Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamics Of The Solvent Exchange Reaction Of Weakly Bound Organic Solvents To Group 6 Transition Metal Carbonyls And The Molybdenum Hexacarbonyl Mediated Pauson-Khand Reaction, Richard J. Gates

Theses and Dissertations

Many organometallic reactions are solvent-dependent, suggesting solvent molecules interact with reaction intermediates. Studies of the solvent exchange reaction of group 6 transition metal carbonyls with moderately binding ligands have provided insight into these interactions, however, studies of the mechanism for this reaction with weakly binding ligands have not been performed. Experiments were conducted on the nanosecond time scale in methylcyclohexane over the temperature range of 4 to 44 °C using Step Scan FTIR (SS FTIR) spectroscopy with weakly binding ligands benzene and mesitylene. Upon photolysis of the metal hexacarbonyls, the kinetically favored product (M(CO)5(solv)), decays following pseudo-first-order kinetics to the …

Biomolecular Mechanisms And Functional Characterization Of Nanomaterials In Programmed Cancer Cell Death For Potential Applications In Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, And Bioengineering, Md. Zakir Hossain

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer bionanotechnology is an interdisciplinary area of research in applied biosciences, biomedical engineering, and nano-medicine. Currently, apoptotic cell death inducers and regulators are considered to have significant potential for cancer therapy. The ability to escape apoptosis is one of the key properties of human cancer. Pancreatic cancer that has the highest fatality rates of all cancers is prompt to evade apoptosis. Nanomaterials like Ni NWs have various novel properties that could be very useful in bio-medical applications at the molecular and cellular levels. The overall objective of this research was to investigate the antiproliferative and apoptogenic properties of Ni NWs …

A Study Of The Impact Of Single-Gender Classes On Middle School Students In An Urban Setting, Deniese Barnett-Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

With the passing of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the levels of accountability that it has placed upon educators and school districts regarding student performance on standardized assessments, there has been a surfeit of initiatives and options to address appropriate prescriptions for academically ailing students. A potentially dramatic turnaround came in March 2004, when the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued proposals that permitted public single-gender schools and classes with few limitations. Additionally, within the past decade, the release of restrictions of Title IX, which originally prohibited the separation of genders, facilitated opportunities to implement single-gender schools and classes …

Divided, They Win? A Case Study Of The New Political Generation In Egypt Since 25th January 2011, Sanaa El-Banna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the political culture of the new political generation in Egypt after 25th January 2011. It aims at examining the reasons behind generational conflicts on the new political landscape. It defines political generation as â a group of people who have been subject to common social and political (â ¦) influences and circumstances' that shape their political values, attitudes, and signify their sharing of an essential destiny' . Hence, generations are defined in terms of political culture, rather than age groups. The study examines six suggestive cases: The National Movement for Changeâ Kefayaâ , the 6th of April, …

Characterization Of The Bacterial Gut Fauna Of Phlebotomus Papatasi: Culture Dependent Vs. Culture Independent Techniques, Nada Mohamad El-Ayouty

Theses and Dissertations

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Ungendering Power Relations: Stateswomen, Agency And Foreign Policy In Jordan, Catherine Guzzi

Theses and Dissertations

Feminist international reFeminist international relations theory argues that womenâ s marginalization in world affairs both results from and is sustained by a gendering of international relations in which the norms of power, aggression, and self-help typically associated with masculinity dominate IR theory and practice. While gender has become an accepted topic within international relations, a coherent argument for how gendered relationships of power exist within and outside states and how they affect international relations has yet to be made. Little effort has been made to move beyond theory and examine the ways in which gender affects particular cases and issues. …

Effects Of Temperature And Soil Organic Content On The Growth And Survival Of E. Coli In Sandy Soil, Mariam Maher William Melek

