes (Table 1).

---Determine the efficacy and evidenced-based criteria for the interpretation of ECGs in athletes.

---Evaluate …

Airport Emergency Post-Event Recovery Practices, James F. Smith, Kim Kenville, John M. Sawyer

Aviation Faculty Publications

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 60: Airport Emergency Post-Event Recovery Practices explores approaches to improving the overall resiliency of airports through planning for the recovery phase of emergency response.

The Ups And Downs Of A Rather Agitated Life : (An Exploration Of M. Gonne), Mary O'Leary

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Emotional Attachment To Mobile Devices, Alex J. Holte

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Cryptic Speciation In The Outback : Molecular And Morphological Differentiation Of A New Species Of Aptorchis (Digenea, Plagiorchiidae) From Australian Turtles, Zachary Selzler

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Gender Differences In College Students’ Perceptions Of Technology-Related Jobs In Computer Science, Joseph Appianing, Richard Van Eck

Teaching, Leadership & Professional Practice Faculty Publications

Demand for computer technology (CT) professionals continues to rise, yet the supply of related majors is insufficient to meet demand. As with science, engineering, and mathematics (technology’s STEM field siblings), women’s participation in CT fields is abysmally low. While there are many junctures in the “leaky pipeline” for women and STEM careers, college is one of the important pathways to recruit women into CT fields. Wigfield and Eccles’ (2000) expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation provides a valuable framework for examining factors that impact women’s decisions to pursue CT majors, but no validated survey instruments exist for doing so. A questionnaire …

Prevalence And Distribution Of Ranavirus, Chytrid Fungus, And Helminths In North Dakota Amphibians, Melanie Paige Firkins

Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide reports of population declines and extinctions of amphibians have continued for at least two decades. Factors frequently reported in association with these declines include habitat loss, infectious diseases, and environmental degradation. Three sources of disease have been a concern for amphibians: chytrid fungus, Ranavirus, and some helminth parasites. Much of the existing reporting on disease results from anecdotal accounts associated with localized outbreaks, but understanding the scope and dynamics of infectious agents in host populations requires a regional perspective. My objectives were to estimate geographic distribution and prevalence of Ranavirus, chytrid fungus, and helminths in amphibians across the state …

Testing The Effect Of Microagressions, Cultural Identity, And Gender On Learning For Northern Plains American Indian College Students, Wanmdiwi Jessi Rose

Theses and Dissertations

Historically the absence of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students in large scale data sets has made it extremely difficult to adequately describe the growing educational crisis facing AI/AN students (Faircloth, Tippeconnic, John W., I.,II, & University of California, Los Angeles, Civil Rights Project/Proyecto,Derechos Civiles, 2010). The purpose of this study was to address the effect microaggressions, cultural identity, and gender has on learning in a sample of Northern Plains AI college students. AI students attending a predominantly white postsecondary institution were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups (EMVV, EMSS) or one of two control groups (CVS, …

Robust Determinants Of Reservation Wages In Colombia, Thiago Andrade Moellmann Ferro

Theses and Dissertations

First prong of this work analyzes effects of an early-shock, the 1999 Colombia Earthquake on the development of cognitive skills. Second prong analyzes the effects of professional skills on reservation wages.

Chile’S Banking System: A Decade Of Change, Chris Lee Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I investigate a decade of change between foreign and domestic banks in the Chilean banking system from 2001-2013. Using the Backward and Forward Stepwise Selection method to construct my panel regressions, I compare my findings to those of previous author(s) found in the literature. I consider the factors that determine interest rate spreads, and find that all banks have become more efficient since 2000 and that non-performing loans for both domestic and foreign banks lead to higher bank spreads. I find also, that bank concentration leads to higher spreads for domestic banks. This paper theorizes that diversification …

The Effects Of Caffeine Supplementation On Vertical Jump Performance, Lucas Paul Bloms

Theses and Dissertations

The Effects of Caffeine Supplementation on Vertical Jump Performance. Introduction: Caffeine enhances performance of many types of exercise, but its effects on vertical jump are unclear. Purpose: To investigate the effects of caffeine on vertical jump tests on a force platform. Methods: The study was a single-blind, randomized, crossover design. Participants consumed either caffeine (5 mg/kg body weight) or placebo. After a sixty-minute waiting period participants performed three squat jumps and three countermovement jumps separated by 30 seconds each while standing on a force platform. There were two minutes of rest between the two different types of jumps. Results: In …

Determination Of Aldehydes In Particulate Matter Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Manikyala Rao Chintapalli

Theses and Dissertations

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method has been developed for the determination of a broad range of aldehydes (including, hydroxylated and aromatic aldehydes) in particulate matter (PM). In this method, the aldehydes are derivatized with O-2, 3, 4, 5-pentafluorobenzyl hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) using various solvents for extraction and derivatization including acetonitrile, water, methanol, and acetonitrile/dichloromethane/methanol. An ACN/DCM/MeOH mixture with sonication was shown to be optimal as it increased the derivatization efficiency in addition to efficient extraction for all tested aldehydes. The optimal derivatization conditions were determined and then tested on a variety of oxy-PAHs which resulted in a complete derivatization …

