Digital Commons Network^™

Teacher And Technology: How Faculty Resource Centers Can Enhance Higher Education Teaching And Learning, John T. Freden

Theses and Dissertations

As many classrooms around the world utilize instructional technology to attempt to enhance student learning, the faculty resource centers that support this instructional technology are sometimes left out of the equation. This study asks the question "What can faculty resource centers do to help teachers integrate instructional technology to improve student learning?" To help answer this question surveys were sent out to educators at two different higher education institutions. Questions were asked in a survey about the educators' background information, instructional technology, and faculty resource centers. The , information gathered from this survey is useful to faculty resource centers as …

Organizational Change In A Higher Education Institution: The Impact Of Increasing International Student Enrollment On University Of Services, Glenda Kim Cousins

Theses and Dissertations

Using a grounded theory approach, this study explored organizational change in higher education, the research examined how direct service staff, directors, and administrators perceived and responded to changes created by increasing international student numbers, and how the organization of Academic and Student Affairs adapted to these changes. The data supported that every person perceived having a certain level of power to influence change but the amount of power depended on an individual's understanding of a situation, persuasiveness in motivating people, relational dynamics with others, and participation within the flow of communication. The study found two processes operating simultaneously as individuals …

Know Your Audience: An Assessment Of Preferred Learning Styles Of Freshman Students At Red River High School In Grand Forks, North Dakota, Kelly D. Peters

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify theories and describe characteristics of learning styles, assess characteristics of freshman students at Red River High School using data from the CAPSOL (Computerized Assessment and Prescription Styles of Learning) Style of Learning Assessment, MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Scores, GPA (Grade Point Average), and North Dakota STARS (State Automated Reporting System), and justify a pedagogical and philosophical change in instruction to adapt instructional strategies to match and strengthen students' learning styles.

The research investigated the relationships between learning style scale scores, GPA, gender, RIT (Rasch Unit) Scores, and socioeconomic factors. This study …

Assessment And Accountability: An Exploration Of Teachers' Practices In Assessing English Language Proficiency, Mari B. Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

Assessment is an important component in an education program. Current educational policy includes large scale assessments with stringent accountability requirements. All students are expected to meet standards for achievement, including those who have historically not been successful.

Students from non-English language backgrounds are one of the populations of students who do not achieve academic success at the same rate as other students. This population of students is increasing in our nation's schools, causing this achievement gap to be of greater concern. Added to the concern is the requirement that English Language Learners (ELLs) must meet rigorous standards in both academic …

A Meta-Analysis Of Adolescent Rampage Shootings And The Potential Interconnectivity To Gifted/Talented Children With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Meghan M. Salyers

Theses and Dissertations

On the tenth anniversary of a series of school rampage shootings in Springfield, Oregon, Littleton, Colorado, and Conyers, Georgia, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there were indications of intellectual, academic, or creative giftedness with emotional/behavioral disorders in the perpetrators. In addition, through historiographical methods, this study was designed to allow for themes to surface from the authentic writings of the adolescent shooters.

Similarities in previous research results are reported in the meta-analysis, and categories derived from my analysis of the writings of Kip Kinkel, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and T.J. Solomon are indicated in the analysis …

Volume 46, Number 15: November 26, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 14: November 19, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Personality Factors Influencing Bemidji State University Industrial Technology Majors Making Heavy Industrial Construction Career Choices, Timothy M. Brockman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to apply Holland's theory and gather information about Bemidji State University (BSU) construction management (CM) students, CM graduates, CM faculty, and the heavy industrial construction workforce for a greater understanding of students, the academic environment, and the heavy industrial construction environment. A secondary purpose was to help increase recruitment and retention of students within the CM emphasis of the Industrial Technology major at BSU, and provide support for development of curricula within the CM emphasis as it meets needs of the construction industry. The study examined five research questions using Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS) …

The Design And Synthesis Of Zinc(Ii) Ion Fluorescence Sensors, Julius Ngunde Ngwendson