Theses and Dissertations

With the continuous growth of populations and expansions in developing countries, the availability of sufficient water resources is approaching a critical state, especially in arid and semi-arid lands. In Egypt, although the Nile has been sufficient for many centuries now, its dependability for all life applications for the coming decades is in question. By far, agricultural practices consume the greatest portion of fresh water from the Nile. As a result, there is a growing effort dedicated to investigating the use of treated wastewater for irrigation instead of using virgin fresh water as a best-sustainable practice. When it comes to the …

Gender Differences In Reasons For Alcohol And Drug Abuse Among Youth In Kenya: Programs For Prevention, Faith Wanjiru Kimunya

Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research on alcohol and drug abuse prevention examines general risk and protective factors without considering gender and is conducted primarily in Western cultural contexts. However, gender and culture are important to consider in the design and implementation of alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs because both gender and culture can play a role in the development of risk and protective factors. In order to assess the role that gender and culture might play in alcohol and drug abuse, a literature review was conducted. The literature review focused on the gender differences in reasons for alcohol and drug …

A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Of The Effects Of School, Community And Individual Factors On Substance Use Among Girls In Rural Counties, Taniesa Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Substance use among adolescent girls in the United States is increasing. In some regions substance use by rural adolescent girls exceeds that of its urban and suburban counterparts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the adequacy of constructs within Catalano, Hawkins, and the Social Development Research Group's (1996) social development model (SDM) as an empirical-based model pertaining to early adolescent girls' pathways to substance use by examining school, community, and individual risk and protective factors. Risk factors are defined as those traits, variables, or vulnerabilities that, if present for a particular individual, increase the likelihood of those individual …

The Jigsaw Man: Puzzling Through The Pieces Of Modern American Manhood, Paul Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

The Jigsaw Man is a personal nonfiction narrative that examines modern American manhood. The author uses personal anecdotes and popular media to discuss manhood as experienced by his generation and those younger, the so-called "preadults" of Generations X, Y, and beyond. This thesis was written as part of the author's preparation for a book proposal, which would expand upon the themes and stories in this thesis.

Response Of Moth Assemblages To Pine-Grassland Restoration For Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, Kristen Robyn Benjamin

Theses and Dissertations

I examined community composition, species richness, and abundance of forest moths in three restored pine-grasslands and three nearby areas with similar site characteristics but no history of restoration management. My study addressed questions of how restoration practices impact moth species richness and abundance, whether distinct moth communities are associated with restored and unrestored plots, how vegetation has responded to restoration treatments, and how moths have responded to vegetation. I expected that changes in moth community composition could be predicted by host specialization, with species having narrow feeding niches occurring in greatest numbers where essential resources were most abundant. As expected, …

Epigenetic Regulation Of Genes Involved In Vascular Dysfunction In Preeclamptic Women, Ahmad Mousa

Theses and Dissertations

DNA methylation is the most recognizable epigenetic mechanism. In general, DNA hypomethylation is associated with increased gene expression whereas DNA hypermethylation is associated with decreased gene expression. To date, little is known about the role of DNA methylation in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. In this study, we examined the differences in DNA methylation in omental arteries of normal pregnant and preeclamptic women using the high throughput Illumina HumanMethylation27 BeadChip assay. We found 1,685 genes with a significant difference in DNA methylation at a false discovery rate of < 10% with many inflammatory genes having reduced methylation. The thromboxane synthase gene was the most hypomethylated gene in preeclamptic women as compared to normal pregnant women. When we examined the expression of thromboxane synthase in omental arteries of normal pregnant and preeclamptic women we found it to be significantly increased in preeclamptic women. The increased expression was observed in vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and infiltrating neutrophils. Experimentally induced DNA hypomethylation increased the expression of thromboxane synthase in the neutrophil-like HL-60 cell line, whereas tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), a neutrophil product, increased its expression in cultured human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). These finding suggest that DNA methylation and release of TNFα by infiltrating neutrophils could contribute to the increased expression of thromboxane synthase in systemic blood vessels of preeclamptic women, contributing to the hypertension and coagulation abnormalities. We also explored the possible contribution of DNA methylation to the altered expression of genes involved in collagen metabolism in preeclampsia. Several matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) genes, including MMP1 and MMP8, were significantly less methylated in preeclamptic women, whereas TIMP and COL genes were either significantly more methylated or had no significant change in their DNA methylation status. Experimentally induced DNA hypomethylation increased the expression of MMP-1, but not TIMP-1 or COL1A1, in cultured VSMCs and increased the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-8 in HL-60 cells. These findings suggest that DNA methylation contributes to the imbalance in genes involved in collagen metabolism in blood vessels of preeclamptic women.