Parasites Within Parasites: Transmission And Evolution Of Neorickettsia In Digeneans, Stephen Edward Greiman

Theses and Dissertations

Digeneans are endoparasitic flatworms with complex life cycles that involve two or more different animals as definitive and intermediate hosts. Some digenean species harbor bacterial endosymbionts belonging to the genus Neorickettsia (Order: Rickettsiales, Family: Anaplasmataceae). Neorickettsia occur in all life cycle stages of digeneans and are maintained by vertical transmission. Far from benign however, Neorickettsia may also be transmitted horizontally by digenean parasites to their vertebrate definitive hosts. Once inside, Neorickettsia can infect macrophages and other cell types. For some vertebrate species (e.g. dogs, horses and humans), neorickettsial infections cause severe disease. With a few exceptions, studies of Neorickettsia have …

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Graduate Students' Experiences Of Plagiarism By Their Professors, Kimberly Dawn (Hanson) Becker

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study expands the inquiry on perceived academic misconduct by investigating the experiences of graduate students who have reported a professor’s misattribution of their work. The participants include five graduate students who formally reported a violation of academic integrity because they believed a faculty member had misattributed their work. During the incident, the faculty and students both participated in an academic setting in one or more of the following types of relationships: committee chair–advisee, committee member–student, classroom professor–graduate student, and research supervisor–graduate assistant. Two central research questions frame this study: How do graduate students who have reported that their …

Using Computer Vision And Volunteer Computing To Analyze Avian Nesting Patterns And Reduce Scientist Workload, Kyle Andrew Goehner

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the use of feature detection and background subtraction algorithms to classify and detect events of interest within uncontrolled outdoor avian nesting video from the Wildlife@Home project. We tested feature detection using Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) and a Support Vector Machine (SVM) along with four background subtraction algorithms — Mixture of Guassians (MOG), Running Gaussian Average (AccAvg), ViBe, and Pixel-Based Adaptive Segmentation (PBAS) — as methods to automatically detect and classify events from surveillance cameras. AccAvg and modified PBAS are shown to provide robust results and compensate for issues caused by cryptic coloration of the monitored species. …

The Effect Of Policy Context On Work And Family Identity In Norway And The United States, Rebecca Folkman Gleditsch

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars are interested in how social policies affect citizens on issues related to work and family. Previous research has made comparisons of work and family in Scandinavia and the United States, emphasizing differences in history, development, and current social policies. However, much of the literature focuses on countries within the European Union, and research on how gender and social policy correlate with work and family identities is particularly scarce in Norway. To examine the effect of social policies on work and family identities, this study analyzes if men and women in Norway and the United States differ in the strength …

Needs Assessment Of A Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program In The Near Southside Neighborhood In Grand Forks, Nd, Derrick Lapoint

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the needs of a Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) Program to help the elderly successfully age-in-place in the Near Southside Neighborhood (NSS) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. As aging becomes increasingly an issue of concern, establishing a NHN Program in the NSS would help the elderly remain independent in their own home and community. The NHN Program is a specialized program designed to provide aging services to those who are in need through community engagement. Through surveys, data was collected in the Grand Forks Area and the NSS. The first survey was conducted …

Understanding And Predicting Bagging Performance Through The Use Of Cfd And Dem Simulations, Matthew Perry Leone

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will focus on rear discharge bagging performance for Rear Discharge Rear Collect (RDRC), Select Series Lawn & Garden tractors. The problem under investigation pertains to adequately transporting cut grass from the mower deck to the dedicated hopper, without the plugging of the rear discharge chute or the deck mounted chute. The most problematic weather related factors are dew and rain, with the former being the most severe. Conditions creating this problem typically occur during the spring months and when the grass is at its healthiest state.

Field research and data have been collected to gain a better understanding …

Perspectives On The Qualities, Knowledge, And Skills Of Effective Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Teachers, Joseph Leggio

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the perceptions of six teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in one school district. In individual interviews, the teachers shared their perceptions of the qualities, knowledge, and skills necessary for EBD teachers to be effective. Five of the teachers gathered for a focus group to discuss the findings from the analysis of the interview data.

An analysis of the data yielded three themes. First, effective EBD teachers develop unconditional teacher-student relationships. No matter how many setbacks a student with EBD may experience, the effective EBD teacher relentlessly affirms his or her belief in the …

College Students Who Abstain From Alcohol: Those Who Choose Not To Use, Sandra Jean Luck

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations and behaviors of North

Dakota college students who have chosen to abstain from alcohol. This research contributes to the alcohol abuse prevention field by suggesting a framework to develop programming and recommendations were provided to develop prevention messages to increase the number of student abstainers on college campuses.

