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Genetic Characterization Of Cytosolic And Mitochondrial Matrix Isoforms Of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase., James Gunder Mehus

Theses and Dissertations

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDP kinase) is an enzyme which transfers the gamma phosphoryl group of a nucleoside triphosphate donor to a nucleoside diphosphate acceptor. NDP kinases have been implicated in a wide range of biological phenomena including tumor metastasis, differentiation, gene regulation, signal transduction, and mitochondrial energetics. Prior experimentation documented in the early biochemical literature has given strong evidence for the presence of a mitochondrial NDP kinase. In particular, pigeon liver mitochondria possess an unusually high level of NDP kinase activity confined to the matrix space. Despite extensive work on vertebrate NDP kinases in the last decade, no genes had …

The Utility Of Statement Validity Assessment In Differentiating Between False Reports And True Memories In Children., Marcia Moberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the utility of Statement Validity Assessment (SVA) and Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) in situations where children give a false report. Twenty-one children, aged 4–5, were interviewed about two true (parent-supplied) events and two false (experimenter-contrived) events eight times over a ten week period using the criterion set forth in SVA (Raskin & Esplin, 1991). The dependent variables were frequency of assent, CBCA scores, and narrative length. Across all three dependent measures, significant differences existed between true and false narratives such that frequency of assent was higher for true narratives, CBCA scores were higher and …

Vector Difference Calculus., Brian John Moritz

Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of physical problems on complex structures often involves the use of a lattice model of the underlying physical space. The lattice sites provide a convenient basis for the representation of physical quantities. Analogous to the use of differential forms in continuous space, a discrete formalism is developed in which geometrical simplices can be used as a basis for vector as well as scalar quantities. The space of p-forms at a point in the theory of differential forms is replaced by the lattice vertex and the p-dimensional geometrical simplices which contain it. These p-simplices serve as a basis for …

Syntheses And Characterizations Of 2,4-Bis(Amino)Cyclodiphosphazane And Cis-2,4-Bis(Iminoaryl)-2,4-Bis(Amino)Cyclodiphosphazane Complexes., Daniel Frederick Moser

Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis and characterization of several bis(aminoaryl)cyclodiphosph(III)azanes were described. NMR spectroscopy, mainly 13C and 31 P NMR, was used to determine whether these bis(amino) compounds existed in cis or trans configuration. From this information, it was determined which ligands were potential chelates. Treatment of the cis-bis(aminoaryl)cyclodiphosph(III)azanes with TiCl4 and a base yielded pseudotetrahedral 14-electron complexes that can be used in olefin polymerization processes. Lithiation of these ligands yielded the dilithium salts, which were excellent starting materials for metathesis reactions. Upon treatment of ZrCl4 and HfCl4 with the dilithio salts, these bis(arylamido)cyclodiphosph(III)azanes were found to coordinate two ligands forming pseudooctahedral complexes that …

Modifications By Ehrlich Ascites Tumors, In Vivo, Of The Mouse Hepatic Glucose -6 -Phosphatase System., Jay Wiedemann

Theses and Dissertations

The enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase (Glc-6-Pase, E.C.3.1.9.3) plays a major role in the maintenance of blood glucose levels. Ehrlich ascites tumor cells pose a stress on the host to maintain blood glucose. Therefore, the Glc-6-Pase and associated substrate/product translocases, must function in response to cancer since the enzyme is common to both the glycogenolytic and gluconeogenic processes. Earlier kinetic studies showed there was a diminished inhibition by exogenous Pi of Glc-6-P hydrolysis in native hepatic microsomes of Tumor-bearing mice compared with controls (Lucius et al. (1995) Biochem. J. 311, 537–540). The first purpose of these studies was to determine the time of …

Writing In A Psychology Classroom: Learning And Adopting The Apa Epistemology., Suellen Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

Each discipline has unique conventions and discourse, which new writers in that area must learn to gain entry and credibility in that discipline. Learning of a new discourse is not automatic. This dissertation explores how undergraduate students in two psychology classes have achieved that learning. In doing so it considers the following questions: “What strategies do students use to learn to write in psychology?” “How do students discern what an instructor's definitions of good writing are?” “How does that instructor convey the discourse and expectations to the students?” “What skills and knowledge are transferable from previous classes?” “What from previous …

Algorithm Development For On-Line Control Of The Airborne Laser, Michael W. Oppenheimer

