Digital Commons Network^™

March 1, 2016, The Dakota Student

The Dakota Student

No abstract provided.

Australia And Other Nations Are Failing To Meet Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines For Children: Implications And A Way Forward, Leon Straker, Erin Kaye Howie, Dylan Paul Cliff, Melanie T. Davern, Lina Engelen, Sjaan R. Gomersall, Jenny Ziviani, Natasha K. Schranz, Tim Olds, Grant Tomkinson

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Background: Australia has joined a growing number of nations that have evaluated the physical activity and sedentary behavior status of their children. Australia received a “D minus” in the first Active Healthy Kids Australia Physical Activity Report Card. Methods: An expert subgroup of the Australian Report Card Research Working Group iteratively reviewed available evidence to answer 3 questions: (a) What are the main sedentary behaviors of children? (b) What are the potential mechanisms for sedentary behavior to impact child health and development? and (c) What are the effects of different types of sedentary behaviors on child health and …

Volume 53, Number 24: January 27, 2016, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

January 14, 2016, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the January 14, 2016, meeting of the University Senate. 18 pages

Colonial Subjugation And Human Rights Abuses: Twenty-First Century Violations Against Brazil’S Rural Indigenous Xukuru Nation, Marcia Mikulak

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This article addresses the struggle of rural Xukuru indigenous peoples in Pesqueira, Pernambuco, Brazil as they organize to stop historical violence against them and work to regain their constitutional right to their ancestral lands. The article illustrates what a single researcher working along-side rural people's and NGOs can do to make change in an oppressive state. With the birth of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 and the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, member states have often provided rhetorical validity to human rights documents and conventions; a rhetoric that is often ignored upon return to …

Passing On The Legacy: How Rural Community College Senior Officers Prepare The Next Generation Of Leaders, Linda Thompson Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Given the significant projected percentages of retirements of community college senior officers, forecasted workforce shortages, and the difficulty of attracting employees to rural community colleges, a qualitative study was undertaken to understand the learning experiences of seven senior officers in developing the competencies to lead at a rural community college. Through the interviews, the senior officers redirected the conversations to describe how they develop the next generation of rural community college leaders. Findings included the descriptive concepts of (a) rural legacies, (b) developing pragmatic competence, and (c) reciprocal development. A grounded theory model provided guidance on preparing the next generation …

Academia Meeting The Needs Of Industry: A Case Study Of Developing A New Degree Program For Petroleum Engineering, Rosemary Vogt

Theses and Dissertations

The recent oil boom in western North Dakota’s Bakken formation in the Williston Basin resulted in numerous opportunities for skilled professionals (for which an academic credential is required) in petroleum engineering. Oil and gas industries operating in the state approached leaders at the University of North Dakota (UND) with the request to develop a petroleum engineering program for the purpose of contributing to the need for a skilled workforce in the state. In 2012, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education approved a new Department of Petroleum Engineering at the University of North Dakota. What is unknown or understood …

Not Your Business: Pedagogical Lessons Of Activist Resistance To Neoliberalism In Canadian Higher Education, Jorunn Thordarson

Theses and Dissertations

The growing power and permeation of neoliberal ideology across all facets of social life has been instrumental in promoting and orchestrating a shift among Canadian post-secondary institutions towards a reductive view of schooling at the expense of a more liberatory vision of education. The aim of this study was to examine the connections between power, education, and democracy in relation to the neoliberal restructuring of higher education in Canada, while simultaneously exploring discourses of resistance to neoliberal hegemony. Using critical discourse analysis, this study begins by establishing the promotion and naturalization of neoliberal ideology within the policy landscape of Canadian …

The Impact Of Power Status On Gender Stereotypes, Sexism, And Gender Discrimination Toward Women In The Workplace And The Career Identity Development Of Women, Juemei Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Women often experience unique barriers at workplace that hinder their career development (Whitley & Kite, 2010). In this study I focused on several of the barriers: gender stereotypes, sexism, and gender discrimination. Specifically, I examined the impact of career-related power, the gender of the perceiver, and the gender of the perceived on the endorsement of gender stereotypes, of sexist attitudes, and of gender discrimination. Significant results indicated that gender stereotypes and sexist attitude are most strongly endorsed by men with high power and women with low power. The largely insignificant results of discrimination also suggested that a climate change might …

Theory Through Practice: An Action Research Study Of Learning To Teach In Elementary Music Methods, Rebecca Calvert Petrik

