Digital Commons Network^™

Simple Rules Leaders Use To Guide Their Organizations During Times Of Rapid Change, Kristine Quade

Theses and Dissertations

Few leaders would refer to their organization as a complex adaptive system (CAS)--one that is irreversible and unpredictable. They might say their organization contains diverse elements and is constantly learning--the other two aspects of a CAS. Few top leaders rarely are able to identify the self-organizing patterns as they emerge. This study involved 58 senior leaders in five 5 market sectors who were guiding their organizations during times of rapid change. Using a Delphi method, the intent was to identify what simple rules the leaders used to shape the speed, direction and outcomes of self-organizing patterns. A simple rule expands …

The Perceptions Of Middle And High School Students Participating In A School-Based Mentoring Program, Annette Marie Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study included a pool of 22 middle and high school students who participated in the Stand By Me Mentoring Program during the 2010-2011 school year, exploring their perceptions related to the positive and negative aspects of their mentoring relationship, the positive and negative aspects of the impact of their mentoring relationship, and the positive and negative aspects of the mentoring program. Focus group interviews were used to collect data from the participants. Questions asked during the focus group interviews were modified with permission from What's Working? Tools For Evaluating Your Mentor Program, by Saito (2001) for The …

Social Media As A Venue For Personal Learning For Educators: Personal Learning Networks Encourage Application Of Knowledge And Skills, Linda S. Eller

Theses and Dissertations

Social media sites furnish an online space for a community of practice to create relationships and trust, collaboration and connections, and a personal learning environment. Social networking sites, both public and private, have common elements: member profiles, groups, discussions, and forums. A community of practice brings participants together to share a common interest, to learn from experts, and develop relationships. This dissertation study focused on Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE), a social network, and presents findings on how their participation affected personal learning, how their personal learning impacted their professional practice, and how participation resulted in new network connections and more …

Aural Landscapes, Brandi Price

Theses and Dissertations

Music and design draw upon innate parallels concerned with the creation and existence of space. By acknowledging the roles of both the visual and the aural in my design process as input and output, I attempt to achieve a deeper understanding of my intuition as a visual communicator. I believe that the visual and aural are linked—existing harmoniously together. The collected works present ever-evolving ideas on visualizing the experience of sound.

Novel Role Of Mecp2 In Developing Oligodendrocytes And Myelination, Daniel Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2 is) is an epigenetic regulator that binds to methylated DNA. Initially identified as transcriptional repressor, MeCP2 also binds to different proteins functioning as gene activator. Importantly, MecCP2 gene mutations and changes in MeCP2 levels are associated to several forms of mental retardation and autism-related disorders; including Rett, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting primarily girls. While brain MeCP2 was considered to be exclusively neuronal, this regulator is also present in glia. We found that oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS), express particularly high MeCP2 levels at a developmental stage that precedes their final maturation. …

Effect Of Work-Life Balance On The Self As Instrument, Soumya Naidu

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of work-life balance, or lack thereof, on the use of self as instrument by consultants from a physical, cognitive, and action perspective. Organization development practitioners may not be aware of importance that the development of self has on their ability to be effective consultants, and how much of an impact the ability to maintain a balanced, well-rounded life has on the self as instrument. A mixed method approach was used, which consisted of a survey set (made up of four separate scales) and an interview process. The survey gathered demographics and data on work and …

Successful Change Strategies For A Major Research And Consulting Company, Islam Ahmad Azzam

Theses and Dissertations

This case study describes a major change initiative undertaken by a major consulting-contracting agency, 3 Tier Research and Development, Inc., engaged in market branding, research, and development in the United States. Focusing on one client account, Go-Green Auto Corp, the study scrutinizes relevant organizational theories as they apply to real-time organizational leadership and change-management strategy scenarios. Members of the studied organization from one office in Southern California, predisposed by their own mind-sets and training in the organization's mission statement and policies and procedures of operation, voluntarily participated in field research that included questionnaires and interviews by the researcher. The goal …

Working In The Transference As A Multicultural Intervention, Goni Hary Bissell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to use a critical review of the literature to provide a framework for working psychodynamically/psychoanalytically with clients that is informed by developments in multicultural psychology. The psychoanalytic technique of working in the transference from a contemporary Kleinian perspective is discussed and analyzed from the perspective of multicultural psychology. The history of multicultural psychology is discussed with a focus on events that led to the formulation of principles of multicultural competence. The history of the concept of transference from the perspective of Freud and Klein is described in order to introduce the writings of contemporary …