Theses and Dissertations

The use of adaptive optics entails the design of a controller. This requires the development of a model of the plant to be controlled, which, in this case, Consists of the atmosphere through which light is traveling. In optics, Zemike polynornials are used as a basis set for the expansion of wavefront phase distortions. Due to the turbulence induced stochastic nature of the underlying process involved, the spatial-temporal correlation functions of the Zemike polynomial phase expansion coefficients must be evaluated if a proper stochastic model of the plant is to be developed and adaptive optics is to be employed. In …

Validation And Verification Of Formal Specifications In Object-Oriented Software Engineering, Steven A. Thomson

Theses and Dissertations

The use of formal specifications allows for a software system to be defined with stringent mathematical semantics and syntax via such tools as propositional calculus and set theory. There are many perceived benefits garnered from formal specifications, such as a thorough and in-depth understanding of the domain and system being specified and a reduction in user requirement ambiguity. Probably the greatest benefit of formal specifications, and that which is least capitalized upon, is that mathematical proof procedures can be used to test and prove internal consistency and syntactic correctness in an effort to ensure comprehensive validation and verification (V&V). The …

Simulation And Analysis Of Wing Rock Physics For A Generic Fighter Model With Three Degrees-Of-Freedom, Ahmed Saad

Theses and Dissertations

Modern fighter designs have been associated with lateral self-excited oscillations own as "Wing Rock". Simulations of wing rock by flow visualization utilities have been encouraged to develop a complete understanding of the fluid mechanism that drives the motion as well as for prediction purposes. Previous wind/water tunnel simulations have been limited to a single degree-of freedom (DoF) in roll. In this study, for the first time, wing rock is computationally simulated in three DoF: roll, sideslip, and vertical motion to study the effect of adding file sideslip and vertical motion. The results are for a generic fighter model consisting of …

A Factor Analysis Of Caucasian College Students' Perceptions Of Native American Women., Stephanie Larocque

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Caucasian college students' perceptions of Native American women. The impetus of this study was the paucity of data pertaining to perceptions of Native American women. A trait scale derived from a modified Katz/Braly (1933) scale from LaRocque (1995) was presented to 478 Caucasian undergraduate college students at the University of North Dakota. The intent of this study was to scrutinize more closely this population's perceptions of Native American women via factor analytic techniques, and also to examine if participants perceptions of Native American women would differ significantly from their perceptions of women in general. The results indicated …

The Relationship Of Small Mammal Species To Habitat Variables In West-Central Georgia And East-Central Alabama, Patricia Maureen Kosky

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to assess the impact of environmental variables upon small mammal species distribution in 60 plots on Fort Benning, Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties, Georgia and Russell County, Alabama. The small mammal fieldwork was carried out in December of 1994 through January of 1995. The vegetation was inventoried in June through October of 1995. During this period, 235 small mammals were trapped in a total of 5950 trap nights. A total of 10 small mammal species and 234 plant species were identified. The small mammal species abundance's were determined by using snap trapping along the plot …

Reputation Management: The Effect Of Ceo Behavior During A Crisis, Ellen J. Shockley

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this thesis was to study how CEO behavior during a crisis impacts the organization's lasting reputation.

A thorough review of relevant publications, as well as intercept surveys, content analyses and email surveys, was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Fifty intercept surveys were conducted over two weekends to discover opinions about the issue. Respondents appearing to be age 25 or older were randomly selected. A content analysis was conducted using articles from Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal to determine the media's tone on the CEOs of Odwalla, Jack in the Box, Dow Coming and Exxon. A total …

The Impact Of A College Wellness Course On Wellness Knowledge, Attitude, And Behavior, Marion L. Askegaard

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a college wellness course resulted in an improvement in knowledge, attitude, and behavior relating to physical activity, nutrition, and stress management.

Three hundred forty-eight students enrolled in the Wellness course at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, took The Wellness Knowledge. Attitude, and Behavior Instrument during the first class period (pretest) and last week (posttest) of the course.

