Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of An Attached Growth Organic Media Bioreactor For Swine Waste Treatment And Odor Abatement, Allison Paige Kirkpatrick

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if an organic media attached growth bioreactor could effectively be used as a means of odor control for swine waste. The pilot-scale attached growth bioreactor system was evaluated against a standard pit recharge system, which served as the control. Performance was based on water quality testing, odor assessments by a human sensory panel, and air phase measurements of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. The affect of aeration on the system was also evaluated, along with various types of organic media (kenaf, hardwood mulch, and corncobs). Overall, the bioreactor systems were effective in reducing …

The Informed Imagination: Researching And Building A Character’S Identity, Jeremy William Hilgert

Theses and Dissertations

An actor’s duty to the play is to present the most fully formed and vivid interpretation of the character. To do so, the actor must have an understanding of how that particular character developed their own sense of identity. This should be constructed not from the actor’s personal experience but from an informed imaginative experience founded on research and analysis. As pedagogues we are challenged with attempting to give young actors the skills for such an analysis. I have developed a formula to aid the actor in creating the foundations for such an interpretation founded upon the sociological understanding of …

Genetic Dissection Of Behavioral And Neurogenomic Responses To Acute Ethanol, Aaron Wolen

Theses and Dissertations

Individual differences in initial sensitivity to ethanol are strongly related to the heritable risk of alcoholism in humans. To elucidate key molecular networks that modulate ethanol sensitivity we performed a systems genetics analysis of ethanol-responsive gene expression in brain regions of the mesocorticolimbic reward circuit (prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and ventral midbrain) across the BXD RI panel, a highly diverse family of isogenic mouse strains before and after treatment with ethanol. Acute ethanol altered the expression of ~2,750 genes in one or more regions and 400 transcripts were jointly modulated in all three. Ethanol-responsive gene networks were extracted with a …

Two Studies Of Mixtec Languages, Inga Mckendry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two independent papers and a text. One paper is centered on Mixtec languages as a whole, the other paper and the text present the variety of Mixtec spoken in the southeastern portion of the district of Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, Mexico.

The first paper builds on work published by Stephen A. Marlett in which it is posited that nasalization is a feature of the morpheme rather than the syllable. Data not included in Marlett's study, which corroborates his findings, are presented. Also in the light of these data, modifications to his analysis are suggested. This paper also presents …

The Analysis Of Selective Information Processing And Neuropsychological Functioning In Individuals At-Risk For Eating Disorders: The Use Of A Pictorial Adaptation To The Stroop Paradigm, Using Print Media Advertisements, Kristine L. Lokken

Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence that women with bulimic symptoms are characteristically impulsive and have difficulty inhibiting various behaviors. Neuropsychological profiles of women with bulimic symptoms show patterns of impulsivity, inefficient problem solving ability, and an inability to inhibit irrelevant information. Women with bulimic symptoms also express substantially greater acceptance and internalization of sociocultural mores of thinness, and are more vulnerable to negative influence from laboratory exposure to stimuli representing “thin ideal” stereotypes. The present study examined a possible common link between the characterological and neuropsychological features of women with bulimic symptoms and their susceptibility to negative influence from mass media representations …

Neuropsychological Functioning And Family Environment Of Children With Attention-Defecit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Comorbid Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder, M. Catherine Yeager

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is hypothesized to be a disorder of executive functioning; however, results of studies comparing ADHD with control children using executive functioning measures are inconsistent, with some studies showing group differences while others do not. One limitation of these studies has been the failure to control for frequently occurring comorbid psychiatric conditions, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD), in the ADHD groups. Previous studies have demonstrated that children with ADHD and comorbid CD or severe ODD perform significantly better on tests of cognitive/executive functioning when compared to children with ADHD only. Based on these …

Ay Carumba!: The Simpsons. A Transnational Text To A Transnational Audience, Anita C. Ramdharry

Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses the popular U.S. cartoon-sitcom The Simpsons and the vast global audience the show has reached in its 12 years on air. First, it clarifies the message the creator, Matt Groening, and the writers are conveying: a left wing American ideology. This message is sent to a variety of communities around the globe. To understand the relationship between the show as a media text and its audience, it needs to be studied in terms of transnational interpretive communities. Studying the audience as transnational, allows all communities, on a large and a small-scale, to be analyzed. By using the …

The Effect Of Cultural Affiliations On Attitudes, Beliefs, And Reactions To The Fighting Sioux Nickname Issue Between Northern Plains American Indian And Majority Culture College Students, Angela Larocque

