Digital Commons Network^™

Experimental Investigation Of Freezing Microdroplets For Understanding Chain Crystal Aggregates Observed In Atmospheric Clouds, Imteaz Osmani

Theses and Dissertations

Ice crystal aggregates are observed in upper stratospheric clouds. The crystal aggregates can form in different orientations, geometry, and shapes which are not well studied. These crystal aggregations are found in the clouds as crystal chains of various lengths and cause damage to hypersonic vehicles which include missiles, re-entry vehicles, and jet aircraft. The reasons behind such damage by atmospheric crystal chains to hypersonic bodies are unknown. That is why studying these ice crystals and their behavior in the hypersonic environment is necessary. Ice crystals form in the atmosphere in two different ways which are homogenous and heterogenous. Heterogenous freezing …

The Reservoir Geomechanics And Production Effects On Permafrost Stability During Polymer Eor, Shane S. Namie

Theses and Dissertations

The North Slope of Alaska (ANS) contains an estimated 40 billion barrels of heavy oil in relatively shallow formations (984 to 1,969 ft / 304 to 600 m) within the Prudhoe Bay Unit (PBU), Milne Point Unit (MPU) and Kuparuk River Unit (KRU). Extracting this resource presents unique challenges, especially when hydrocarbon-bearing zones are near the permafrost. Research on tertiary recovery processes in these shallow zones is limited, with prior studies indicating minor permafrost thawing and subsidence over 30 to 40 years but lacking a numerical simulation model supported by laboratory data.This study investigates the feasibility of an enhanced oil …

“How Can I Teach When I Was Not Taught How?”: Teacher Education For Mother Tongue Instruction For Stem In Southwest Nigeria, Motunrayo Adeosun

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study, the experiences, training, and challenges of teachers in primary schools in a community in southwest Nigeria were explored. The purpose of this study was to identify the experiences of teachers about their training for mother tongue instruction and how they teach pupils with the mother tongue or local language of the community, the challenges faced by teachers in teaching with the mother tongue, and the strategies used by teachers to overcome the challenges. This study found that teachers received no training and there is no curriculum for the training of teachers to teach in the mother …

Investigation Of Gas Injection Eor In Conventional And Unconventional Reservoirs Based On Laboratory Experiments And Field Pilot Tests, Jin Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, fossil fuels (including oil, natural gas, and coal) are still the dominant energy sources in the United States. However, their extraction and utilization generate a significant volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) and associated gases, such as methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), etc. Injecting these gases back into deep oil reservoirs offers a practical means to enhance oil recovery while reducing air pollution. The target formations are usually characterized by good porosity and permeability to ensure sufficient injectivity and storage capacity. However, recent unconventional reservoir development indicated that tight formations could also be potential targets for enhanced oil recovery …

Endolysosomal Mechanisms Of Sars-Cov-2 Spike-Induced Inflammatory Response And Senescence In Human Astrocytes, Wendie Ann Hasler

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread reports of prolonged neurological symptoms in individuals who have recovered from the acute phase of the infection. These persistent symptoms, collectively termed Neuro-PASC (Neurological Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection), range from cognitive impairments to mood disturbances and other neuroinflammatory issues. Pathological features of Neuro-PASC include vascular impairment, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. One leading hypothesis for the development of Neuro-PASC is the persistent of SARS-CoV-2 viral factors. Post-mortem evidence indicates that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is consistently found in the brains of individuals who died with COVID-19, indicating that viral components can interact with …

A Thematic Analysis Of Experiences With Accommodation Plans Of College Students With Disabilities: Recommendations For Students, Faculty, And Administrators, Christina Dimauro

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of students with disabilities in higher education through a multiple case study design, incorporating both surveys and follow-up interviews to perform a thematic analysis across the cases. The primary aim was to amplify the voices of these students, gaining insights into their perspectives on the accommodations provided and gathering their advice for navigating the accommodations process. The interviews provided a qualitative depth, allowing students to share personal experiences and practical advice for other students. Findings reveal a diverse range of experiences, highlighting both successes and challenges in accessing and utilizing accommodations. Recommendations included advocating for …