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), with repeated measures on one factor, was conducted to determine whether there would be statistically significant differences between the pretest and posttest wellness knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores. Three-way …

The Effect Of Biculturalism On Depression In Northern Plains Native American College Students, Alan H. Storey Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of biculturalism on depression in a propsed sample of 52 Northern Plains Native American College students (32 female, 20 male). This study tested the applicability of the Orthogonal Theory of Biculturalism (Oetting and Beauvais, 1992). Subjects completed the Northern Plains Biculturalism scale (NPBI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-Second edition (BDI-II). A descriptive analysis, Pearson product moment correlational analysis, independent t-tests, and multiple regression analysis were performed. The multiple regression utilized the two-culture orientation subscales of the NPBI as predictor variables and the total score of the BDI-II as outcome …

Occupational Therapy Treatments And Upper Extremity Motor And Self-Care Outcomes Of Patients Post-Cva, Jan E. Stube

Theses and Dissertations

Cerebrovascular accident (or stroke) afflicts approximately 550,000 Americans per year. It is estimated that three million U.S. citizens live with the disabling effects of strokes, which can limit function in one or more of the following areas: mobility, basic activities of daily living, bowel or bladder control, cognition, emotional functioning, among other disabling conditions (Gresham et al., 1995). Occupational therapists, as rehabilitation professionals, provide sensorimotor and basic activities of daily living assessment and intervention to promote recovery of function post-stroke. Upper extremity neuromuscular electrical stimulation is one strategy that may be used to promote motor recovery.

This study's purpose was …

Flooded Lifeways: A Study Of The Garrison Dam And Its Environmental Impact Upon The Three Affiliated Tribes Of The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Brian K. Russell

Theses and Dissertations

On December 22, Congress authorized the Flood Control Act of 1944, later named the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program (PSMBP). The primary purpose of the PSMBP, which would require the construction of six main stem dams on the Missouri River, was to provide flood control, navigation, irrigation, and hydropower. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara nations, the Three Affiliated Tribes, maintained a reservation and way of life on Fort Berthold which lay in the direct path of the water that would form the reservoir behind one of the dams, the Garrison Dam.

It is important to acknowledge that the Garrison Dam also …

Changes In Counselor Intentions After Empathy Training, Dominic J. Barraclough

Theses and Dissertations

Using Hill and O'Grady's (1985) model of assessing counseling intentions, this study examined the effects of a two-hour empathy training component in an introductory counseling methods course, as well as the relationship between intentions categories and the intention of being empathic. Participants also completed the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI) as a pretest measure, again immediately preceding the empathy training, and finally as a posttest measure. Due to unequal distribution within the control and treatment groups, gender was also examined. The results indicated that men responded more than women during role-play sessions as well as had more intentions. There was also …

Taking Writing On-Line: The Intersections Of Rhetoric, Technology, And Community In The Composition Classroom, William C. Archibald

Theses and Dissertations

Discourse constructs individuals in community and by analogy constructs students (and teachers) in the networked-writing classroom. This work of constructing subjects moves us alternately toward the group (centripetal) and away toward becoming more individual (centrifugal). In order to understand this coordinate but opposite movement within on-line communication, the dissertation brings together the two strands (within the social) of technology and rhetoric. This rhetoric of technology is defined as the invention, arrangement, and delivery of computer-mediated language for the purpose of evoking action upon the part of an audience. The dissertation presents—among others—the discourse theory of Patricia Bizzell, Joseph Harris's ideas …

A Resident Teacher Program: Perceptions Of Those Involved, Sara Beth Vinje Triggs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the experience of master's students in an elementary education resident teacher program The experience of the resident teachers was generally defined as how resident teachers made meaning of a resident teacher program through the perceptions of the resident teachers themselves. The resident teachers' perceptions and experiences were studied from January 1999 through the completion of their teaching experience in May 1999.

Qualitative research methods were used in this phenomenological study, including a brief period of observation, analysis of mentor/resident teacher communications journals, and interviews with participants in the Resident Teacher …

Assessment And Grading Practices Among High School Band Teachers In The United States: A Descriptive Study, Edward G. Simanton

Theses and Dissertations

The recent movement in academic reform and accountability has brought assessment and grading to the forefront in most academic disciplines. While assessment and grading appear to be important topics in music education professional journals, little is known about actual practice or local satisfaction with current practices. Findings from a few small regional assessment and grading studies indicated that assessment practices tended to diverge from currently understood best practices; for example, attendance was the primary source of grading information.

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine current assessment and grading practices in American high school bands, (b) gauge local …

Faculty Interests - Faculty Needs: Creating Meaningful Critical Thinking Training, Patricia Wilber

Theses and Dissertations

Helping students improve their critical thinking and writing abilities is a challenge for university instructors. Although they are experts in their specific disciplines, most of them struggle when it comes to developing appropriate and successful critical thinking activities for their students. They have limited knowledge of instructional methods that improve student thinking, and often rely on professional development programs on their campuses to assist them. The Writing Across the Curriculum Program at a mid-western university offered assistance to faculty and provided a place to examine this process.