Theses and Dissertations

The main puqjo.sc of this study was to compare the effect of cultural affiliation on altitudes, beliefs, and reactions to the Fighting Sioux Nickname and logo issue for 60 Nonhem Plains American Indian college students and 61 non-Indian college students at the University of North Dakota. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire and the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Nickname Attitudes, Beliefs, and Reactions (UNDFSNABR) survey. In addition, American Indian subjects completed the Nonhem Plains Bicuhuralism Inventory (NPBI), Using the Northern Plains Biculluralisin Inventory (NPBI) to identify cultural identification among American Indian participants, the hypotheses of the current study were;: …

Health Conditions Associated With The Greater Grand Forks 1997 Flood Disaster: Pre- To Post-Flood Seasonal And Trend Analysis With Age And Gender Effects., Julie Waxvik Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes, are often considered uncontrollable environmental events and have been linked with mild to severe physical and psychological effects. By all accounts, natural disasters are traumatic events to those experiencing them and often have widespread and devastating impacts on health and stability. The degree that people are affected by a natural disaster has been difficult to capture. Massive flooding that occurred in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota (spring 1997), caused evacuation of almost the entire population of both communities. Because a single health care system served both cities, a …

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope Protein Gp120: Effects On The Hepatic Growth Hormone-Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis., Zachery Thomas Resch

Theses and Dissertations

A significant number of individuals diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) develop AIDS wasting syndrome (AWS). In these individuals, weight loss and endocrine dysfunction has been described. We previously developed a rat model for the study of a minor subset of the AWS population described as having an apparent growth hormone (GH) deficiency (Type I AWS) using the human immunodeficiency virus (HTV) envelope protein. gpl20, as the mediator. My goal was to develop a rat model for the study of the far more common form of AWS (Type II), which is characterized by a GHresistant state. Cultured, primary hepatocytes …

Watershed Based Analysis Of Fecal Coliform Within The Back Bay Of Biloxi And Its Surrounding Streams, Matthew Edward Renick

Theses and Dissertations

In the development of the watershed, hydrodynamic, and water quality models for Back Bay of Biloxi in Mississippi, the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS 2.0) - Nonpoint Source Model (NPSM) was selected as the watershed model. The hydrodynamic and water quality models DNYHYD5 and EUTRO5 were selected as the tidally influenced bay models. The watershed model simulated nonpoint source flow and pollutant loadings for all sub-watersheds, routed flow and water quality, and accounted for all major point source discharges in the Back Bay of Biloxi watershed. Time varying output from the watershed model was applied directly …

A Comparison Of Three Rapid Evaluation Procedures For Pine Savanna Wetlands, Cynthia Joan Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Inception of the Clean Water Act in 1972 resulted in regulation of activities in wetlands through Section 404. Regulatory agencies like the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) have tried to find methods to rapidly evaluate wetlands. This study compares three rapid evaluation methods, Hydrogeomorphic Approach (HGM), Wetlands Rapid Assessment Procedure (WRAP), and Wetland Evaluation System (WES), based on their scoring of a group of reference and mitigation wetland sites. Repeatability was studied by scoring a group of sites twice. The non-parametric Spearman?s correlation was used to compare the three methods. In this study, HGM was most repeatable followed by …

Impact Of A Historical Translocation On Populations Of White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus Virginianus, Nathan Kendall Boddie

Theses and Dissertations

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to study the impact of a historical translocation event on populations of white-tailed deer in Georgia. The technique may also serve as a model by which management practices for other rare species can be studied. Populations from an original translocation source in Wisconsin, another Wisconsin population, and three populations in Georgia were sampled during management hunts. RAPD PCR was used to produce a genetic fingerprint for individuals of each population. Resulting band data were analyzed using PHYLIP genetic analysis software. A consensus tree of 100 bootstrapped replicates showed significant similarity between Georgia …

A Reservation Is No Refuge A Story Of The Turtle Mountain Chippewa 1800-1900, Roland E. Marmon

Theses and Dissertations

This paper will consist of a history of the evolution of the Turtie Mountain Chippewa as viewed from the lives of the three Chief Little Shells (grandfather, father, and son). The paper will pay particular attention to the origins through historical analysis. The first Chief Little Shell life coincides with the woodland Chippewa moving onto the plains at the end of the eighteenth century. The paper will sketch the history of the plains Chippewa known as the Pembina Chippewa up to the Pembina Treaty of 1863, when a large part of the group will split and form the Turtle Mountain …

Media Rape: Press Coverage Of Sexual Assault Cases, Megan M. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

In 1989, a female jogger was raped, beaten and left for dead in New York City’s Central Park. Two years later, a woman was attacked on a beach in Palm Beach, Florida. She reported to police that she had been raped. Both cases were covered extensively by the media, but the press treated the victims very differently. Throughout their analysis, reporters painted the Central Park jogger as an innocent victim, while the woman who accused Smith of rape was depicted as a deserving tramp.