Head-Start Juvenile And Adult Resident Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Carolina): Winter Ecology Including Microhabitat Selection, Temperature Tolerance And Philopatry, Amberly Moon

Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is one of the most common reptiles in North America, but is soon to be threatened due to increased urbanization, disease, and the pet and food trades. In order to assist resource managers in choosing suitable sites for relocation studies, more information on the winter ecology of this species is necessary. We examined the temperature tolerance, microhabitat and degree of philopatry to hibernacula for juvenile and adult E. box turtles for two consecutive winters in Charles City Co, VA. The turtles were tracked via radio telemetry to record point locations during the active …

Determining Impediments To Gene Flow In A Natural Population Of Cornus Florida L. Cornaceae, Using Integrative Landscape Genetic Techniques, Crystal Meadows

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact intervening environment has on gene flow in the insect pollinated understory tree, Cornus florida L., by combining GIS and landscape genetic techniques (Least Cost Path Analysis, Circuit Theory, and Conditional Genetic Distance). Traditional population genetic analysis indicated pair-wise relatedness was significantly correlated to distance (Pearson; r = -0.312, P < 0.001) suggesting a spatial component to offspring relatedness. Dispersal throughout the study site was non-random, exhibiting a high degree of pollen pool structure due to restricted gene flow (Two-Generation Analysis; Φft = 0.161, P = 0.001). Forest structure was quantified in GIS layers representing coniferous canopies, mixed hardwood canopies, C. florida canopies, open understory (roads), and open understory/canopy due to tree removal. Of these layers, landscape isolation for the roads layer provided the best-fit model for describing genetic differentiation among sampled pollen pools (Mantel; r = 0.542, P = 0.001). These data also suggest that improved biological inferences can be gained by examining a range of landscape isolation models.

Biochemical Evaluation Of Lignin-Like Molecules, Jay Thakkar

Theses and Dissertations

Current anticoagulants carry a serious risk of bleeding complications. In addition, narrow therapeutic index, drug interactions, immunological reactions, toxicity and high cost to benefit ratio limits the effective use of these drugs in patients with thrombotic conditions.Heparin is the most widely used anticoagulant. We hypothesized that one of the major drawback of heparins, its non-specific interaction with the plasma proteins arises as a result of negative charges. To reduce these non-specific interactions, our laboratory designed sulfated low molecular weight lignin (LMWL) like biomacromolecules, which were found to be direct inhibitors of thrombin and factor Xa, acting through a unique exosite-2 …

Children Of House, Grant White

Theses and Dissertations

A collection of poems

Changes In The Expression Of Thin Filament-Associated Proteins In Colonic Smooth Muscle From Mice During Inflammation, Reem Alkahtani

Theses and Dissertations

The contractility of smooth muscle in inflammatory bowel disease and experimental colitis is reduced due to inhibition of neurotransmitter release and a decrease in the response of smooth muscle to contractile agonists. We and others have shown that inflammation induced by TNBS treatment alters the expression and/or activity of signaling molecules involved in the regulation of Ca2+ mobilization, MLC20 phosphorylation and contraction in colonic smooth muscle. Although, thin filament- associated proteins such as calponin, caldesmon, tropomyosin and smoothelin do not directly participate in contraction, they regulate acto-myosin interaction and thus, muscle contraction. Calponin, caldesmon and tropomyosin inhibit actomyosin interaction and …

“Clicked” Bivalent Multifunctional Ligands In Alzheimer’S Disease., Ronak Gandhi

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by beta-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation/oligomerization, biometal dyshomeostasis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. The multifactorial nature of AD may indicate the therapeutic potential of multifunctional ligands that tackle various risk factors simultaneously as effective AD-modifying agents. This notion is further supported by the fact that while numerous AD-modifying agents targeting one single risk factor have been developed and a number of them entered clinical trials, none of them has been successfully approved by the FDA. Furthermore, neuronal cell membrane/lipid rafts (CM/LR) have been demonstrated to associate with all the indicated risk factors, indicating that this …