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to improve an elementary music methods course’s impact on preservice teachers’ learning to teach. The central problem was identified as weak connectivity between course learning at the beginning of the semester and application in practicum settings at the end of the course. Reconnaissance including self study and study of the field led to changes in the sequencing of course learning and practicum teaching. The course was restructured to support the preservice music teachers through a graduated progression of practicum experiences prescheduled across the entire sixteen-week semester. Each teaching experience was grounded with …

Depositional Environment Of The Top Four Members Of The Three Forks Formation In Northwestern North Dakota, Williston Basin And Its Relation To Variables In Oil Production, Kilynn Sandberg

Theses and Dissertations

The Three Forks Formation (Upper Devonian) is present in the subsurface in the western two-third of North Dakota and conformably overlies the Birdbear Formation and underlies the Bakken Formation. The Formation reaches its maximum thickness of 270 feet (82 meters) in the center of the basin.

The Three Forks Formation is composed of dolostone, mud, fine sand, and limestone. This research included a detailed study of core samples and some petrographic analysis of thin sections. Six lithologic units were recognized in the subsurface including: laminated beds, massive mudstone, massive sandstone, brecciated beds, mottled beds, and massive limestone.

Groundwater controlled dolomitization …

A Localized Autonomous Control Algorithm For Robots With Heterogeneous Capabilities In A Multi-Tier Architecture, Jeremy Straub

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation makes two contributions to the use of the Blackboard Architecture for command. The use of boundary nodes for data abstraction is introduced and the use of a solver-based blackboard system with pruning is proposed. It also makes contributions advancing the engineering design process in the area of command system selection for heterogeneous robotic systems. It presents and analyzes data informing decision making between centralized and distributed command systems and also characterizes the efficacy of pruning across different experimental scenarios, demonstrating when it is effective or not. Finally, it demonstrates the operations of the system, raising the technology readiness …

Contraceptive Self-Efficacy: Educational And Familial Influences, Jenelle Suzan Swenberger

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines educational and familial influences on contraceptive self-efficacy among young adults. Self-efficacy theory states that beliefs about personal efficacy constitute the key factor behind human agency. Contraceptive self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to utilize contraceptives in a sexual situation. Based on previous literature it is expected that young adults who have had comprehensive reproductive health education, report higher levels of individual educational attainment, and report higher levels of mothers’ and fathers’ educational attainment will report higher levels of contraceptive self-efficacy. To test these associations, data from a stratified random sample of undergraduate students enrolled at …

Preparing Doctoral Students For The Professoriate: An Ethnographic Study Of Students’ Experiences In A Formal Preparatory Course, Mohammed Saleh Alkathiri

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of doctoral students relating to the factors that influence their understanding, preparation and attitude toward the professoriate. Participants were enrolled in a formal course that was designed to prepare them for the professoriate. Acquainted with critical realist ontology, the researcher argued that it was necessary to investigate the understanding and preparation of doctoral students in order to better clarify the complex experiences that underlie their practices of making meaning and maintaining balance and well-being in the professoriate. The study was conducted using an ethnographic case study approach with multiple data collection methods that …

Teacher Perceptions Of Facilitated Video Analysis Of Instruction In Teacher Professional Development, Benson Ayang Bakabaka

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated inservice teachers’ perceptions of facilitated video analysis of instruction (FAVAI) on teacher professional development. The study borrows from the efficiency video of instruction has provided preservice teachers in previous research. The study made use of a group of five inservice teachers who took a professional development course labeled the Bakabaka Video Pedagogy (BVP). These teachers participated in watching and analyzing videos of instruction. A midcourse anonymous online survey was administered four weeks into the course. At the end of the BVP course, a post-viewing interview was administered to all the participants. The key research questions guiding …

Burnout, Autonomy, And Job Satisfaction In Full-Time Public Community College Faculty Members: A Regional Survey And Analysis, Justin W. Berry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived levels of burnout, autonomy, and job satisfaction in full-time public community college faculty members; it was also of interest to determine potential relationships between burnout, autonomy, job satisfaction, and demographic factors. Participants in this study were 146 full time faculty members from twelve public community colleges within Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Measures in this study assessed perceived levels of burnout, autonomy, and job satisfaction. Independent samples t-tests and Pearson correlations were utilized to analyze data.

