Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Integrating Virtual Reality Into The Curriculum Of Leadership In Physical Education And Sport Program At North Dakota State University, Justin T. Pieterick

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an increase across professional fields in the use of virtual reality (VR), a computer-generated immersive environment that allows users to interact with 3D simulations (Lowood, 2026), to increase the amount of authentic, practice-based experiential learning opportunities. In physical education and sport leadership preparation, VR offers a way to help students move beyond learning about leadership in theory and more toward practicing leadership in realistic, immersive situations. This study grew from the researcher’s professional experiences as a coach and Activities Director, where he learned that many important leadership lessons came through professional experiences involving decision-making, stakeholder relationships, conflict …

Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms Of Neuromodulators In The Regulation Of Neural Activities And Memories In The Hippocampal Formation, Chidiebele Sharon Oraegbuna

Theses and Dissertations

The dentate gyrus (DG) and medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) are critical regions of the limbic system involved in spatial navigation, pattern separation, neurogenesis, learning and memory, and mood regulation. Alterations within the DG circuitry have been implicated in cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and temporal lobe epilepsy. Disruption in the MEC is associated with the onset of AD pathology, temporal lobe epilepsy and schizophrenia. The roles of the DG and MEC in health and disease are mediated by their precise cellular activity. The main neurons of the DG are the glutamatergic granule cells (GCs) and …

Strengthening Teacher Development Through School-University Partnerships: A Document Analysis Informed By Improvement Science, Holly Ripley

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher shortages have become a persistent challenge across the United States, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. Although alternative certification pathways have helped fill vacancies, many have also resulted in underprepared teachers entering the profession. This Dissertation in Practice addresses the need for sustainable solutions that strengthen teacher preparation while supporting school districts facing workforce shortages. Guided by improvement science and the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, this study investigates school-university partnerships as a strategy for addressing both teacher shortages and teacher preparedness. A qualitative document analysis was conducted to examine funded school-university partnerships and state policies that support their implementation. The study explored …

Attachment Security And Sexual Compliance: Implications For Mental Health And Relationship Outcomes, Kimberly Tom

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual compliance is defined as consenting to sexual acts despite not wanting to have sex. Even though sexual compliance behavior has been associated with a multitude of adverse outcomes, it remains an understudied sexual behavior. Previous research has suggested people with insecure attachment (i.e., avoidant, anxious, and disorganized attachment styles) may be more likely to engage in sexual compliance than their securely attached counterparts. Results from the current study found attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, significantly predicted sexual compliance behavior. Gender and generalized anxiety symptoms also emerged as significant predictors of sexual compliance behavior. This study also sought to …

Inline Spectroscopy Of Foley Drainage Urine Under Free-Flow And Chaotic Flow Conditions To Detect Optical Signatures Of Urinary Constituents And Measure Urine Quality, Kordell Mitchell Bernaldez Tan

Theses and Dissertations

Foley catheter drainage systems remain largely passive, and assessment of urine passage, drainage interruption, and changes in urine appearance continues to depend on intermittent visual inspection, nursing documentation, caregiver observation, or delayed laboratory testing. Optical monitoring through the drainage-tube wall could provide objective information without opening the closed drainage pathway or placing sensors in direct contact with urine. This dissertation investigated the feasibility of a clamp-on multispectral optical platform for detecting urine passage and measuring wavelength-dependent optical changes under static and free-flowing drainage conditions.The investigation followed a staged medical-device development approach. Literature reviews characterized monitoring needs in acute, chronic, community, …

Hidden In Plain Sight: A Single-Case Study Analysis Of An Established Employee Well-Being Department In Higher Education, Andria Spaeth

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the perceptions and experiences of student-facing staff within the Divisionof Student Affairs at the University of North Dakota to understand how they currently have their holistic well-being needs met through the Work Well department and the support they receive from the senior administration. A detailed review of the relevant literature is included. A qualitative single-case study research methodology is used alongside the Social Cognitive Theory framework to examine the current perceived support student-facing staff have.

