Digital Commons Network^™

Studying Phase And Morphology Of Hydrocarbon Petrochemicals In Inorganic And Organic Microdroplets Using An Electrodynamic Balance, Fafa Tackie-Otoo

Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater from the petroleum industry contains large amounts of inorganic salts, hydrocarbons, mercaptans, oil and grease, phenols, and other organic chemicals. All these compounds can be found in highly complex solutions in the petroleum industry’s discharged water, and there is no common treatment method, which precludes reuse paths in other sectors such as irrigation of farmland. In order to reuse produced water, the water must be treated and these harmful chemicals must be removed. To treat and potentially reuse oily waste outside the energy sector, researchers typically use membrane technology, photocatalytic degradation, oxidation processes, electrochemical catalysis, and other methods. The …

Evaluating The Impact Of Electricity And Electron Movement On The Electric Grid From Distributed Generation, Cooper R. Wade

Theses and Dissertations

The United States’ electric grid is currently undergoing a monumental energy transition involving the incorporation of new fuel sources, generation types, and operational modifications. Since 1920, the U.S. energy collective has been overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where during this tenure they have pursued the direct regulation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). This reasoning has been utilized over 300 times in federal cases and proceedings as the adoption rate of DERs has increased, which is based upon the language allowing the federal regulation of electricity based upon the flow of electrons. This is based solely upon the …

Developing A Multiomic Association Between Ionizing Radiation Exposure And Biological Aging Processes For Space Exploration Purpose, Nathan Alexander Ruprecht

Theses and Dissertations

If humans continue to push to be a space exploring species, time and radiation pose the most significant barriers. While not a new idea, approaching a rad-age association with today’s technology offers a fresh look at treating and monitoring both as a similar challenge. To get to that point, starting from square one helps shape the project and avoid common pitfalls. Each chapter is an incremental step to developing this association using multi-omics by building theoretical knowledge of the relationship between radioactive damage and aging processes, building technical knowledge by developing bioinformatic pipelines to integrate different -omes, using genetics data …

Und Leads: A Strategic Vision For The University Of North Dakota, University Of North Dakota

LEADS Implementation Documents

Official UND LEADS strategic plan for the University of North Dakota. The plan presents UND’s mission and vision, introduces the five LEADS core values of Learning, Equity, Affinity, Discovery, and Service, and outlines the strategic priorities guiding UND’s implementation work.

Winter Commencement: December 15-16, 2022, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 15 and 16, 2022.

Assessment Of Blood Pressure And Postural Control Mechanisms In Parkinson’S Disease During An Orthostatic Challenge, Rabie Fadil

Theses and Dissertations

Upon standing, 500–1000 mL of blood shifts from the central body compartments to the lower extremities and splanchnic circulation, leading to a decreased venous return to the heart, reduced cardiac output, and a consequent decline in blood pressure. In healthy individuals, the drop in blood pressure is quickly compensated via regulatory mechanisms. On the other hand, people with Parkinson’s disease may experience impaired reflex responses and a persistent drop in blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension, OH), leading to visual disturbances, loss of consciousness, postural instability, and fainting. Parkinson’s disease patients have impaired balance and gait control as a symptom of the …

Will Communication Delays Impact Mission Controllers? An Investigation Of Mood, Performance, And Workload During Analog Missions, Madison Diamond

Theses and Dissertations

Mission Controllers (MCs) are responsible for ensuring astronauts remain safe and healthy, making them vital for successful human spaceflight missions. They are the main point of contact for crews in space and communicate frequently over the course of the day. On a mission to Mars, there will be as long as 22-minute one way communication delays between the ground and the crew, causing major changes to current communication infrastructures. Research has commenced on investigating how these communication delays will impact missions. However, thus far, this research has focused on the crew as their subjects, despite alluding to the potential consequences …

Multiple Surface Pipeline Leak Detection Using Real-Time Sensor Data Analysis, Francis Enejo Idachaba

Theses and Dissertations

Pipelines enable the largest volume of both intra and international transportation of oil and gas and play critical roles in the energy sufficiency of countries. The biggest drawback with the use of pipelines for oil and gas transportation is the problem of oil spills whenever the pipelines lose containment. The severity of the oil spill on the environment is a function of the volume of the spill and this is a function of the time taken to detect the leak and contain the spill from the pipeline. A single leak on the Enbridge pipeline spilled 3.3 million liters into the …