Spectrometric Detection Of Microplastics In The Environment: A Novel Approach Using Hyperspectral Imaging System, Mansurat Abdulmalik Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, have emerged as one of the significant environmental contaminants due to their widespread presence in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. MPs originate from primary sources, such as industrial pre-production pellets and microbeads in personal care products, or secondary sources, such as the breakdown of larger plastic particles. Their persistence in the environment is due to their resistance to degradation and capacity to transport toxic substances and pathogens. These characteristics raise concerns about their ecological impacts and potential entry into food chains, ultimately affecting human health. Despite extensive research …

Outage Prediction And Detecting Influential Factors Under Extreme Weather Events Using Shap Analysis, Farishta Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

As electricity demands continue to grow and extreme weather events become more frequent, the need for resilient energy infrastructure is increasingly urgent. This thesis addresses three critical areas of power system resilience and monitoring. The first section of the thesis reviews the Texas power blackout in February 2021, which highlighted severe vulnerabilities in energy systems under extreme weather conditions. This analysis investigates the blackout event's causes, including generation capacity limitations and over-reliance on specific energy sources. The second section presents another weather event (ice storms) in North Dakota causing a multi-day blackout. Multiple machine learning approaches are deployed to predict …

Using Problematic Sexual Behaviors And The Developmental Life Course Model To Predict Criminal Justice Involvement And Psychopathology By Early Adulthood, Amanda Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

The developmental life course (DLC) model explains risk factors and developmental patterns among juveniles who have committed more than one sexual offense by considering the impact of major life events, experiences, and risk and protective factors throughout various developmental stages. Using an archival longitudinal dataset, the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), this study applied the DLC model to explore the relationship between gender and onset and persistence of problematic sexual behaviors (PSBs) in childhood and adolescence with criminal justice involvement and psychopathology by early adulthood (N = 330, 46% male, M = 18.26 years) after controlling for …

Behavioral Health Workforce Modeling To Assist In Prioritizing Educational Pathways Programs In North Dakota, Mandi-Leigh Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Background. The need for behavioral health services in North Dakota has grown in recent years. As part of the response to the need for services, a state definition of behavioral health workforce was enacted in state statute to assist in addressing this need. Thus far, no empirical evaluations of the status of that workforce have been conducted.Purpose. The primary purpose of this work was to quantify the supply and demand for the behavioral health workforce in North Dakota to assist in identifying and prioritizing those educational pathways that can assist in growing the identified needed workforce. Sample. This study examined …

Rational Design Of Engineered Soft Materials For Mineral Scale Control: Synthesis, Characterization, And Performance Evaluation, Nadhem Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

Inorganic crystallization, referred to as mineral scaling, have been posing tremendous operational challenges to water-based industries over the years. Multiple recent initiatives have focused on developing sustainable and highly effective antiscalants/scale inhibitors; however, most of the investigated antiscalants have demonstrated low scaling ion tolerance and unknown scale inhibitor-mineral crystal interaction. Engineered soft materials, particularly Quantum Dots (QDs) and biopolymer-based formulations, are among the most desirable solutions since they both solve critical environmental issues and offer insights into the inhibition mechanism. This dissertation reports on the development and performance evaluation of three distinct soft materials-based formulations; Carboxyl-Silicon Quantum Dots (CSiQDs), Carboxymethylcellulose …

The Fcc 5-Year Deorbit Rule’S Impact On The Space Industry Including Non-Traditional Scientific And Environmental Stakeholders, Kristin Shahady

Theses and Dissertations

In pursuit of a safer and more sustainable space environment, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced the 5-year deorbit rule, a regulatory mandate aimed at mitigating space debris by requiring satellite operators to remove their spacecraft from LEO within 5 years after their mission is complete. While the intent behind this rule is admirable in the desire to remediate and limit the generation of orbital debris, it raises questions whether it was crafted with consideration of all stakeholders, whether it will truly mitigate the creation of orbital debris, and whether it exhibits characteristics of arbitrariness and capriciousness. Agencies’ actions be …