The case study follows a bounded system approach with the Work Well department serving as the site selection as the worksite wellness …

Emotional And Physical Neglect As Predictors Of Mcmi-Iv Personality Scales, Jenna Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

Theodore Millon (2011) proposed that specific developmental experiences and childhood adversities contribute to personality pathology, although these hypotheses have received limited empirical investigation. Participants (N = 490) completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV (MCMI-IV) and self-report measures of childhood adversity. Hierarchical ordinal regression analyses examined whether childhood adversities predicted elevations across MCMI-IV personality scales after controlling for age, gender, and co-occurring abuse. Although neglect was the primary focus of the study, childhood physical and emotional abuse emerged as the most consistent predictors across models. Both forms of abuse significantly predicted elevated masochistic, borderline, and schizotypal personality scores. Emotional abuse uniquely …

Investing In Tomorrow's Citizens: Exploring Generation Alpha Middle School Students' Perspectives On Civics And Education, Talia Luccia Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

Democracy requires maintenance from an active, informed citizenry, yet civic literacy in the United States has been rapidly declining while its democratic structures face systematic subversion. To reverse this, educational researchers have recommended increasing time for K–12 civics education. While devoting more time to middle school civics education could help rebuild a civically literate citizenry, public middle schools face the unique challenge of teaching a student population that is experiencing rapid physical and psychological development, alongside a well-documented dip in academic motivation and engagement. Tailoring civics education to be academically motivating to the current student demographic—Generation Alpha—requires an understanding of …

Bridging Relational And Institutional Accountability: A Mixed Methods Study Of Implementing Sámi Ethical Research Guidelines In Finland’S Public Health Sector, Anna Charlotta Kihlstrom

Theses and Dissertations

The Ethical Guidelines for Research Involving Sámi People in Finland represent a critical step toward ethical Indigenous research; however, a gap remains between these principles and their implementation. This study responds to a research priority identified by the Sámi Social Affairs and Health Committee and examines how ethical research guidelines can be operationalized in the collaboration between the Sámi Parliament and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed, grounded in an Indigenous research paradigm and relational accountability. Extensive community engagement was carried out as a foundational part of the research methodology. …

Green Pathways For Phytic Acid Extraction From Agriculture Residue For Flame-Retardant Applications, Laura Fronchetti Guidugli

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing generation of agricultural residues and the growing demand for sustainable chemicals and materials have intensified the interest in valorization of biomass-derived resources within a circular economy setting. Wheat bran, a major by-product of the cereal processing industry, accounting for approximately 14-30% of the wheat grain, represents an abundant and underutilized feedstock rich in phytic acid (PA, IP6), a phosphorus-containing biomolecule with applications in the food preservation, antioxidant, and flame-retardant sectors. However, conventional phytic acid recovery methods rely heavily on acid-assisted extraction processes that generate significant waste streams and environmental burdens. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation was to …

Robotic Arm-Assisted Structured-Light 3d Reconstruction For Large-Area Surface Modeling, Ahmed Elfarran

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops and evaluates a robotic arm-assisted structured-light 3D reconstruction framework for improving reconstruction accuracy and surface coverage under practical experimental conditions. The system integrates camera-projector calibration, Gray-code projection, X/Y decoding, triangulation, MATLAB-based geometric correction, robotic multi-view acquisition, point-cloud alignment, and stitching. First, a tilted-projector structured-light setup was tested with the projector positioned approximately 20 degrees relative to the object plane. This non-ideal configuration introduced global tilt and geometric distortion in the raw point cloud. After correction, the RMSE decreased from 2.8 mm to 0.9 mm, the tilt error decreased from 4.5 degrees to 0.8 degrees, and the dimensional …

Exploring The Effects Of Anti-Lgbtq+ Legislation On The School Ecosystem Based On The Perspectives And Experiences Of Public School Teachers, Kamryn Holtz

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to qualitatively explore queer and LGBTQ+ allied k-12 teachers’ perceptions and experiences related to recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. As health disparities among queer youth worsen due to changes in the sociopolitical climate and political sphere (Chokus-Bradley et al., 2022; Kline et al., 2022), teachers have a unique opportunity to support queer students through their roles and relationships within schools. Researchers contextualized the affirming intervention strategies teachers utilized through the Systems View of School Climate (Rudasill et al., 2018). Through semi-structured interviews, participants shared how the legislative changes have impacted strategies they use to support queer students, as …