High Resolution Compositional Characterization Of Degraded Crude Oils Using Petroleomics, Miguel Fernando Jimenez Jacome

Theses and Dissertations

The compositional evaluation and geochemical characterization of twenty wellhead samples from six fields of the heavy oil belt on the western flank of the Middle Magdalena Valley basin in Colombia (MMVB) were completed by analyzing its polar fraction, that is, compounds of Nitrogen, Sulfur and Oxygen (NSO) using 15 Tesla and 21 Tesla Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS), combined with negative electrospray ionization (-)ESI and positive atmospheric pressure photoionization (+) APPI. To highlight the sulfur compounds and organic acids, the Propyl Sulfonic Acid (PRS) and Amino-Propyl Silica (APS) fractionations were used respectively.

The results validate the use …

Non-Mendelian Segregation Of The Maize Embryo-Specific Mutation Und-9, Christopher D. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

The maize mutant UND-9 is being studied in our lab as part of a larger study into the genes responsible for embryo development in maize. It is known as an embryo-specific mutant, which causes the embryo of the maize kernel to fail to develop fully while not hindering the development of the endosperm. During this study, it was discovered that the inheritance of this mutation appeared to behave in a manner contrary to the normal laws of Mendelian inheritance. This paper represents a deeper study into the mechanisms of this behavior, analyzing the data collected so far and in particular …

A Deep Learning-Based Framework For Food Safety, Cleanliness, And Data Privacy Assurance, Hamed Taheri Gorji

Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and foodborne diseases are significant global public health concerns. Precise, reliable, and speedy contamination detection and disinfection technology while preserving the business owners’ data privacy is an ongoing challenge for the food-service industry. Contamination in food-related services can cause foodborne illness, endangering customers and jeopardizing provider reputations.This dissertation performed a cleanliness assessment and disinfection and data privacy assurance in the food services industry using fluorescence imaging, state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms, and a novel paradigm in machine learning named federated learning. In chapter 3, we combined two deep learning algorithms (EfficientNet-B0 and U-Net) and fluorescence imaging for automatic detection …

The Effects Of The Alpha1a Adrenergic Receptor In Modulating Psychiatric Symptoms, Jason Power

Theses and Dissertations

The adrenergic system plays a key role in the treatment and understanding of the etiology of mental illnesses. Despite antidepressants having the effect of reducing the reuptake of specific neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine (NE), the mechanism of the antidepressant effect is poorly understood. It is apparent that antidepressants increase the rate of neurogenesis occurring within the hippocampal region of the brain with the hippocampus found to have an increased density around the time of symptom improvement (rate plateaus after 4-8 weeks after treatment). With an increased rate of neurogenesis taking ~1 month to occur, it was hypothesized that treatment with …

Evolutionary Cartographies Of Language Diversification: Quantitative Approaches To The Geolinguistic Mapping Of The Kayanic Languages (Central Borneo), Deandré A. Espree-Conaway

Theses and Dissertations

Why are there so many languages in the world and how did this diversity come about? Every day, humans around the world speak over 7,000 languages. One of the most impactful theories describing the processes and mechanisms of language diversification is that of the Linguistic Niche Hypothesis (Lupyan & Dale 2010). The Linguistic Niche Hypothesis suggests that languages adapt to their environments (Lupyan & Dale 2010: 1). Lupyan and Dale describe it, stating that "just as biological organisms are shaped by ecological niches, languages structures...adapt to the environment (niche) in which they are being learned and used" (2010: 1). Taking …

Indigenizing The Outbreak Narrative: How Lee Maracle, Richard Van Camp, And Cherie Dimaline Critique Settler Colonialism And Medical Racism, Deanne Michelle Sparks

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation analyzes how Lee Maracle's Ravensong, Richard Van Camp's "I Am Filled with a Trembling Heart", and Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves critique the traditional outbreak narrative structures identified by Charles Rosenberg and Priscilla Wald. Specifically, these Indigenous texts decenter the microbe for a more miasmic perspective that takes into consideration how settler colonialism and medical racism complicates the disease experience and its social epidemic.