Results indicated that full-time public community college faculty members have moderate levels of …

Examining Identity Of Novice Teacher Educators: A Self-Study, Laura Brudvik

Theses and Dissertations

Novice teacher educators can provide valuable insight into the question of professional identity and how it informs practice. Collaboration through interviews using self-study highlight how the experiences of their novice teacher educator years contribute to their identities. The self-study method provides an integrative approach, bridging research and practice, with the goal of ultimately improving practice. This self-study identifies specific qualities possessed by teacher educators who are former classroom teachers, and analyzes those qualities to determine possible benefits to teacher education. A corollary study is a self-study of my personal construction of professional identity as a novice teacher educator. The self-study …

Lived Experiences Of Freshman Students In Their First Semester Of College, Lisa Marie Burger

Theses and Dissertations

Why do some college students enter, persist, and successfully move through the educational system, while others lose their direction and leave college prior to achieving their academic goals? As students graduate from high school and enter a post-secondary educational environment, some are prepared for the experiences they will encounter, while others struggle through their first semester of enrollment as they attempt to make meaning of their life situations and transitions. This qualitative research study used Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory as well as Baxter Magolda’s (2001) concept of self-reflection as a framework for discovery and understanding in an attempt to gain …

How Distribution Of Commercial Satellite Payloads Between Different Launch Providers Affects The National Space Transportation Policy, Jerra Brown

Theses and Dissertations

How does the distribution of commercial satellite payloads affect the National Space Transportation Policy? Looking at the launch of commercial satellite payloads as a market, providing profit for private ventures, the question was analyzed by linking the economic benefits of the market to policy that it influences. Historical models are used to establish an economic variable and correlate its impact on policy change through time, using the 1994, 2004 and 2013 National Space Transportation Policies. The primary methods used were different comparative text analysis to baseline the changes of the evolving policies as applicable to a growing private space launch …

Quantifying Cure In Industrial Composites Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (Ftir), Jason Robert Burns

Theses and Dissertations

A study has been taken to evaluate the utility of two Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic sampling methods in calculating the degree of cure in an industrial fiberglass-reinforced composite material. Methodologies examined include: attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and diffuse reflectance (DRIFTs), both which utilize the Agilent 4100 ExoScan FTIR platform. As the formulation of the unsaturated polyester resin used in the fabrication of the industrial composite is proprietary a cure model based on the plasticizer, styrene, is proposed. Results of the infrared tests show that neither the resolution of ATR FTIR or DRIFTs is sufficient to monitor cure of the …

Creation Of A Conditional Reasoning Task For Hostile Sexism, Travis Daryl Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) is a widely used measure of sexism. The current project describes the creation and administration of an alternative measurement of sexism that utilizes a conditional reasoning task (CRT) while supporting the theoretical underpinnings in Ambivalent Sexism Theory. Arguments in favor of creating a new scale are presented along with arguments for the specific use of a CRT. By creating a conditional reasoning task for hostile sexism (CRT-HS), the current project takes the first step toward creating a new indirect alternative for measuring sexism.

The Relationship Of Substance Use, Biological Sex, And Age To Defender Behaviors In Middle And High School Students In Rural Schools, Amanda D'Ottavio

Theses and Dissertations

While there are many studies looking at the characteristic of defenders in bullying situations, the literature regarding defender behaviors and substance use is lacking. In a sample of rural adolescents, the current study aims to examine the relationship between defender behaviors, substance use, biological sex and age. Rural middle and high school youth from six Northern Plains schools in the Midwest (N = 264) completed a self-report survey. Surveys were created to examine defender behaviors and substance use, and a demographic questionnaire collected biological sex and grade level. Grade level was used in place of age. A relationship between defender …

Sex Offender Treatment And Legal Policy Perception In Relation To Information Presentation Style, Kirsten Sierra Engel

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender treatment, policy, and perception are greatly intertwined in the numerous policies in place. Current policies tend to reflect negative perceptions toward both sex offenders and treatment and an inaccurate view of the effectiveness of current sex offender policies. The source of these inaccurate views, however, is not entirely clear, with some researchers linking it to a simple lack of exposure to accurate information. Additionally, the broadly negative perceptions, emotions, and beliefs may be leading individuals to utilize more superficial routes of processing, as explained by the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Given the potential for the public’s opinion to make …