The Rpm-1/Phr Signaling Hub Modulates Tau-Induced Neurodegeneration Through Regulation Of Microtubule Stability And Mapk Pathways In C. Elegans, Xinxing Ding

Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, are characterized by the accumulation of pathological tau proteins and progressive neuronal loss. Although research regarding tau-mediated toxicity is extensive, the specific pathology that determine whether neurons maintain homeostasis or succumb to collapse under tau-induced stress remain incompletely elucidated. A central, yet still insufficiently understood, feature of these diseases is the disruption of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton . The PHR protein family is evolutionarily highly conserved; within this family, RPM-1 in C. elegans functions as an intracellular signaling hub that regulates axon development, synapse formation, axon termination, and various microtubule-associated processes. This …

The Influence Of Rainfall And Land Cover Change On Streamflow Variability In Eastern Florida Watersheds, Brynn Romberger

Theses and Dissertations

Streamflow in Florida watersheds is influenced by both land cover change and rainfall variability, but separating their contributions is difficult because both have changed over recent decades. This study evaluated rainfall trends and land cover change to determine which better explains flood and drought threshold exceedance across 27 USGS streamflow gauges within the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) from 1985 to 2025. Streamflow was characterized using change-point, trend, and variability analyses with a six-threshold exceedance framework. Land cover was quantified using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), rainfall characteristics were derived from the Analysis of Records for Calibration …

Quantifying Dust Structure In An Elliptical Galaxy Via Optical–Near-Infrared Color Mapping: A Detailed Study Of Ngc 6251, Luke Reed

Theses and Dissertations

The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 6251 is a well-studied active radio galaxy that hosts one of the largest known relativistic jet systems, with a projected size of approximately 3 Mpc. In addition to its large-scale radio structure, the galaxy hosts a prominent circumnuclear dust feature surrounding the active nucleus, previously interpreted as a warped dust disk. This thesis focuses on the inner morphology and dust structure of NGC 6251 using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations obtained with the WFPC2 and NICMOS instruments.

The central structure of the galaxy was investigated across multiple wavelengths through image calibration, PSF modeling and subtraction, …

Helicopter Pilots’ Safety Behaviors: Identifying Factors That Affect Risk Perception Among Helicopter Pilots, Khaled J. Alzaabi

Theses and Dissertations

Helicopter operations frequently take place in complex, high-risk environments, where pilots continuously assess hazards and make critical decisions under pressure. Despite standardized procedures, regulations, and training designed to enhance safe operations, helicopter pilots may perceive risk differently when encountering similar flight situations. Understanding the factors that influence helicopter pilots’ perception of risk is essential for improving helicopter operation safety.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various factors on risk perception among helicopter pilots. Using an explanatory correlational design, the study assessed whether helicopter pilots’ demographics, flight experience, and affective domain factors explain differences in their …

An Evaluation Of Staff Training To Teach Implementation Of Functional Analysis Of Inappropriate Mealtime Behavior, Lauren Marie Lightner

Theses and Dissertations

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) along with other feeding disorders are prevalent in both neurotypical children along with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Children with feeding challenges often exhibit inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB) to avoid consuming non-preferred foods. It is pertinent to determine the function of IMB in order to create an efficacious treatment; one such assessment is the functional analysis (Iwata et al. 1982/1994). Iwata et al. (2000) taught students how to implement a functional analysis of self-injurious behavior using behavioral skills training. Since the assessment’s development, it has been extended to various …

Understanding The Correlation Between Prediction Performance And Trust In Ai Through Scenario-Based Tasks, Likhitha Kammara

Theses and Dissertations

Trust in artificial intelligence is commonly assessed through self-reported scales or behavioral reliance, yet behavioral reliance is retrospective and can only be observed after a decision has already been made. This thesis examines whether prediction accuracy — a user's ability to predict what an AI system will recommend before its output is revealed — can serve as a prospective correlate of trust in the same empirical sense as behavioral reliance. The study was conducted in two phases using scenario-based AI decision tasks across disaster response, healthcare, and infrastructure restoration contexts, employing a between-group design in which participants either predicted AI …

