Digital Commons Network^™

Stress And Coping Strategies: Perceptions Of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Amber Lynn Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the way Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students perceive stress and during which period of their program they tend to encounter the most stress, compared to students enrolled in a Master’s program. As each nurse anesthesia program transitions to a DNP curriculum, it will be beneficial to determine how DNP students perceive stress, and during which period of their program they encounter the most stress, in comparison to those students who are enrolled in a master’s program.

Participants for this mixed methods online study included a convenience sample of 237 nurse …

Neural-Vascular Interactions In An In Vitro Model Of Cortical Forebrain Development, Kayla Michelson

Theses and Dissertations

Progressive restriction of neural stem and progenitor cell fates in the cortex has been linked to a clearly defined sequence of transcription factors that regulate neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the developing cortex. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms contributing to cell fate choice, largely focusing on intrinsic properties of the neural stem cells (NSCs), themselves, rather than microenvironmental influences such as vascular investment. To investigate the influence of vascular cells on cortical NSC fate choice, we developed a novel coculture system that utilizes Transwell® membranes and primary cultures that include an enriched NSC …

Examination Of The Depositional History Of The Lower Tyler Formation (Pennsylvanian) And Source Rock Analysis In Mckenzie County, North Dakota, Dilyn Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Results from source rock analysis and sequence stratigraphy techniques suggest the lower Tyler Formation in McKenzie County, North Dakota is a deltaic dominated environmental system. There is a complex relationship between marine and terrestrial deposition. The source rock analysis performed on seven key wells showed a majority of the samples consist of type III terrestrial kerogen. Five of those wells also indicated a type II marine kerogen. The sequence stratigraphy techniques applied showed the three high gamma ray shales marked high stand system tracts. The two paleosol facies present in the lower Tyler Formation overlie marine shales suggesting rapid sea …

Electroencephalogram Signal Processing For Hybrid Brain Computer Interface Systems, Md. Ali Haider

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to evaluate and compare three types of brain computer interface (BCI) systems, P300, steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) and Hybrid as virtual spelling paradigms. Hybrid BCI is an innovative approach to combine the P300 and SSVEP. However, it is challenging to process the resulting hybrid signals to extract both information simultaneously and effectively. The major step executed toward the advancement to modern BCI system was to move the BCI techniques from traditional LED system to electronic LCD monitor. Such a transition allows not only to develop the graphics of interest but also to …

Assessment Of Blood Pressure Regulatory Controls To Detect Hypovolemia And Orthostatic Intolerance, Ajay Kumar Verma

Theses and Dissertations

Regulation of blood pressure is vital for maintaining organ perfusion and homeostasis. A significant decline in arterial blood pressure could lead to fainting and hypovolemic shock. In contrast to young and healthy, people with impaired autonomic control due to aging or disease find regulating blood pressure rather demanding during orthostatic challenge. This thesis performed an assessment of blood pressure regulatory controls during orthostatic challenge via traditional as well as novel approaches with two distinct applications 1) to design a robust automated system for early identification of hypovolemia and 2) to assess orthostatic tolerance in humans. In chapter 3, moderate intensity …

Effect Of Cisplatin On Metallothionein Expression In Urotsa Cells Malignantly Transformed With Arsenite Or Cadmium, Brooke Alexandra Freeberg

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals Arsenite (As3+) and Cadmium (Cd2+) are known human carcinogens and exposure to them occurs through cigarette smoking, industrialization, and contaminated water sources. Epidemiological studies have shown that prolonged exposure to these heavy metals are associated with several health issues, including bladder cancer. With survival rates directly correlated to detection age and tumor stage, the demand for early detection would effectively cut costs and improve the patient prognosis of human bladder cancer.

Metallothioneins (MT) play an essential role in metal regulation, heavy metal detoxification, and cellular redox chemistry in cellular biological systems and tissues. Previous studies in literature have …

Using Thermal Imaging To Characterize Groundwater Seepage In A North Dakota Fen, Ogochukwu Ozotta

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater flow and its dissolved mineral transport plays a fundamental role in the ecology of many wetlands. Installation of equipment to map groundwater seepage, however, is invasive and may damage vegetation and potentially affect biodiversity. By mapping surface temperature remotely in the late summer, when the differential between warm soil and cold groundwater is the greatest, the temperature patterns may reveal areas of greatest upward gradient and flow.