Assuming a primarily qualitative approach, this research used frame analysis to examine The New York Times …

Kinetic Modeling Of A Transport Coal Gasifier, Ryan Zebadiah Knutson

Theses and Dissertations

The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) in Grand Fork:, Morth Dakota is administering the research on the Transport Reactor Development Unit (TRDU) optimization project. This endeavor is sponsored by the Department of Energy, and it has an ultimate goal to justify the transition to a scaled-up version of the TRDU.

The focus of this research was to kinetically model char gasification in the TRDU, which will help define control parameters and optimize production. Kinetic parameters of char were determined with the use of Thermogravimetry (TGA). TGA is a thermal analysis and involves studying the change in the mass of …

The Effects Of Instructional Games On Student Achievement In The Social Studies, Christine A. Pilotti

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instructional games on student achievement. It has been suggested by educators that instructional games may increase the performance and motivation of students. According to a pretest-posttest control group design, a sample of 34 students was administered a pretest and then instructed on the history of New Jersey for the same amount of hours. The control group used two worksheets as a supplement to the lessons, whereas the treatment group used two instructional games as a supplement to the lessons.

After analysis of all scores, a t-test for nonindependent samples …

The Effect Of Participatory Instruction On The Motivation Of Third Grade Students, Jessica L. Deck

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect differing instructional techniques has on students' motivation in terms of their attitude towards school. Students were pretested using the Inventory to Measure Attitude Towards School and reading (IMATSR). After the pretest, the reading class was conducted in a lecture format with the entire class reading the same novel. Students read a portion of the book and then answered comprehensive questions on a worksheet, prior to discussion. When the book was completed, a comprehensive exam and IMATSR posttest were given. Next, the teacher introduced five books to the class. Each student …

Amusement Park Crisis Management, Joe Costal

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to establish a benchmark for amusement park crisis management through the careful examination of two contrasting crisis response case studies.

The first study, a deadly fire at Six Flags Great Adventure, in Jackson Township, New Jersey, exemplifies the causes, components and effects of improper crisis planning. Analysis of the study closely examines all events leading to and resulting from the fire, with most content coming from the memories of professionals directly involved in the tragedy. Designations of the Six Flags case provided the basis of every amusement crisis plan written since.

The second study, a deadly boat …

Solid Phase Microextraction/Thickness-Shear Mode Resonator Determinations Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Water., Michelle Applebee

Theses and Dissertations

Investigations leading to the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons in water have been driven by the need to monitor components with known or suspected health risks. Compounds such as benzene and toluene, abundant in fuels, are known to be carcinogenic and genotoxic. While the effects fuels have on endocrine systems are still unknown, there is a great concern on the effects of long-term exposure to both humans and animals. Mature laboratory methods exist for the low-level determination of petroleum hydrocarbons. However, these methods require expensive instrumentation. In this project, an inexpensive, readily field portable sensor using a thickness shear mode resonator …

Personality And The Use Of Coping Resources In Addicted Populations., Linda Ann Winter

Theses and Dissertations

Persons who are in recovery from addiction to alcohol or other drugs are expected to give up what is often their main coping resource: the maladaptive use of an addictive substance. Yet, typically, recovery programs do not contain a formalized stress-management component. This study examines recovering addicts' spontaneous use of adaptive coping resources, as well as exploring the connection between personality and preferred resources. Personality was assessed using the Revised NEO-Personality Inventory. The use of coping resources was assessed using the Coping Resource Inventory. In addition, participants also completed a short demographic questionnaire for exploratory analysis of possible links between …

Watershed Based Analysis For Water Quality Management Within The Escatawpa River System, Gerrod Wayne Kilpatrick

Theses and Dissertations

Assessment of water quality within the Escatawpa River system was accomplished utilizing the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS 2.0) to develop the watershed model, and the CE-QUAL-W2 software to develop the estuary model. The watershed model was utilized to quantify both hydrodynamic and water quality (fecal coliforms) characteristics of the watershed for a simulation period spanning from 1990 through 1999. Herein, calibration and application results are presented for watershed and estuary simulations made in an uncoupled manner. The models were developed such that loose coupling of watershed and estuary models can be accomplished as a subsequent …

Watershed, Hydrodynamic, And Water Quality Models For Total Maximum Daily Load St. Louis Bay Watershed Mississippi, Noor Baharim Hashim