Functionalized Loblolly Pine Derived Ultraporous Activated Hydrochars For Efficient Carbon Capture, Swarna Saha

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions has intensified the demand for efficient and sustainable carbon capture technologies. This dissertation investigates the development of functionalized ultraporous activated hydrochars derived from loblolly pine through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by chemical activation for enhanced CO₂ capture applications. Different functionalization strategies, including deep eutectic solvent (DES) modification, zeolite-assisted HTC, palladium-assisted HTC, and CO₂-assisted HTC, were systematically explored to evaluate the influence of pore structure, surface chemistry, and adsorption energetics on CO₂ capture performance. The synthesized materials were characterized using BET, FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, and adsorption isotherm modeling to establish the …

The Effect Of Acculturation On Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Satisfaction With Indigenous Populations, Reagan Joseph Alsbaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Past research has suggested that equine-assisted psychotherapy may be an effective, culturally relevant treatment modality for Indigenous individuals with substance-use disorders. The literature also suggests that mental health outcomes may be mediated by an Indigenous individual’s level of acculturation. It was hypothesized that individuals who were traditional or bicultural would report higher levels of satisfaction with their experiences in equine therapy than those who are assimilated or marginal. There were 17 Native American participants who had completed at least 4 weeks of an equine-assisted therapy program who participated in the study. Of the participants, 8 were traditional and 9 were …

Uncertainty And Sensitivity Analysis Of Lithium-Ion Battery Performance With Recycled Materials: A Physics-Based Computational Framework Approach, Abdurahman Ajumobi

Theses and Dissertations

The global transition to a net-zero energy economy is increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and positioning battery recycling as an essential component of future supply chains. However, recycled battery materials exhibit variability due to mixed feedstocks, heterogeneous black-mass compositions, degradation histories, and recycling processes. The resulting uncertainty in material properties can affect battery performance, yet physics-based methods for quantifying these effects remain limited.This dissertation presents a novel computational framework for uncertainty quantification (UQ) and global sensitivity analysis (GSA) of lithium-ion battery performance using recycled cathode materials. The framework combines the Doyle-Fuller-Newman (DFN) electrochemical model, implemented in PyBaMM, with a …

The Effects Of Deepfake Education On Detection Ability And Media Trust, Richard Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of AI-generated media, particularly deepfakes, has generated growing concerns regarding misinformation, media authenticity, and public trust in digital communication. This study investigates how education about deepfakes influences the ability to detect deepfake and genuine videos as well as trust in media institutions. Drawing on Inoculation Theory, media literacy research, and sociological perspectives on misinformation and trust, this research examines whether educational materials about deepfakes enhance detection abilities while simultaneously reducing trust in media. A between-subjects experimental design was employed, with 220 undergraduate participants randomly assigned to either an educational treatment condition or a control condition. Pretest measures assessed …

Pezuta: Ceremony Assisted Treatment To Promote Recovery Among American Indians, Diana Blossom Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to understand and describe the role of traditional ceremonies and its impact on American Indian adults’ ongoing sobriety and recovery from substance misuse. The research focuses on the perspective of those American Indian adults seeking services from a partnering Tribal-serving organization in South Dakota. A qualitative study design was applied through semi-structured focus groups to better understand relatives’ experiences of participation in ceremony and how it contributed to their recovery. Findings indicate that ceremony fostered healing and strengthened cultural resilience. This lead to recovery-oriented changes that work across cultural, relational, and individual dimensions to support recovery. Furthermore, …

Effects Of A Rear-Flank Storm Interaction On Supercell Behavior And Tornado-Like Vortex Development In Idealized Simulations, Kyle Joseph Gillett