To test the hypothesis, the effect that hydraulic gradient has on surface temperature in a fen located at the north end of the Cherry Lake Aquifer, Eddy County, ND (47.73, -98.66) was …

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 …

The Involvement Of Polyol Pathway In Hypgerglycemia And Cadmium Toxicity In The Establishment Of Diabetic Neprhopathy, Bethany Anne Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), where prolonged exposure to hyperglycemia induces damage to proximal tubule cells of the kidney. Since progression to ESRD correlates to pathological changes in the tubular segments of the kidney, the effects of hyperglycemia in the PT portion of the nephron may be particularly relevant to the progression of DN. Development of this disease also is likely to occur in the context of exposure to other renal toxins, and the heavy metal cadmium (Cd2+) may be the most relevant due to the accumulation of this metal in the major …

Amyloid Precursor Protein And Insulin Homeostasis, Joshua Kulas

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease in which the brain progressively deteriorates resulting in cognitive decline, language impairment, diminished spatial awareness, memory loss and ultimately, death. AD is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease and the number of people afflicted by AD is expected to more than double in the next 30 years. AD is characterized in part by the formation of amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. It is known that these plaques are composed of the peptide Aβ, which aggregates as a function of age and is produced locally within the brain by cleavage of the Amyloid precursor …

Enhancement Of Phoshorus Removal Via Bioretention Cells Amended With Low Cost Materials, Nick Lindstrom

Theses and Dissertations

As bioretention systems are becoming an increasingly popular low impact development (LID) application for stormwater mitigation, they lack mechanisms that demobilize phosphorus (P) especially dissolved phosphorus (DP). In many cases, these LIDs release more P than is input due to a high P index derived from the plant material inherent within bioretention systems. The objectives of this project are to utilize low-cost water treatment residuals (WTR) as bioretention amendments to capture P. The adsorption characteristics are observed by means of batch level experiments to observe the P adsorption potential without the influence of hydraulic parameters, and column experiments to observe …

Dead End Body Component Inspections With Convolutional Neural Networks Using Uas Imagery, Ian Edward Nordeng

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a novel system utilizing previously developed convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures to aid in automating maintenance inspections of the dead-end body component (DEBC) from high-tension power lines. To maximize resolution of inspection images gathered via unmanned aerial systems (UAS), two different CNNs were developed. One to detect and crop the DEBC from an image. The second to classify the likelihood the component in question contains a crack. The DEBC detection CNN utilized a Python implementation of Faster R-CNN fine-tuned for three classes via 270 inspection photos collected during UAS inspection, alongside 111 images from provided simulated imagery. …

Women Engineering Majors' Choice To Stay: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Persistence Experiences, Victoria Morrissette

Theses and Dissertations

The historical underrepresentation of women in engineering persists for women engineering majors in college and once they enter the workforce. While some engineering disciplines have seen an increase in women students, overall the numbers still have fallen well behind other STEM disciplines despite years of research. Most studies on this issue have been quantitative and have looked at factors associated with why women leave engineering. This qualitative study, in contrast, gave women engineering majors the opportunity to share their experiences in answer to the question of why women choose to stay in an engineering major. Phenomenological methods, including semi-structured interviews, …

A Channel Ranking And Selection Scheme Based On Channel Occupancy And Snr For Cognitive Radio Systems, Adnan Quadri

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless networks and information traffic have grown exponentially over the last decade. Consequently, an increase in demand for radio spectrum frequency bandwidth has resulted. Recent studies have shown that with the current fixed spectrum allocation (FSA), radio frequency band utilization ranges from 15% to 85%. Therefore, there are spectrum holes that are not utilized all the time by the licensed users, and, thus the radio spectrum is inefficiently exploited. To solve the problem of scarcity and inefficient utilization of the spectrum resources, dynamic spectrum access has been proposed as a solution to enable sharing and using available frequency channels. With …

To “Own Yourself A Little More”: Afropolitan Feminism In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah, Bridget Tetteh-Batsa

Theses and Dissertations

Afropolitanism, in part, accounts for itinerant and so autonomous Africans who shape the contours of a late-modern global history. If Afropolitanism describes the work and activism of 21st century Africans in Euro-America determined to challenge western discourses that malign Africa, it is important to witness the distinctive character and voice Afropolitan women bring to that history defining exercise. Otherwise, as critics and scholars interested in what Afropolitanism brings to the work of reframing master narratives hitherto encircled for western primacy, we risk reinforcing the injustice we address.

To fill this gap in the literature, I employ Selasi’s initial conception of …

Automatic Approach To Morphological Classification Of Galaxies With Analysis Of Galaxy Populations In Clusters, Madina Renatovna Sultanova

Theses and Dissertations

The classification of galaxies based on their morphology (i.e. structural properties) is a field in astrophysics that aims to understand galaxy formation and evolution based on their physical differences. Whether structural differences are due to internal factors or a result of local environment, the dominate mechanism that determines galaxy type needs to be robustly quantified in order to have a thorough grasp of the origin of the different types of galaxies (e.g., elliptical, S0, spiral, and irregular). The main subject of this thesis is to explore the use of computers to automatically analyze and classify large numbers of galaxies based …

Novel Bio-Kinetic Modeling And 2,3-Butanediol Productivity Optimization Of Clostridium Autoethanogenum, Timothy Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this work is to elucidate the viable significance and technological implications for the fermentative production of 2,3-BDO from syngas by researching the following: derivation of a novel bio-kinetic model with substrate inhibition, analyzing product formation with the use of syngas from coal, and conducting an experimental design for potential significant factors that affect product formation. A critical review and analysis of the state-of-the-art developments for gas to liquid (GTL) technologies and syngas formation from coal are provided.