A Study On The Biochemical And Cellular Effects Of Enviormental Tobacco Smoke On Adult And Developing Rat Brain Biochemistry, Brian Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been recognized as a significant health risk for adults and children. In adults, ETS exposure has been linked to increased incidences of cardiovascular disease and dementia. In children, exposure has been linked to behavioral and cognitive deficits. Studies on the effects of ETS in the brain have been largely epidemiological, and have lacked a defined explanation of the molecular/biochemical effects of ETS. The present dissertation aims to test whether ETS exposure leads to altered biochemistry in the adult and developing mammalian brain. A rat ETS exposure model was employed to investigate changes at …

Renal Epithelial Sodium Channel (Enac) Regulation Of Pregnancy Mediated Hemodynamic Adaptations: Mechanistic Insights, Crystal West

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnancy-mediated sodium (Na) retention is required to provide an increase in plasma volume for the growing fetus. The mechanisms responsible for this Na retention are not clear. In the first study, we generated a renal tubule protein profile indicating α ENaC as the only sodium transport protein upregulated in mid and late pregnancy. To determine the in vivo activity of ENaC we conducted in vivo studies in late pregnant rats (day 18-20) and virgin rats to measure the natriuretic response to ENaC blockade (with benzamil). The in vivo activity of ENaC (UNaV post benzamil - UNaV post vehicle) was markedly …

Approaches For Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy Of A Novel Il-10 Gene Family Member: Mda-7/Il-24, Belal Azab

Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma differentiation associated gene-7 (mda-7) was discovered in the Fisher laboratory by subtraction hybridization of temporally spaced subtracted cDNA libraries prepared from terminally differentiated human melanoma cells treated with human fibroblast interferon (IFN-β) and the protein kinase C activator mezerein (MEZ), an approach called ‘differentiation induction subtraction hybridization’ (DISH). mda-7 is located in human chromosome 1q32–33 and based on sequence homology, chromosomal localization, and its functional properties, the mda-7 gene is now classified as a member of the IL-10 family of cytokines and named IL-24. The mda-7/IL-24 cDNA encodes a protein of 206-amino acids with a predicted size of ~24-kDa, …

Cyclic-Di-Gmp Signaling In The Borrelia Spirochetes, John Freedman

Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in North America, with approximately 35,000 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control in 2008. The genome of its causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, encodes for a set of genes involved in the metabolism and regulatory activities of the second messenger nucleotide, cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP). Rrp1 is a response regulatory-diguanylate cyclase, and its regulatory capability is likely mediated via production of c-di-GMP, as it lacks a DNA-binding domain. One known class of c-di-GMP effector/binding proteins are those that harbor a PIlZ domain. The genome of B. burgdorferi strain 5A4 encodes for one chromosomally-carried …

Functional Consequences Of Cytosine Methylation In Mitochondrial Dna Catalyzed By Dna Methyltransferase 1, Lisa Shock

Theses and Dissertations

Cytosine methylation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was first described several decades ago, but neither the mechanism generating this modification nor its functional significance was known. Because mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark characteristic of numerous human diseases, including neurological and cardiovascular disease, aging and cancer, this dissertation addressed whether epigenetic modification of mtDNA regulates mitochondrial function. We show that mtDNA contains not only 5-methylcytosine (5mC), but also 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), suggesting that previous reports likely underestimated the degree of epigenetic modification within the mitochondrial genome. We questioned how these modifications were generated by looking for mitochondrial isoforms of the nuclear-encoded DNA methyltransferases. …

Development Of Novel Copolyoxetanes: Antimicrobial Agents, Allison King

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on solution antimicrobial effectiveness for copolyoxetanes with quaternary ammonium and PEG-like side chains. Ring opening copolymerization of 3-((4-bromobutoxy)methyl)-3-methyloxetane (BBOx) and 3-((2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethoxy) methyl)-3-methyloxetane (ME2Ox) yielded random copolymers with 14-100 (m) mole% BBOx designated P[(BBOx-m)(ME2Ox)]. Reaction of P[(BBOx-m)(ME2Ox)] with dodecyl dimethylamine gave the corresponding quaternary P[(C12-m)(ME2Ox)] polycation salts, designated C12-m. Mole ratios and molecular weights were obtained from 1H-NMR and end group analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies showed Tg’s between 69 and -34 °C. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed MIC decreasing with increasing C12 mole% reaching a minimum between …

