Digital Commons Network^™

From Blooming Judicial Philosophies To Castrated Legislation: Sexuality, Desire, And Nominations To The Supreme Court Of The United States, Adam Michael Mcmahon

Dissertations and Theses

Society and institutions of government reinforce norms that constrain the behavior of individuals. Heteropatriarchal norms traditionally favor the perspective of white, male, heterosexual, reason, judicial restraint, and democratic authority over their binary, and minority, counterparts: black, female, homosexual, desire, judicial activism, and individual rights. According to the theory of Queer New Institutionalism, these dichotomous pairs are mutually dependent upon each other for definition and maintenance. The perpetuation of these binarisms is made through language, often assumed and unquestioned. However, the use of sexualized language and metaphors are identified in efforts to draw suspicion and consternation for these minoritized Others. When …

Wherefore By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them: An Actor-Network Theory Analysis Of Mercy Corps' Peaceful Communities Initiative In Central Asia, John Thomas Westerman

Dissertations and Theses

The motivation for this research comes from the belief that an over reliance on a social constructivist perspective has caused development studies in general, and post-development in particular, to under-theorize the role of discourse in development. A key issue in post-development studies concerns whether or not development organizations depoliticize their interventions. The notion of depoliticization provides a perfect occasion for examining more deeply the role of discourse in development. This research uses the actor-network theory constructivist framework to analyze a USAID funded development program in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan): Mercy Corps' Peaceful Communities Initiative (PCI). The research approach …

Foreign Language Students' Beliefs About Homestays, Sara Racheal Juveland

Dissertations and Theses

Language students studying abroad are presented with multiple housing options. Living with a host family in a homestay is widely believed to be the most beneficial option. However, little research has been done as to how students' beliefs about homestays may affect their choice of housing. In this study, 116 language students completed the Student Beliefs About Homestays Questionnaire. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicated that students value homestays not only for the opportunity for language acquisition, but also for the inside look at the family life and culture of the host country and for the support a family setting …

Growth And Optical Characterization Of Zinc Oxide Nanowires For Anti-Reflection Coatings For Solar Cells, Martha Coakley

Dissertations and Theses

The optical properties of solar cells greatly affect their efficiencies. Decreasing the broadband and directional reflectance of solar cells increases the solar irradiance transmitted and absorbed by the cell, thereby increasing the production of electron-hole pairs. Traditional optical enhancements such as light trapping and anti-reflection coatings reduce the reflectance of silicon at an optimized wavelength and angle of incidence. They do not perform as well at high angles of incidence or over the broadband solar spectrum. Theoretical studies suggest that layers with a suitable gradient-index of refraction can create both a broadband and directional anti-reflective coating. Through their variations in …

Subsurface Igneous Mineral Microbiology: Iron-Oxidizing Organotrophs On Olivine Surfaces And The Significance Of Mineral Heterogeneity In Basalts, Amy Renee Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The subsurface igneous biome contains a vast portion of Earth's total biomass, yet we still know so little about it. Igneous environments such as iron-rich ocean crust and lava tubes may also host analogs to chemolithotrophically-driven life on other planets, so studying life in this biome is essential to understanding how life may survive on other planets. In this study, three igneous surface and subsurface environments were investigated for microbial preference for olivine, microbial physiologies and phylotypes present on olivine, and microbial growth on olivine in the laboratory via iron oxidation. These environments include a subseafloor borehole drilled into the …

"An I Don't Give A Damn 'Bout My Bad Reputation": The Effects Of Family Type And Patriarchy In The Home On Female Adolescent Delinquency And Mental Health, Stephanie-Kaye Guenther

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the connection between household type and delinquency and depressive symptoms for female adolescents. The present study draws its claims from Power-control theory which, at its most abstract level, predicts gender differences in delinquency based on the level of patriarchy in the family and the theoretical works of Sarah Rosenfield, who argues that it is the over control of females that causes them to have higher rates depression than males. This study hoped to build on research that links differences in family type and parental control to sex differences in delinquency by using the Power-control theory to look …