The Role Of The Cholesterol Metabolite, 27-Hydroxycholesterol, In Colon Cancer Cells, Jessica A. Warns

Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a major health concern with more than 600,000 deaths worldwide each year. Several risk factors for CRC exist including a diet rich in fat and cholesterol. However, the link between cholesterol and CRC is controversial. It is possible that oxysterols, which are active cholesterol metabolites, may correlate better with CRC than cholesterol itself. The most abundant oxysterol in the plasma is 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC), which is a ligand for the nuclear receptors estrogen receptor (ER) and liver-x-receptor (LXR). 27-OHC has been shown to be involved in breast and prostate cancers, but its role in colon cancer remains …

Examining Determinants Of Patient Activation In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Marnie M. Wetzstein

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Self-management plays a central role in the treatment chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the patient characteristics necessary for effective self-management are not understood. The skills, confidence, and knowledge to engage in chronic disease self-care, known as patient activation, may play a key role in the capacity of people to self-manage COPD. How the complex, systemic nature of COPD influences patient activation has not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among patient characteristics and health outcomes as determinants of patient activation among community-dwelling adults in the U.S. with COPD. The Revised Wilson …

Reliability Of The Styku 3d Whole Body Scanner For The Assessment Of Body Size In College Athletes, Joseph Daniel Derouchey

Theses and Dissertations

3-dimensional (3D) anthropometrics, such as volumes and surface area, have been shown to be important in predicting sport performance, and assessing health status, but most commercially available whole-body scanners are cost prohibitive. The main purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a commercially available single camera 3D body scanning system to assess whole body and segmental circumferences, surface areas, and volumes of healthy collegiate athletes and students. Forty-nine male and female student-athletes active in various sports from a division I institute were scanned and measurements were analyzed. The single camera system demonstrated good within- and between-session …

A Mixed Method Study Of The Impact Of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, And Dual Enrollment Courses On College Transition And Success, Kazimir Bartley Gazdzik

Theses and Dissertations

In an educational environment that has limited resources, and greater pressures for increased academic standards, what is the best option to help prepare high school students for college academics? This research study: A Mixed Method Study of the Impact of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment Courses on College Transition and Success attempted to investigate the impact of advanced courses on college transition.

The results of this research showed no statistical difference in academic success or transition to college between students who had taken advanced classes and those who had not. There were also no statistical differences between students …

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 …

Winter Commencement: December 14-15, 2017, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 14 and 15, 2017.

Und Today: December 2017, University Of North Dakota

UND Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Do The Lessons From Micro-Conflict Literature Transfer To High Crime Areas?: Examining Mexico’S War On Drugs, Muhammad Nasir, Marc Rockmore, Chih Ming Tan

Economics & Finance Faculty Publications

Exposure to political violence has been found to affect behavioural parameters. The effects of high levels of criminal violence, however, are largely unknown. We examine the effects of Mexico’s war on drugs on risk aversion, mental health and pro-social behaviour. Using a nonlinear difference-in-differences (DiD) model, we find that the post 2006 surge in violence significantly increased risk aversion and reduced trust in civic institutions without any simultaneous strengthening of kinship relationships. Although the deterioration of mental health due to violence exposure has been hypothesised to explain changes in risk aversion, we find no such effect.

European Normative Values For Physical Fitness In Children And Adolescents Aged 9–17 Years: Results From 2 779 165 Eurofit Performances Representing 30 Countries, Grant Tomkinson, Kevin D. Carver, Frazer Atkinson, Nathan D. Daniell, Lucy K. Lewis, John S. Fitzgerald, Justin J. Lang, Francisco B. Ortega

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To develop sex-specific and age-specific normative values for the nine Eurofit tests in European children and adolescents aged 9-17 years.

METHODS:

A systematic review was undertaken to identify papers that explicitly reported descriptive results for at least one of nine Eurofit tests (measuring balance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, muscular power, flexibility, speed, speed-agility and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)) on children and adolescents. Data were included on apparently healthy (free from known disease/injury) children and adolescents aged 9-17 years. Following harmonisation for methodological variation where appropriate, pseudodata were generated using Monte Carlo simulation, with population-weighted sex-specific and age-specific normative centiles generated …

Volume 55, Number 15: November 22, 2017, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 55, Number 13: November 08, 2017, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Application Of P300 Event-Related Potential In Brain-Computer Interface, Ali Raider, Reza Fazel-Rezai

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate one of the applications of P300 event-related potential (ERP), i.e., brain-computer interface (BCI). Researchers and students will find the chapter appealing with a preliminary description of P300 ERP. This chapter also appreciates the importance and advantages of noninvasive ERP technique. In noninvasive BCI, the P300 ERPs are extracted from brain electrical activities [electroencephalogram (EEG)] as a signature of the underlying electrophysiological mechanism of brain responses to the external or internal changes and events. As the chapter proceeds, topics are covered on more relevant scholarly works about challenges and new directions in …

Volume 55, Number 12: November 01, 2017, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.