Theses and Dissertations

This work is a study of a new class of aromatic amines as fluorescent zinc sensors. N-(Carboxymethyl)-N-[3-[(carboxymethyl)amino]-2-methoxy-5-methylphenyl]glycinate exhibits more than 20-fold fluorescence enhancement in the presence of Zn(II) ions when excited at 300 nm. This compound shows a fluorescence emission at 390 nm, which in the presence of Zn(II) ion exhibits a 20 nm emission blue shift. The tetraacetate version, potassium N,N'-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,3-phenylene)bis[ N-(carboxymethyl)]glycinate, exhibits a 7-fold sensitivity to Zn(II) ion, and there is no emission band shift observed. Investigations point to the methoxy group for the ratiometric behavior and increased sensitivity to zinc. The diacetate versions—sodium N-(carboxymethyl)- N-(2-methoxyphenyl)glycinate, sodium N,N'-(2-methoxy-5-methyl-1,3-phenylene)bisglycinate …

Women, Doctoral Degrees, And Technology: Female Doctoral Students Online, Adonica Schultz Aune

Theses and Dissertations

Women, Doctoral Degrees, and Computer Technology: Female Doctoral Students Online was conducted at a Midwestern university addressing the questions: (1) How do women use the computer during their doctoral work? (2) Why do women use the computer for their doctoral work? (3) When do women working on their doctoral work use the computer? and (4) Has the personal computer enabled the doctoral student to complete her Ph.D.? The investigation was conducted in three stages. Phase one was a pilot survey of 23 women in doctoral programs that provided descriptive data on how, how much, and when women in doctoral programs …

Two Approaches To The Removal Of Heating Fuel Oil Trapped In Wood And Concrete: Bio- And Photoremediation. Characterization Of Lignans In Flaxseed By Hplc/Dad/Esi Tof Ms And Gc/Ms, Inna Eduardovna Popova Tyapochkin

Theses and Dissertations

Chemical contamination of buildings occurs as a result of storage, spills, and catastrophic floods. Over the time, contaminants slowly evaporate from the structural elements posing health risks. To develop a cost-effective and safe route to decontaminate and reuse the contaminated wood and concrete, studies including extraction of fuel oil hydrocarbons from wood and concrete, their transport and remediation were conducted. n-Hexadecane was quantative recovered from wood using sequential extraction with acetone followed by pentane; from ambient concrete using pentane; and from water-saturated concrete using 2-propanol. Transport of fuel oil hydrocarbons in wood can be described by a two-step model: fast …

Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Modulates Nmda Receptors In The Central Nervous System, Javier H. Jara

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple cytokines are secreted in the brain during inflammatory conditions and likely affect neuronal survival. Previous studies demonstrated that glutamate and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) kill neurons via activation of the NMDA and TNFα receptors, respectively. Nevertheless the mechanisms of neuronal death are not completely elucidated. The goal of this study was to characterize the signaling cross-talk pathway initiated during this inflammation-related mechanism of cell death. Stimulation of mouse cortical neuron cultures with TNFα resulted in a transient increase in NMDA receptor-dependent calcium influx that is additive with NMDA stimulation and inhibited by pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist. …

Volume 46, Number 13: November 12, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

November 6, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the November 4, 2008, meeting of the University Senate. 33 pages

Volume 46, Number 12: November 05, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 11: October 29, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 10: October 22, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 8: October 08, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

October 2, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the October 2, 2008, meeting of the University Senate. 25 pages

Volume 46, Number 7: October 01, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of An Oral Vaccination Program To Control Raccoon Rabies In A Suburbanized Landscape, Jason R. Boulanger, Laura L. Bigler, Paul D. Curtis, Donald H. Lein, Arthur J. Lembo Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

We evaluated the efficacy of an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program conducted in Erie County, New York, from July through September, 2002–2005. Ingress of the raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies variant first occurred along the southern border of Erie County, New York, during 1992 and began to spread northward at a velocity of 31 km/year. Fixed-wing aircraft dropped ORV baits in rural landscapes; helicopters, hand baiting, and bait stations distributed baits in suburban landscapes (x̄ bait densities ranged 59–118 baits/km²). Our study objectives were to quantify rabies case densities, evaluate efficacy of intervention efforts, and determine biological, …