Theses and Dissertations

In the development of the watershed, hydrodynamic, and water quality models for St. Louis Bay in Mississippi, the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS 2.0) - Nonpoint Source Model (NPSM) was selected as the watershed model and the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) which includes hydrodynamic and water quality models was selected as the Bay model. Watershed model calibration was initially accomplished utilizing historical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). The watershed model simulated nonpoint source flow and …

Microbiotic Assessment Of An Upflow Anaerobic/Aerobic Swine Treatment Process, Robert Earl Mcclain

Theses and Dissertations

Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) relating to swine and their resulting odors continues to be an issue of concern. The primary sources of odors from a CAFO include general ventilation of the confinement house, the anaerobic lagoon, and the land application of lagoon sludge. This paper focuses on lagoon wastewaters, but the results therein could have influence on the other two aforementioned areas. An advanced upflow anaerobic/aerobic reactor system was developed to determine its impact on microbial activities that ultimately result in offensive odors. The microbial activity of SRB (sulfate-reducing bacteria) and hydrogen-sulfide production was monitored closely in each ?zone?, …

Implementing Best Practices When Modifying An Early Childhood Curriculum To Facilitate Inclusion Of Children With Disabilities, Cordalia D. Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify current best practices when modifying an early childhood curriculum to facilitate inclusion of children with disabilities. A questionnaire consisting of twenty items pertaining to the benefits and barriers to an inclusive preschool program was distributed to thirty-four educators who service preschoolers with disabilities directly or indirectly. Those surveyed strongly agreed that including young children with disabilities in typical preschool program is a viable model of service delivery. They stated that benefits outnumber the barriers in an inclusive program, that such programs can benefit children with and without disabilities, and staff training is …

The Potential For Support Of Gardner's Theory Of The Naturalist Intelligence In Selected Elementary School Library Media Centers, Traci L. Haines

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of teaching to the ability of the child is complex. Each child absorbs, analyzes and processes information differently. Howard Gardner developed a series of eight intelligences describing the variety of ways in which children learn. This study focused on the Naturalist Intelligence, an ability to recognize and discriminate different concepts in nature. A naturalist learner has strong observational skills and is good at sorting and classifying (Checkley, 1997). This evaluation compares randomly selected samples of the collections of two elementary school library media centers in order to determine whether the books in the 500s support Gardner's Theory of …

Perceptions Of Coaches In Small Colleges Regarding Sport Law And Sport Injury, Richard J. Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine to what extent head coaches in small colleges provided emergency medical care to injured athletes under their supervision. The secondary purpose of this study was to learn what types of sports medicine and sport law background small college head coaches had and would like to have. The third purpose was to describe the confidence level of small college head coaches in caring for student-athletes with medical emergencies. A survey instrument was developed by the writer and sent to 96 small college head coaches from 10 NCAA Division III schools and 6 …

Effects Of Induced Mood On Cognitive Processing In Healthy Older And Healthy Younger Adults, Laura J. Kitzan

Theses and Dissertations

Studies of young adults have shown that in the presence of intense mood states (e.g., sad), the frequency of task-irrelevant, mood-related thoughts increase and interfere with task performance. Gunther, Ferraro, and Kirchner (1996) tested induced-mood effects on long-term-memory (LTM) recognition of young adults as the recognition task became more difficult. The sad group had longer reaction times (RT) and higher error rates at the toughest recognition level than the neutral group. Gerard, Zacks, Hasher, and Radvansky (1991) studied age-related changes on LTM retrieval using the same paradigm. While the younger and older adults had longer RT and higher error rates …

The Effects Of Sensory Stimulation On Students With Traumatic Brain Injury As Compared To Students With Developmental Disabilities, Eileen M. Bertolino-Russell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if Sensory Stimulation had an effect on the motor development and communication skills of the students with Traumatic Brain Injury as compared to the students with Developmental Disabilities. Four students participated in this study: two were Traumatic Brain Injured and the other two were Developmentally Disabled.

To establish change over time the students' communication and motor skills were observed individually three times a week for four weeks. Eight domains were covered; responses could be verbal or non-verbal.

The results indicated that Sensory Stimulation proved to be beneficial because all four students showed …

A Review Of The Benefits Of Flax Supplementation, Samuel P. Held

Theses and Dissertations

We have become a society of convenience. Healthy foods that were staples for thousands of years have become replaced by processed foods with long shelf lives. This has been done to the detriment of our nutrition and health. Flax is one such replaced food item. A staple food for hundreds of generations, flax had become scarce in our diet until recent interest spurred by research found flax to be one of the best sourc es on earth for alpha-linolenic acid an Omega- three fatty acid, plant lignans, and contains a large amount of dietary fiber. Potentially these constituents can have …