Statistical Methods For Normalization And Analysis Of High-Throughput Genomic Data, Tobias Guennel

Theses and Dissertations

High-throughput genomic datasets obtained from microarray or sequencing studies have revolutionized the field of molecular biology over the last decade. The complexity of these new technologies also poses new challenges to statisticians to separate biological relevant information from technical noise. Two methods are introduced that address important issues with normalization of array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) microarrays and the analysis of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) studies. Many studies investigating copy number aberrations at the DNA level for cancer and genetic studies use comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on oligo arrays. However, aCGH data often suffer from low signal to noise ratios resulting …

Characterization And Biomechanical Analysis Of The Human Lumbar Spine With In Vitro Testing Conditions, Dean K. Stolworthy

Theses and Dissertations

Biomechanical testing of cadaveric spinal segments forms the basis for our current understanding of healthy, pathological, and surgically treated spinal function. Over the past 40 years there has been a substantial amount of data published based on a spinal biomechanical testing regimen known as the flexibility method. This data has provided valuable clinical insights that have shaped our understanding of low back pain and its treatments. Virtually all previous lumbar spinal flexibility testing has been performed at room temperature, under very low motion rates, without the presence of a compressive follower-load to simulate upper body weight and the action of …

The Impact Of Resiliency And Biculturalism On Subjective Well Being In A Northern Plains American Indian Tribe, Paula Maureen Carter

Theses and Dissertations

For generations American Indians struggled with the burden of historical trauma. Despite this trauma, American Indian people have survived and many flourish. With the majority of American Indian research focusing on deficits in this population it is difficult to gain a perspective that positive, strength-based factors may contribute to this cultural survival. The intent of this study is to present evidence for the position that resiliency exists in this population and that the resilience is directly related to acculturation, specifically a bicultural orientation. Further, subjective well-being is impacted by resiliency and biculturalism. Participants from a Northern Plains Ojibwa tribe completed …

Spiritual Economies: Redemptive Violence, The Body And Social Care, Perry W. Benson

Theses and Dissertations

“Spiritual Economies” asserts that the emancipatory drive in international social care to integrate spirituality and religion in culturally sensitive practice, is much needed given the demographic and social changes engendered by globalization. Ethical codes guiding the practice of international social care, furthermore, have mandated that spiritual and religious beliefs are an important part of cultural diversity. An extensive examination and analysis of the discourse on the integration of religion and spirituality in the predominantly secular social services, however, yielded a number of concerns among international social care scholars and practitioners regarding the inclusion of religion due to the potential for …

Identification And Quantification Of Protein Carbonylation By Mass Spectrometry, Qingyuan Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Accumulated evidence indicates oxidative stress plays important roles in disease and aging. Under oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation (LPO) leads to reactive carbonyl species (RCS) that can modify a wide range of biomolecules including protein, DNA and carbohydrate. In this dissertation, we investigate the modification of two model proteins, human serum albumin (HSA) and aconitase (ACO), by the LPO-relevant a, b-unsaturated aldehydes, acrolein (ACR) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE). The investigation is focused on the characterization and quantification ACR and HNE addition to the model proteins. A correlation between HNE modification and ACO activity is also determined. These results provide insights into the …

Quantitative Genetic Methods To Dissect Heterogeneity In Complex Traits, T. Bernard Bigdeli