Fall 2008, University Of North Dakota Alumni Association

ALL: UND Alumni Review Master List

Fall 2008 issue of "The University of North Dakota Alumni Review." 70 pages

Volume 91, Number 4

Vol. 33, No. 4: Fall 2008, School Of Medicine & Health Sciences

North Dakota Medicine Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 6: September 24, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 46, Number 5: September 17, 2008, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

The Quality Of Life Of Caregivers Of Children With Special Needs., Cindy Flom-Meland

Theses and Dissertations

Dealing with a long-term illness, traumatic injury, or a life altering accident or event can be very stressful for the person in those circumstances. It can also be very stressful for the family members and, specifically, the direct caregivers. Comparisons of psychosocial factors have been researched in families of children with special needs and families of children without special needs. Families of children with special needs have been found to have greater financial stress, interruption of family structure and routine, disruption of leisure activities, decreased time for social interaction, and poorer physical and mental health. At the current time within …

Faculty And Administrative Perceptions Of Professional Programs At Three Private Liberal Arts Colleges., Debra M. Grosz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine faculty and administrator perceptions of and attitudes toward professional degree programs at liberal arts institutions. Three upper-Midwestern, private, liberal arts colleges of similar size and religious affiliation were selected for the study. Qualitative research methods were used in this study. Data were collected from a series of 15 interviews with select faculty and administrators. Analysis of the data resulted in three categories. The first category, image, included two themes: Interviewees could define and state the purpose of liberal arts colleges, although there were significant differences among the responses; and interviewees knew …

Theoretical Study Of Compounds Containing Nitrogen In Or Near Strained Ring Structures., Rajeev Ramdatt Pandey

Theses and Dissertations

Ground and low-lying excited electronic states of difluorodiazirine (F 2CN2) were investigated using the recently revised variant of second-order Generalized Van Vleck Perturbation theory. It was shown that the CN2 ring is retained in all the low-lying excited states and that the compound is highly multireference in nature. The results are expected to be useful in describing the mechanism of the ultraviolet photolysis of this compound. Difluorophosphaazirine (F2CNP) is isovalent with F2CN 2 and presents useful similarities and differences. In mapping the potential energy surface of F2CNP, the geometrical parameters and harmonic vibration frequencies of six new local minima, besides …

Altered Vascular Function In A Rat Model Of Reduced Utero -Placental Perfusion., Cindy M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The present study was designed to characterize vascular responsiveness and leptin signaling in small mesenteric and uterine arcuate arteries in a rat model of reduced uterine perfusion pressure. The reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) model was utilized to mimic the underlying pathology of preeclampsia. The uterine arteries and abdominal aortae of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically constricted on day 14 of gestation. Systolic blood pressure measurements were obtained before and during pregnancy using a tail cuff measuring system. Weight was measured with each blood pressure evaluation. The rats were euthanized on gestational day 20. Fetal number, fetal weight and placental …

Experimental Polychondritis: Induced Vs. Spontaneous., Jennifer L. Lamoureux

Theses and Dissertations

We demonstrate evidence supporting two independent hypotheses related to experimental polychondritis: (1) co-expression of a “nonpathogenic” HLA-DQ allele with a “pathogenic” allele results in enhanced susceptibility to disease; and (2) age related immunological changes allow for the spontaneous onset of disease. Relapsing polychondritis (RP), a human autoimmune disease of unknown etiology in which cartilaginous sites are destroyed by cyclic inflammatory episodes, occurs most commonly during middle age. Collagen-induced polychondritis (CIP) develops in heterologous type II collagen (CII) immunized young (6–8 wk old) mice expressing HLA-DQ6α8β transgenes (tg) regardless of gender, and mirrors clinical RP. Although both DQ6αβ8αβ tg and DQ6α8β …