A qualitative study employing workshop observations and follow-up interviews was used to determine …

The Effects Of Rumination And Distraction Tasks On Psychophysiological Responses And Self-Reported Mood In Dysphoric And Nondysphoric Individuals, Kristin S. Vickers Douglas

Theses and Dissertations

According to the response style theory of depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1987), the way in which individuals respond to depressed mood affects the severity and duration of that mood. Prior laboratory studies of response style have not included psychophysiological measures or investigated the relationship between ruminative response style and the conceptually-related constructs of worry and neuroticism. Dysphoric (n = 84) and nondysphoric participants (n = 86) were randomly assigned to either a rumination task (i.e., self-focused attention) or a distraction task (i.e., other-focused attention). In addition to the pre-task and post-task mood ratings used in prior response style studies, the present study …

The Influence Of Media Type On Sexually Impositional Behavior, Sheila A. Mulligan Rauch

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual aggression and rape are pervasive and serious problems in the United States. One factor which has been associated with sexual aggression and rape is the perpetrator's use of sexually explicit material, especially sexually violent pornography. The current study examined the effect of exposure to different types of media depictions, including sexually violent, violent, sexual, and general arousing conditions on men's expression of sexually impositional behavior toward women using a laboratory analogue. Participants viewed one of four, 45 minute clips from the above categories. Then, they chose one of four short clips (negatively arousing, sexual clip; a negatively arousing, nonsexual …

Adults With Autism Speak Out: Perceptions Of Their Life Experiences, Karen S. Hurlbutt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the perceptions of three high functioning adults with autism about their life experiences. After a review of the literature, I determined that there is a lack of information regarding adults with autism, especially those at the high end of the spectrum. There is a great deal of information regarding the educational needs of individuals with autism; however, there are few studies available which address the unique needs of the adults. I wondered “What can we learn about adults with autism that we did not know before? What can they tell …

Hardware And Software Requirements For Graphic Designers, Denise M. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Five Graduate Teaching Assistants In The Upper Midwest: Their Struggles, Their Strategies, Their Strengths, Carrie B. Brouse

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to describe the first semester graduate teaching experience had by five newly appointed graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), each from different departments across a midwestern university campus. Its purpose was to gain insight into the ways GTAs might come to make meaning of their experiences, construct knowledge in their disciplines, develop their personal teaching styles and skills, and further their way into their chosen professions. The study spanned the fall of 1999 semester.

Qualitative methods, including participant observations, personal interviews, and reviews of journal entries written by the GTAs, were used to study the first semester graduate teaching …

Influential Factors Perceived By Adult Students In The Selection Of Nontraditional Graduate Degree Programs, Kristi World-Mccormick

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study identified factors that influenced adult learners in their selection of nontraditional graduate programs of study over traditional programs in their communities. Twenty subjects who had each completed one of two nontraditional graduate degree programs, teacher education or management, were interviewed to learn what motivated them in their college selection process. The programs from which they graduated were identified as nontraditional because they were: ( 1) offered in communities hundreds of miles from the main campuses; (2) offered entirely during evening and/or weekend class times; and (3) designed to be completed in an accelerated time frame. Both programs …

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus : Implications For Cardiac Surgery, Karen L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogen first emerging in Great Britian in 1961. Since that time, it has spread worldwide and caused epidemic infection rates in several countries. It is most commonly spread in the healthcare setting where it is labeled a "nosocomial" infection, frequently infecting patients undergoing invasive medical procedures and immune-compromised patients. Depending on the severity and location of infection in conjunction with the patient's health status, MRSA infection can be mild to fatal. The surgical setting is a key area of concern. Cardiac surgery complicated by MRSA is relatively rare, but when it does occur, …

The Structure Of Occupational Preference: An Examination Of Occupational Knowledge, Self Knowledge, Indecisiveness, And Response Inconsistency, Marque Randall

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the factors of vocational choice is an important component of career counseling. It is hypothesized that difficulties in choice are related to: (a) one's knowledge of occupations, (b) one's knowledge of self, and (c) the method one uses to match a chosen occupation to oneself One indicator of difficulties in occupational choice would be inconsistency in preference across items. Response inconsistency was measured using a paired comparison task. Occupational knowledge, self-knowledge, and decisiveness were measured using corresponding sub scales from the Career Factors Inventory. The participants were 102 undergraduate students at Utah State University who were recruited by the …

A Child Centered Approach To Education, Carolyn J. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.