Parp1 Modulates Gata3-Mediated Gene Regulation In Breast Cancer, Mikhala Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

In eukaryotic cells, chromatin acts as a physical barrier for many transcription factors, preventing them from efficiently binding to their recognition sequences within the nucleosome. Pioneer factors are a class of transcription factors that bind to nucleosomes and activate silent chromatin. Pioneer factors are frequently involved in various immune cell pathways, tissue development, and homeostasis, thereby underscoring their important roles in development and disease. Previous research found that pioneer factors have at least three fundamental properties: 1) they can interact with their cognate recognition sequences before transcription activation, 2) they can increase local chromatin accessibility, and 3) they have integral …

Advisor Impacts On Student Learning In Undergraduate Engineering Sae Competition Projects, Sam Ertl

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of advisor characteristics on student learning in large scale undergraduate engineering project competitions. A survey was conducted to measure statistical significance between student ratings of their advisors and student ratings of their learning in key skill areas. Additional items measured include demographics and project characteristics which allowed for additional analyses. The purpose of this study was to identify areas of improvement for project advisors to advance the learning potential for student participants. The survey was distributed in an online format to students participating in five SAE University Program projects. Collected data was analyzed using Kendall’s …

Risk Factor Patterns For Elder Abuse Among United States Indigenous Peoples: Native Elder Maltreatment Survey Secondary Data Analysis, Maylynn Riding In

Theses and Dissertations

Elder abuse is a significant public health issue, with findings indicating that 9% to 10% of older adults in the United States experience abuse. This figure is likely mirrored among Indigenous Peoples residing within tribal boundaries, although specific data is scarce. This study aims to fill the gap in understanding the prevalence and risk factors associated with elder abuse among United States Indigenous Peoples (USIP) through a secondary data analysis of the Native Elder Maltreatment Survey (NEMS). The NEMS employs two key instruments: the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (HS EAST), which is validated for community use, and the Native …

Structural Degradation Causing Silicone Sealant Failure: A Comprehensive Analysis Using Evolved Gas Analysis And Thermal Desorption-Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography, Eugene Agbor Oga

Theses and Dissertations

Silicone sealants are essential components in various applications, but their long-term performance can be compromised by aging and weathering. This study investigated the thermal degradation behavior of poly dimethyl silicone sealants to gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of failure. A combined approach using Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) and Thermal Desorption-Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (TD-Pyr-GC-MS) was employed to analyze the degradation products and identify the factors influencing the degradation process.Aged and weathered sealants exhibited distinct thermal degradation profiles compared to fresh samples. The evolution of siloxane degradation products occurred at lower temperatures in aged sealants, indicating accelerated degradation. TD-Pyr-GC-MS analysis …

The Impact Of Land Use And Land Cover Change On Vegetation, Ecosystem Dynamics, And Conservation In The Northern Great Plains, Seth R. Fore

Theses and Dissertations

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the primary contributors to global biodiversity and habitat loss. Identifying sustainable development strategies requires understanding the social drivers of land use and conservation decisions as well as their impacts on ecological processes. These socio-ecological interconnections were explored in Northern Great Plains region. Results showed that common responses to socio-economic drivers have resulted in widespread loss of grassland areas throughout the region and that shifts in the functional characteristics of plant communities caused by LULCC have significantly altered key ecosystem functions linked to primary production, carbon/nutrient turnover, and water cycling. Expanding …

Applied Indigenous Knowledge Translation: Naatookyookaasii, Lynn Marie Mad Plume

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation portfolio comprises three projects aimed at advancing Indigenous health and integrating cultural perspectives into research and practice. Guided by principles of community engagement and ethical research practices, these projects align closely with my career goals in Indigenous health policy and research. The first project, "Measuring Wellness Through Indigenous Partnerships," is a scoping review that examines global Indigenous wellness measures and assesses community involvement in defining measures of wellness. This review informs future practice directions and supports my advocacy for culturally responsive methodology. The second project, "Reciprocal Facilitation: Protocols and Practices for Listening Sessions with Tribal Communities," introduces a …