Cntf Potentiates Survival And Sprouting Of Axotomized Magnocellular Neurons, Kathryn E. Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is believed to promote neuronal sprouting and survival within the magnocellular neurosecretory system (MNS) by means of astrocyte activation following injury. When CNTF binds to its receptor complex, CNTF receptor alpha, located on the extracellular surface of the astrocyte, it initiates the Jak/STAT3 pathway. The activation of this pathway and the translocation of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) to the nucleus is believed to lead to the release of multiple factors that act in a paracrine manner to influence survival and sprouting of MNS neurons. To confirm the ability of CNTF to activate the astrocyte, the three receptor …

Spirituality And Student Engagement At A Small, Church-Related Private College, Hal Henry Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

The undergraduate collegiate years are filled with growth and development for students. As students experience and progress through their collegiate years, they are often confronted with difficult life questions, such as what is the meaning of life or why am I here? Oftentimes, the question is why do bad things happen? The purpose of this study is to better understand relationship between student engagement and spirituality.

Undergraduate students at a small, church-related private college in the Upper Midwest were surveyed in the Spring 2015 semester using the College Students’ Beliefs and Values Survey (CSBVS).

Alexander Astin’s I-E-O model was utilized …

Characterization Of Two Surface Proteins From The Lyme Spirochete And Their Roles During Mammalian Infection, Robert Anthony Gaultney

Theses and Dissertations

Borrelia burgdorferi is an enigmatic bacterial pathogen that afflicts a large proportion of the world population as the causative agent of Lyme disease. The bacterium has a number of factors that promote virulence including a complex and dynamic array of extracellular proteins that can interact with various molecules of an infected host. One such molecule, fibronectin, is a key glycoprotein in the ECM of mammalian hosts with multiple characterized functions. B. burgdorferi encodes multiple known Fn-binding proteins, and has an additional putative protein BB0347 that may also bind Fn. Another protein, MlpJ, is homologous to a known hemin-binding protein, which …

Anomie In The Oil Patch? An Examination Of Durkheim’S Anomie Theory Through A Case Study Of The Bakken Region, Fred Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Emile Durkheim serves as one of the seminal contributors to the field of sociology; his contributions to criminology are numerous as well. Many authors consider Durkheim’s concept of anomie to be his most important contribution to the field of criminology (Lunden, 1972). Durkheim’s anomie theory has been subject to extensive empirical examination, these efforts have resulted in disparate findings. Graeff and Mehlkop (2007) insist this lack of coherence is due to improper operationalization of Durkheim’s anomie by some researchers. In particular, it is the utilization of cross sectional data in these previous studies which contributes to these disparate results. The …

Using Simian Virus 40 As A Model To Determine The Effects Of Replication And Transcription On Histone Methylation, Les Kallestad

Theses and Dissertations

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) is a well-characterized virus whose small circular DNA genome is organized into chromatin and, as a consequence, undergoes many of the same biological processes observed in cellular chromatin. SV40 early transcription is repressed when the product of early transcription, T-antigen, binds to its cognate regulatory sequence, Site I, in the promoter of the SV40 minichromosome. We have subsequently shown that T-antigen binding to Site I results in the replication-dependent introduction of H3K9me1 into SV40 chromatin late in infection. Since H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 are also present late in infection, we determined whether their presence was also related …

Gata4 Interacts With Hedgehog Signaling Pathway In Regulating Outflow Tract Development, Jielin Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are among the most common type of developmental anomaly affecting 8 in 1000 live births. Approximately 30% of CHDs involve cardiac outflow tract (OFT) malformation which leads to significant morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. Development of OFT is regulated by a complex genetic network including Sonic-Hedgehog signaling pathway, TGF-β and BMP signaling pathway. Mutation of a transcription factor, Gata4, has been known to cause OFT defects including double outlet right ventricle (DORV) in both human and mice for decades. Several transcription targets of Gata4 have been identified such as Mef2c, Ccnd2 and Cdk4, …

Understanding Addiction, Depression, And Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Structure-Function Analyses Of The Dopamine And Serotonin Transporters, Danielle Krout

Theses and Dissertations

The dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT) transporters are monoamine neurotransmitter transporters (MATs) responsible for the reuptake of dopamine (DA) or serotonin (5-HT) from the synapse following vesicular release, effectively regulating synaptic neurotransmission. Blockade of these transporters by antagonists such as psychostimulant drugs or transporter mutations that affect function can compromise DA or 5-HT homeostasis and impact fundamental brain processes including movement, emotion, behavior, motivation, and memory. To address these issues, my dissertation research focused on: (1) identifying and characterizing the cocaine binding site in DAT, (2) determining the influence of membrane depolarization on DAT trafficking, (3) investigating antidepressant metabolite action …