Space: A Discovery Of Visual Language, Kelley White

Theses and Dissertations

Space is a visual communicator. The act of perceiving space is a neurological soiree that projects and negotiates meaning in our constructed world. The poetry that we observe within space is tied directly to our emotions and to previous experience. Within ourselves, we each have particular feelings, unconscious or not, relating to height, length, and depth, as well as light and shadow. For example, a long, narrow hallway may elicit anxiety, while an open, sunlit nave in a cathedral may bring about feelings of serenity and joy. Our observations and interactions within the perceptual confines of space reveal clues to …

Genetic Manipulation Of The Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia Hermsii Permits Novel Investigation Into The Role Of Factor H Binding In Borrelial Virulence, Lindy Fine

Theses and Dissertations

Borrelia hermsii, an etiologic agent of tick-borne relapsing fever, binds negative complement regulator factor H (FH) via its FhbA protein. Direct demonstration of the role of FhbA in the disease process has been hindered by the lack of genetic manipulation systems for the relapsing fever Borrelia. Here, we demonstrate successful generation of a B. hermsii strain YOR fhbA deletion mutant (Bh YORΔfhbA) that constitutively produces green fluorescent protein (GFP). Genetic manipulation did not affect growth rate or plasmid composition. Bh YORΔfhbA lost factor H-binding and C3b-inactivation capabilities, but retained resistance to killing in human serum and infectivity in mice. Stable …

Geomechanical Stability Analysis For Co2 Sequestration In Carbonate Formation, Xue J. Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Geomechanical analysis is one of the fundamental pillars to build up the confidence of geological sequestration of CO2. Large scale CO2 sequestration in deep carbonate formation is a complicated geological process, which will non-reversibly transform the presumed equivalent and stable status of a sedimentary basin that formed over millions of years: chemically, hydraulically, geothermally, and geomechanically. In this dissertation, thermoporoelasticity guides the theoretical establishment of a conservative baseline for the geomechanical stability analysis of CO2 sequestration.

Extensive laboratory tests, including CO2 flooding tests, permeability tests, uniaxial and triaxial tests, Brazilian tensile strength tests, poroelasticity tests, point load tests, and fracture …

Examination Of The Relationship Between Amercian Indian Cultural Identity And Academic Performance Of Nursing Graduates, Elizabeth Ann Yellowbird

Theses and Dissertations

There are great health disparities within the AI/AN population according to IHS documentation. Historical events such as complex political issues, poor education, boarding schools, and loss of language have heightened this difficult healthcare situation. Furthermore, issues such as lack of health professionals (especially AI/AN nurses) and access to healthcare services add to the dilemma. The cause for the low number of AI/AN nurses who graduate from college varies, but one significant area to consider is the relationship between poor academic performance influenced by cultural conflict. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between cultural identities of students …

Rate-Limiting Step Of Cone Phototransduction Recovery And Oguchi Disease Mechanisms, Frank Chen

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT RATE-LIMITING STEP OF CONE PHOTOTRANSDUCTION RECOVERY AND OGUCHI DISEASE MECHANISMS By Frank Sungping Chen Advisor: Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Ph.D. Retinal photoreceptors provide the first gateway in which light information from the environment is transformed into neuronal signals. The cone and rod photoreceptors are responsible for day and night vision, respectively. Understanding rod and cone phototransduction is to figure out how these cells differ in their temporal and spatial sensitivities to allow perception of a broad dynamic range of stimuli. Phototransduction is mediated through a Gprotein signaling cascade. Light absorption by visual pigment triggers the isomerization of 11- cis-retinal covalently …

"Them Boys Were Here Alright" : A Study Of Community, Cultural Identity, And Economics Within Douglas County, Minnesota, Kimberley M. Hoppe

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Landscape Ecology Of Amphibians And Their Parasites In The Sheyenne National Grasslands, Kyle D. Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cerebellar Development And Neurovascular Integration : Regulatory Role Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Vegf), Matthew A. Berosik

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Potential Sediment And Nutrient Loading From Rural/Agricultural To Urban Land Use Transition On The English Coulee, Grand Forks, Nd, Rhonda L. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Gene Flow In Populations Of Gypsy Moth, Lymantria Dispar Dispar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Lymantriinae), Nirosha K. Ranawaka

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.