Theses and Dissertations

Observationally, storm interactions have been associated with changes in severe convective storm behavior and evolution, including the development and maintenance of tornadoes. In particular, the interaction of neighboring convection in or near the rear flank of a supercell thunderstorm has frequently been associated with tornadogenesis. Although statistical relationships associated with these behavioral changes have been established, the physical mechanisms governing their evolution remain poorly understood. Presented are two sets of numerical experiments, each consisting of five idealized model simulations. One experiment set simulates a discrete “parent” supercell thunderstorm, while the other simulates the same “parent” subjected to a rear-flank interaction …

Gender Perceptions Of Occupational Therapy Students And The Impact On Academic Experience, John Brian Leclerc

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception in 1917, the field of occupational therapy has maintained a pronounced gender imbalance, with females comprising the vast majority of practitioners despite major historical shifts in healthcare delivery. This dissertation examines how occupational therapist (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students perceive gender and how these perceptions influence their academic experiences and future professional roles.

Using a multi-study design, this dissertation integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches across three articles. In article 1, focus groups were employed with doctoral OT students (N=30) and revealed five central themes: the value of gender diversity for learning, a nurturing and supportive …

Intragroup Marginalization, Multiracial Identity Development, And Subjective Well-Being: A Qualitative Analysis, Anna Kim Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

To date, there is little research on the relationship between multiracial identity, marginalization, and well-being, particularly research investigating whether identity can have a positive impact on well-being. The current study used live, semi-structured interviews and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to aggregate the narratives of nine multiracial participants to explore their lived experiences of intragroup marginalization, multiracial identity development and integration, and well-being. Within the frames of the Intersectional Model of Multiracial Identity and Social Identity Model, five superordinate themes emerged across participants: (1) early racial meaning-making and internalized tension; (2) developing and negotiating a multiracial identity; (3) seeking and constructing …

Understanding The Mmiw/Mmip Crisis: Jurisdictional Gaps, Institutional Failure, And Public Perception, Taylor Julia Pesch

Theses and Dissertations

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Crisis/Missing and MurderedIndigenous People (MMIP) crisis calls attention to the ongoing issues with underreporting and violence against Indigenous people. As years have gone by, the rates of violence and disappearances have increased. The Women’s Wilderness webpage reports that in 2016, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) recorded around 5,712 cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and children; however, the database in the U.S. Department of Justice has only recorded 116 cases, highlighting a significant issue in MMIW reporting (Native Women’s Wilderness, n.d.). This study explores how jurisdictional barriers and reporting gaps can …

Cultural Identification And Preferences In Treatment For American Indian Adults With Substance Use Disorder, Megan Kay Saboo

Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorders occur at a disproportionately higher rate for American Indian adults in the United States, yet there is a limited understanding of how those in the recovery process perceive their American Indian culture as a meaningful component of their treatment. This study intended to address this gap in the research and to assist with tribal efforts in treating substance use disorder among a small sample of American Indian adults enrolled in a Northern Plains tribe by assessing cultural identification and the importance, contribution, and incorporation of cultural traditions, practices, and ways of living into the recovery process. Results …

Public Good, Politics, And Public Goods: The Social Construction Of Educators In Progressive Era North Dakota, Kevin Joel Read

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines education reforms in North Dakota’s early Nonpartisan League period (circa 1916-1920) by focusing on three policy vignettes located in the local, state, and higher education domains. Together, this dissertation investigates the tensions and nuances of modernizing education in the state including the conditions which created a moment for rapid policy implementation, and the factors which led to that moment ending. The local vignette focuses on housing policy for educators, and the state’s consolidation of education governance into a Board of Administration is explored in the state and higher education chapters. Additionally, the role educators in the state …

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention's Healthy Tribes Program: Uncertainty Around Executive Orders During 2025 - A Qualitative Study, Gem Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Programs that center culture as prevention are required for promoting holistic health and well-being in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, however limited research demonstrates how these programs are affected by federal policy instability. Securing and sustaining funding for culturally centered initiatives is essential not only for reducing health inequities, but also for upholding Tribal self-determination and the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations.

This qualitative study examines the impact of federal funding uncertainty related to executive orders issued in 2025 on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Tribes program.

This Tribally driven study employed Knowledge Sharing Sessions, …