Theses and Dissertations

Etiological models of complex disease are elusive[46, 33, 9], as are consistently replicable findings for major genetic susceptibility loci[54, 14, 15, 24]. Commonly-cited explanations invoke low-frequency genomic variation[41], allelic heterogeneity at susceptibility loci[33, 30], variable etiological trajectories[18, 17], and epistatic effects between multiple loci; these represent among the most methodologically-challenging issues in molecular genetic studies of complex traits. The response has been con- sistently reactionary—hypotheses regarding the relative contributions of known func- tional elements, or emphasizing a greater role of rare variation[46, 33] have undergone periodic revision, driving increasingly collaborative efforts to ascertain greater numbers of participants and which assay …

Latino Parental Acceptability Towards The Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine, Linda M. Kondilis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined parental acceptability of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination among Latino parents. The role that acculturation may play in Latino parents' acceptability of the vaccine was also examined. A survey conceptualized using the Health Belief Model and two acculturation measures were administered to participants (N = 130). Approximately 70% of parents endorsed that they would vaccinate their daughters with the HPV vaccine. A regression analysis revealed that perception of susceptibility, perception of seriousness, perception of benefit, and cues to action significantly predicted parental acceptability, with 57% of the variance accounted by these variables. Acculturation was not a …

Intonation Perception In Elderly And Young Adult Subjects, Afua Mmra Blay

Theses and Dissertations

Various studies have reported that elderly individuals have difficulty perceiving intonation, especially in emotional context. However, the nature and the extent to which this problem affects the communication ability of these individuals are poorly understood. Most studies use isolated sentences which unlike natural discourse indicate no contextual information. Consequently, it is unclear whether the intonation processing problems for the elderly are manifested across the board regardless of availability of contextual information. To understand this issue, the present study sought to compare the performance of elderly adults on perception of intonation in stimuli presented with and without contextual information. Participants were …

A Proposed Legal Framework On The Extraction And Consumption Of Outer Space Resources, Melissa M. Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

The future of space exploration endeavors depends highly on the utilization of in-situ resources. Large scale exploration road maps take advantage of local resources to reduce mission costs and enable the growth of revolutionary self-sufficient technologies to prolong mission duration and reach beyond current destinations. The major space treaties included limited provisions on space resource utilization in terms of excavation and consumption. A natural resource can be extracted from its place of origin with limited restriction on the quantity and method of use.

To address the risk of ecological damage, resource appropriation, and impending disputes, claims, and decrees regarding resource …

Development Of An Accurate Benchmarking System For Microwave Breast Imaging, Camerin C. Hahn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a discussion of the design and implementation of benchmarking system for microwave imaging systems. The current benchmarking tools for microwave imaging setups are not adaptable. A novel method for of the development of a dielectric phantom using regression analysis is presented. This is followed by a discussion of the design of a novel sensor for the purpose of in vivo dielectric properties measurements. The goal is to provide information for microwave tomography algorithms and phantom development based on in vivo dielectric properties of breast tissues

Through the progress of this research two major novel advances have been …

Design And Testing Validation Of An Extendable Pressurized Tunnel For An Inflatable Lunar Habitat, Timothy Jani Holland

Theses and Dissertations

In the design of the UND inflatable lunar habitat (ILH), the need for an extendable pressurized tunnel to link the habitat to a wheeled terrestrial vehicle (rover), and secure the connection between both elements is one of the critical problems to be solved in order to test the validity of the ILH concept. The design of an extendable pressurized tunnel is required in order to allow access to and from the rover without the use of pressure suits. It is expected than using an extendable tunnel will allow simple docking procedures. An experimental process is required to determine the best …

Phylogeography And Habitat Associations Of Franklin's Gulls In Their United States Breeding Range, Annmarie Krmpotich