Factors That Influence School Nurses' Intent To Report Child Maltreatment, Catherine M. Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Child maltreatment is a global problem that causes harm to the well-being of a child that extends to adulthood. In the United States alone, there are 158,900 child victims in 2019 and 1,779 child fatalities. Despite national attention and the availability of child abuse education, the victimization statistics have remained essentially unchanged in the last 11 years. Nurses are mandated reporters of child maltreatment. School nurses are frequent observers in a child’s life, thus leaving them uniquely qualified for real-time assessment. The purpose of this study is to determine what factors correlate with the school nurse’s intent to report …

Effects Of Small Molecule Fak Activators On Gastrointestinal Mucosal Healing, Sema Oncel

Theses and Dissertations

Gastrointestinal (GI) ulcers are common worldwide. The persistence of noxious agents such as gastric acid, pepsin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and inflammation caused by inflammatory bowel disease breaks down the mucosal barrier and causes mucosal injury in the GI tract. Currently available therapeutics such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2-antagonists), antibiotics, and corticosteroids all attempt to minimize injury by reducing the symptoms of GI pathology, however, they do not directly promote mucosal healing. NSAIDs increase the development of both upper and lower GI ulcers. PPIs ameliorate upper GI injury; however, PPIs actually worsen NSAID distal enteropathy by …

Rsv-Induced Actin Modulation: Contributes To Bronchial Wall Thickening; Does Not Induce Emt, And Is Cdc42-Assisted, Sattya Narayan Talukdar

Theses and Dissertations

RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that infects our respiratory tract and can cause severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia worldwide. RSV bronchiolitis causes more fatalities in infants and newborns and leads to severe hospitalization and even death of children. The host-RSV interaction has yet to be explored properly to explain RSV bronchiolitis. This study aimed to elucidate the connection between the modulation of host actin cytoskeletal with viral pathogenesis, including bronchiolitis. As bronchial wall thickening is a common feature of bronchiolitis, the contribution of RSV-infected airway epithelium to bronchial wall thickening was evaluated. RSV infection in the healthy adult bronchial …

Improved Pressure Loss And Multiphase Flow Behavior Predictions For In-Line Gas-Liquid Contactors Using Experimental Measurements And Cfd Simulations, Evan Lowry

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment of gas by liquid absorption is a common unit operation in industry. Traditionally, contact between the gas and liquid is accomplished in co-current flow utilizing a tower or column. With the increased demand for natural gas and renewable gas, higher treating capacities for new installations and methods for de-bottlenecking existing plants are needed. Co-current gas treating with static mixers is an increasingly attractive alternative for process intensification. The corrugated plate (SMV-style) mixer is currently the most widely used mixing element for gas-continuous mixing with a liquid phase and has been recommended as the best standard option for this service. …

Performance Comparison Of Weak And Strong Learners In Detecting Gps Spoofing Attacks On Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Aydan Gasimova

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems (UAVs) are widely used in civil and military applications. These systems rely on trustworthy connections with various nodes in their network to conduct their safe operations and return-to-home. These entities consist of other aircrafts, ground control facilities, air traffic control facilities, and satellite navigation systems. Global positioning systems (GPS) play a significant role in UAV's communication with different nodes, navigation, and positioning tasks. However, due to the unencrypted nature of the GPS signals, these vehicles are prone to several cyberattacks, including GPS meaconing, GPS spoofing, and jamming. Therefore, this thesis aims at conducting a detailed comparison …

An Indepth Look On Earth-Anchoring Through Architectural Treatments To Mitigate Psychological And Psychosocial Issues During Long-Duration Spaceflight, Skye Elizabeth Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Astronauts' mental health is of significant concern for any spaceflight mission. For low-Earth orbit (LEO) spaceflights, crews are four to six hours away from home. They can still see planet Earth, and if there is an emergency, there are escape routes; however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflights millions of miles away from home, crews cannot see planet Earth, cannot turn around in an emergency and are on their own in a monotone and sterile environment. These desensitizing conditions directly impact astronauts’ psychological and psychosocial well-being. Crews must learn how to interact with each other for an extended period, considering …

December 1, 2022: Agenda, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Agenda for the December 1, 2022, meeting of the University Senate. 26 pages

November 2, 2022, The Dakota Student

The Dakota Student

No abstract provided.