The Motivations of Abstaining from Alcohol Questionnaire (MAAQ) (Stritzke 2001) informed scripted questions asked of four focus groups conducted at the

University of North Dakota. The students who participated in the focus groups shared their experiences of choosing not to use alcohol …

Innate Immune Response To Yersinia Pestis, Sanghita Sarkar

Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrates the various aspects of host immune response to Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis, the causative agent plague is mainly a rodent pathogen but is usually transmitted to humans via infected flea bite. After transmission to mammalian hosts, Y. pestis evades the host innate immune response and develops a systemic infection. Mast cells are recognized as the powerful sentinel cells responsible for controlling the early responses to a disease. We sought to determine whether mast cells are involved in the early innate immune response to Y. pestis and thus blocking mast cell degranulation would alter the outcome of infection. …

Prevalence Of Haemoparasites And West Nile Virus Seropositivity In Song Birds (Passeriformes) From Northwest Mn And Behavioral Aspects Of Microfilariae, Chad Allan Stromlund

Theses and Dissertations

Mosquitoes transmit arboviruses, haemosporidian protozoa (e.g., malaria), and filarioid nematodes. Many of these mosquito-borne pathogens occur together and transmission cycles are occurring concurrently. Despite this, mosquito pathogen transmission cycles are largely studied independently of one another. Considering the large temporal and spatial overlap among these various transmission cycles, the question becomes, what kinds of interactions are occurring between parasite transmission cycles and arboviral transmission cycles? Also, some species of mosquito are incapable of transmitting some species of arbovirus. Therefore, there must be natural barriers to prevent arbovirus infection and transmission. These barriers include the midgut barrier and the salivary gland …

Influencing Unrealistic Optimism In Young Women’S Perceived Risk Of Skin Cancer, Karen Elizabeth Vanderzanden

Theses and Dissertations

Past research has shown that individuals have a strong tendency to believe that they are less likely than others to experience negative health outcomes (Weinstein, 1980). This tendency to be “unrealistically optimistic” can contribute to greater engagement in risky health behaviors, and in turn, greater actual risk of the negative health outcome. Within the current study, factors previously shown to influence unrealistically optimistic health perceptions (i.e., images of risky/protective health behavior, peer risk estimates, personal risk/protective factors) were directly manipulated to examine their effects on young women’s perceived risk of developing skin cancer. Participants were 363 Caucasian women between the …

Examining Alcohol Expectancy Differences Between Native American And Caucasian College Students, Elizabeth Luger

Theses and Dissertations

Native American (NA) alcohol use is problematic and concerning. Many of the factors related to general alcohol use are already understood. However, the majority of this research has been conducted using samples primarily consisting of Caucasian (CA) subjects. One factor that is significantly related to and predicts alcohol use among CAs is alcohol expectancy effects, which are beliefs one holds about the expected consequences, positive or negative, of using alcohol. Whether or not these findings are applicable toward understanding alcohol use in NA populations is questionable. Data were collected from 51 NA and 51 CA college students on alcohol use, …

An Improved Method For Estimating Aerosol Optical Thickness From Artificial Light Sources Observed By The Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band, Theodore Mitchell Mchardy

Theses and Dissertations

Using Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) data, a method, dubbed the “variance method”, is developed for retrieving nighttime aerosol optical thickness (AOT) values based on the dispersion of radiance values above an artificial light source. An improvement of a previous algorithm, this updated method derives a semi-quantitative indicator of nighttime AOT using artificial light sources. Nighttime AOT retrievals from the newly developed method are inter-compared with an interpolated value from late afternoon and early morning ground observations from four AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sites as well as column-integrated  from one High Spectral Resolution LiDAR (HSRL) site …

Stem Education For Girls Of Color, Kam Hung Yee

Theses and Dissertations

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields struggle to increase recruitment and retention of girls of color. The dominant framework in STEM education is the pipeline which assumes girls in general lack motivation and interest to persist in STEM fields. Recent public discourse shifts to address institutionalized discrimination and systemic barriers in STEM culture that filter out underrepresented populations.

Informal education or complementary learning STEM programs offer alternative opportunities for students to explore outside of rigid school academic and social systems. Few articles look specifically at STEM complementary learning programs, and even fewer focus on the effects on girls of …

Role Of Lectins Receptors In Development Of Sepsis During Pulmonary Bacterial Infection, Anthony Lee Steichen

Theses and Dissertations

A major focus of my work has been to understand the mechanism/s of sepsis development during respiratory bacterial infections with the goal of identifying novel alarmins/alarmin receptors. Specifically, I have analyzed the role of C-type lectins as novel alarmin/alarmin receptors likely involved in the development of sepsis resulting from acute pulmonary infection with Gram negative bacteria Francisella novicida and Klebsiella pneumonia (Kpn). In that regard, the first project was built upon a previous observation, made by Dr. Sharma, that two soluble lectins galectin-3 and -9 were upregulated and released in extracellular milieu in lungs of mice upon pulmonary infection with …

Must Physicians Disclose An Alcohol Or Substance Abuse Problem When Requesting A Patient Sign An Informed Consent Document?, Samuel D. Hodge, Jr., Diane Beyers, Kayla B. Thomas

North Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.