Theses and Dissertations

The Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) is a long distance migrant which is listed as a species of concern by U.S. state wildlife management agencies and in the Northern Prairie and Parkland Waterbird Plan for the U.S. and Canada. The designation of this status is due to few, isolated breeding colonies and unknown population dynamics. Few attempts have been made to address the unknown population dynamics or to quantify habitat use at breeding sites of this species. Recognizing there is a need for this information; this thesis uses deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence to show the relationships of Franklin's gull breeding colonies …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Proprietary Additives In Improving Capture And Sequestration Of Oxidized Mercury In Scrubber Systems, Junior Neguieh Domkam Nasah

Theses and Dissertations

Mercury released during thermal processing (induration) of beneficiated taconite ore (referred to as green balls) can be captured by scrubber waters if it is in an oxidized form. Consequently, mercury emissions from Taconite facilities can be reduced by oxidation of the mercury released from the green balls, followed by capture in their scrubbers. Moreover, sequestration of the captured mercury from the scrubber slurry could prevent possible (re-)emission by ensuring that the driving force for oxidized mercury capture by scrubber liquids is at an optimum; and prevent recycling of captured mercury back to previous process steps.

This research investigates the ability …

Effects Of Gender Role Violations On Hypermasculine Men's Aggression In A Laboratory Paradigm, Hannah Borhart

Theses and Dissertations

Research on gender roles has indicated that men who adhere strongly to their masculine identity are more aggressive than their less traditional counterparts and that their aggressive tendencies tend to be amplified when they encounter others who violate traditional gender roles. There have been few studies that examined the relationship between hypermasculinity and gender role violations without the use of sexual orientations as the violations and no laboratory studies directly comparing a hypermasculine man's aggression towards a gender role violating man and a gender role violating woman. In this study, forty-five men competed in a laboratory aggression paradigm against a …

Delay Discounting Among American Indian And Non-Indian College Students, Angelique Gillis

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the concept of delay discounting among a total 200 participants (150 American Indian college students and 50 non-Indian college students) recruited from the University of North Dakota (UND), Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC), and Cankdeska Cikana (Little Hoop Community College. All participants completed the South Oaks Gambling Scale (SOGS), Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA), Sensation Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V), and a delay discounting questionnaire. American Indian participants completed an additional form-Northern Plains Biculturalism Inventory-revised (NPBI-R). It was hypothesized that American Indian participants from the reservation sample would have higher SOGS scores than participants …

Juvenile Male Sex Offenders: The Impact Of Family Involvement In Treatment, Irene Arande Guya-Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Factors that relate to the recidivism of adolescents who commit sexual crimes have received minimal attention in the literature. This study examined the impact of family involvement in treatment variables for adolescent male sex offenders as well as the relationships between family involvement and other treatment variables. The independent variables included a) family environment b) family status c) socioeconomic status d) living status e) levels of offense f) criminal records and g) family involvement in treatment. The dependent measure was recidivism. Data was collected from archival records provided by Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The results indicated that …

Parenting To Posthumous: A Grounded Theory Of Aging And Parenting An Adult Who Is Mentally Ill, Roxanne Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to generate a grounded theory that explains the main concerns of aging parents of adult mentally ill children and how they cope with those concerns. The methodology used was Classic Grounded Theory. Findings included the development of a substantive grounded theory titled, Parenting to Posthumous. Strategies to address this basic social process include complicated caring, shifting, examining, transitioning and messaging. Nursing implications include increased understanding of the dimensions of parenting as a process within aging.

Identifying Locations Of Highly Eroded Agricultural Land In The Devils Lake Basin, Nd Using Gis Terrain Analysis Modeling, Matthew J. Dinger

Theses and Dissertations

Soil erosion modeling using terrain analysis holds great potential due to the simplicity of the models, and the ease in running the analysis in a GIS. Terrain analysis of the upper Devils Lake basin was conducted using a 3-meter Light Detection and Ranging-derived digital elevation model. Portions of the Mauvais Coulee and Calio Coulee watersheds in the basin were analyzed to evaluate soil erosion potential and determine if terrain analysis was an accurate tool for modeling erosion in this fairly flat landscape. The analysis used slope, flow accumulation, and stream power index (SPI) within a GIS to identify highly eroded …