Bird Species Define The Relationship Between West Nile Viremia And Infectiousness To Culex Pipiens Mosquitoes, Jefferson A. Vaughan, Robert Newman, Michael J. Turrell

Biology Faculty Publications

The transmission cycle of West Nile virus (WNV) involves multiple species of birds. The relative importance of various bird species to the overall transmission is often inferred from the level and duration of viremia that they experience upon infection. Reports utilizing in vitro feeding techniques suggest that the source and condition of blood in which arboviruses are fed to mosquitoes can significantly alter the infectiousness of arbovirus to mosquitoes. We confirmed this using live hosts. A series of mosquito feedings with Culex pipiens was conducted on WNV-infected American robins and common grackles over a range of viremias. Mosquitoes were assayed …

Effectiveness Of Infrared Thermography For Delamination Detection In Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks, Eberechi Ichi, Sattar Dorafshan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents findings of delamination detection using infrared thermography (IRT) in five in-service bridges using an unmanned aerial vehicle system. The authors have used semantically segmented IRT images to evaluate IRT’s effectiveness in detection of deck delamination for the first time. Using an adaptive image processing-based model, sub-surface delaminations were detected by optimizing all user-defined parameters in the model, including threshold values to convert the enhanced IRT images to a binary image. The optimization process has been done selecting iterating the user-defined parameters and their effect on the interaction of a set of sigmoid curves representing the model’s performance …

Authenticity And Psychological Safety: Building And Encouraging Talent Among Underrepresented Students In Stem, Daphne E. Pedersen, Alena Kubatova, Rebecca Simmons

Biology Faculty Publications

The Undergraduate Scholarships with Mathematics and Science Training, Exploration, and Research Program (US MASTER) is a STEM scholarship program funded by the United States National Science Foundation. It was implemented at an upper-Midwest institution to target and provide structured support to low-income, academically talented undergraduates in biology, chemistry, geography and geographic information science (GISc), environmental sciences, and physics and astrophysics. In addition to providing financial support, the program features an integrated approach to mentorship and advising consisting of an ongoing seminar course in which students engage in collaborative projects, research experiences with a faculty mentor, and targeted academic advising. As …

September 1, 2022: Agenda, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Agenda for the September 1, 2022, meeting of the University Senate. 28 pages

Synthesis And Characterization Of Peek Based Functional Composites For Biomedical Applications, Sabah Javaid

Theses and Dissertations

We report the synthesis and characterization of PEEK-MAX (Ti3SiC2, Ti3AlC2,and Cr2AlC), and PEEK-MoAlB, (DDGS500 – pyrolyzed Distiller’s dried grains with soluble (DDGS)), metal (Mo) and PEEK-ceramic (Xonotlite) based PEEK composites, by hot-pressing. A systematic study was done to understand the effect of these additives on functional and mechanical properties. Initially, these composites were synthesized by hot pressing. Detailed microstructure analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed that at higher concentration (≥10 vol%), the Ti3SiC2, Ti3AlC2 and PEEK-MoAlB particles segregated at the phase boundaries and formed interpenetrating micro-networks. PEEK-Cr2AlC were well dispersed in the PEEK matrix. Microstructure study of the composites showed …

Summer Commencement: August 5, 2022, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Summer Commencement program from August 5, 2022.

Valuing Angling On Reservoirs Using Benefit Transfer, Richard T. Melstrom, Mark A. Kaemingk, Nicholas W. Cole, John C. Whitehead, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Biology Faculty Publications

Economic assessments are rarely applied to inland recreational fisheries for management purposes, especially when compared to fish, habitat, and creel assessments, yet economic assessments can provide critical information for management decisions. We provide a brief overview of economic value, key terminology, and existing economic techniques to address these issues. Benefit transfer, a technique used to measure economic value when an original analysis is not practicable, is conducted by drawing on existing estimates of economic value in similar contexts. We describe an application of benefit transfer to measure the economic value of several recreational fisheries in Nebraska, USA. We examine two …

Planetary Engineering Ethics: Mechanisms, Issues, And Consequences Of Terraforming, Haruka Kido

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

This research and analysis paper addresses the extension of environmental ethics in the area of planetary engineering, specifically using the following three ethical viewpoints that inevitably shape our perceptions of the terraforming endeavors proposed to build our cosmological future appropriately: [1] environmental ethics analysis, [2] moral theories analysis (including utilitarianism, Respect for Persons ethics or “RP ethics,” and virtue ethics), and [3] risk analysis. The three ethical viewpoints, explained in “Concepts and Cases: Engineering Ethics. 6th Edition,” are used to elaborate justifications for or against terraforming beyond the mere theoretical explanations. To develop …