Numerical Simulation And Assessment Of Underground Blue Hydrogen Storage In Depleted Gas Reservoir, Abraham Kazala

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, the world needs more energy than ever before. This need emphasizes that the world also requires a sustainable system that can meet these growing demands while addressing the overall impact on the environment. For this reason, the international community, including all levels of environmental policymakers, have shown a great deal of concern about the tremendous negative effects of fossil fuels on the globe. The impact of carbon dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) from burning fossil fuels on the ozone layer and what it entails in global warming and, therefore, climate change has motivated research on finding either alternatives …

An Examination Of Hilbert Spaces, Fnu Sumaiya

Theses and Dissertations

This independent study focuses on the exploration of Hilbert spaces, a cornerstone of modern analysis and a fundamental construct in mathematics. It starts by introducing vector space, metric and metric spaces and then Hilbert spaces and its properties.

This study includes good amount of mathematical proofs, theorems and examples. Through extensive research and analysis, this independent study aims to offer a comprehensive examination of Hilbert spaces, detailing their properties and their pivotal role in modern analysis.

Division I Female Business Student-Athletes And Career Readiness During Their Academic Careers At A 4-Year Institution, Brianna Black

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to explore female student-athletes within a business major and the transition from student-athlete into a professional career in a nonplaying sport capacity. This qualitative study examines eight female student-athletes who have selected a business major and their experiences with career readiness. Literature shows that student-athletes are behind in aspects of career readiness due to their focus on academic coursework and aspects of athletics with potential hopes of still becoming professional athletes. In addition, female student-athletes specifically business students are behind their counterparts due to the competitive nature of being a business student let alone …

Impact Of Delphi-Developed Rubrics On Rater Consistency In 14 Cfr 141 Flight Training Assessment Environments, Lewis Robert James Archer

Theses and Dissertations

Pilot schools operating in accordance with 14 CFR 141 provide a substantial supply of pilots to the aviation industry. Recent high industry demand for pilots has created turnover among the flight instructor workforce, often considered an entry-level position used by aspiring aviators to build flight experience. This in turn means that check instructors, evaluators who are often selected from the more senior flight instructor population at a pilot school, are generally less experienced than in the past. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is low consistency among these check instructors when conducting performance-based assessments. This study sought to determine the existing …

Directivity Improvement Of A Broad-Beam Patch Antenna By Means Of A Flat Metamaterial Lens, Tyler Midas

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates the development of a flat metamaterial lens intended to enhance antenna directivity in RF applications. Development and evaluation was performed with ANSYS HFSS, where a theoretical convex lens model was developed and used as a basis for unit cell refractive indices of the metamaterial lens. The unit cell demonstrated in this study leverages the properties of a nested split-ring resonator merged with a center column. Adjusting the rings allow for refractive index optimization and effective beam focusing. The work presented also provides a 2x2 antenna array with a feed network, which enables the future work of bench …

I Remember Walking, Chad Erickstad

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Escaping The Iron Maiden, Drake Carnes

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Coming To, Maren Schettler

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Those Who Fail To Learn, Jasmine Patera

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Lindsey Cochran: Retail Exorcist, Robert D. Moore Jr.

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Little Things, Brenden Kimpe

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Online Psychology Students’ Sense Of Belonging With Social Annotation: An Experimental Study, Alison E. Kelly, Virginia Clinton-Lisell

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Sense of belonging is associated with postsecondary student success outcomes and has largely been studied within face-to-face course contexts. The increasing demand for online courses after the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates identifying ways instructors can foster belonging in their online courses. This study experimentally tested the effect of using social annotation on students’ sense of belonging in asynchronous online courses. Students in two psychology courses (N = 44) were randomly assigned to complete annotation assignments individually (control) or in groups using a social annotation platform (treatment). Students completed a course-level sense of belonging measure at the end of their courses …