Marginalized Characters In Contemporary American Short Fiction, Timur Shishkin

Dissertations and Theses

The focus of the present research work is the contemporary American short stories that bring up issues of compulsory norm and the conflict between marginalized characters and their environment. This research was based on those short stories that seemed to represent the idea of being "different" in the most complex and multilayered way, and its goal was to unfold new aspects of the conflict between "normal" and "abnormal"/"different". Variations of norm as well as diversity within the marginalized raise a number of questions about the reasons for their inability to coexist peacefully. The close reading and the analysis of the …

Youth Voices Of Bounty And Opportunity: High School Students' Experiences With Food And Community, Kara Marie Gilbert

Dissertations and Theses

Currently, garden-based research does not include input from young adults about their experiences and perspectives as individuals in garden-based programs, specifically those that address issues of food and community. To address this void, this qualitative research examines youth perspectives and engagement in garden-based community projects in Olympia, Washington, and Medford, Oregon. The sample of 11 students was chosen from these projects that use food as a means to engage the community and educate underprivileged young adults about local food systems. The main question that the research addresses is: Why, and in what ways, are young adults appropriate agents for community …

The Effects Of Multiple Thematic Layers On Web Map Use By Middle School Students, Andrew Percy Freed

Dissertations and Theses

Access to the to the Internet and to a variety of interactive mapping tools has increased interest among middle school teachers to use interactive maps in conjunction with learning activities. There is very little research in the area of interactive mapping in educational situations, specifically with regards to layer maps that combine multiple thematic layers on a single map. This study evaluates the relationship between the number of layers present on a web-based map and middle-school students' accuracy and timeliness using the map to answer geographic questions. Additionally, this study examines the specific effect of a hill shade on student …

Whisper, Christina Struyk-Bonn

Dissertations and Theses

Whisper was a reject, living in a world so polluted and damaged that many humans and animals alike were born with defects. She'd grown up in an outcast camp far from any village, and those who lived in the camp were like her: disfigured. But on her sixteenth birthday, Whisper's father came to take her back to the village where she was to fill her mother's vacated spot and perform duties for the family. Her job was to cook, clean, wash the clothes, and maintain the family property. At night she was chained to the doghouse. Her uncle decided that …

Controlling Greenhouse Gases From Highway Vehicles, Arnold W. Reitze Jr.

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses the program aimed at increasing the efficiency of highway vehicles that is administered by the EPA under the Clean Air Act and by the Department of Transportation.

Employment Discrimination Against Lgbt Utahns, Clifford Rosky, Christy Mallory, Jenni Smith, M.V Lee Badgett

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

Utah does not have a statewide law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment. This report gathers together all existing data on the prevalence of discrimination in Utah to examine how frequently lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Utahns experience employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and assess the likely impact of passing a statewide nondiscrimination law.

The report begins by analyzing the data collected through a 2010 survey conducted by Equality Utah, which is the state’s first survey on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment. The data show …

Physicochemical Properties Of Pre-Harvest Sprouted Hard Spring Wheat, Haiyan Lu

Cereal Science

Pre-Harvest Sprouting (PHS) can cause severe economic loss in wheat grown across many areas of the world. Prolonged rainfall before harvest and high temperatures can contribute to the occurrence of PHS. Grain growers prefer wheat genotypes with low susceptibility to PHS. The objective of this study was to examine the physicochemical properties of Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) and Hard White Spring Wheat (HWSW) affected by PHS. Physicochemical properties of the starch and protein in HRSW and HWSW were significantly affected by PHS. α-Amylase was determined using an Azurine-crosslinked amylose substrate (AZCL-Amylose; Megazyme Co., Ltd). Endo-protease activity was determined using …

2011 Weed Science Research Report – Gold Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2011. It includes work on sugarbeet and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2011 Weed Science Research Report – Pink Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2011. It includes work on leafy spurge, Russian olive and yellow toadflax in North Dakota.

2011 Weed Science Research Report – Yellow Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2011. It includes work on several  minor crops and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2011 Weed Science Research Report – White Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document provides environmental, indexes, abbreviations and collaborators in 2011.

The Press And The Historical Development Of Three Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Programs In The Upper Midwest, 1950-1980, Danielle Ann Teigen

Communication

From 1950-1980, women's intercollegiate athletic programs experienced exponential growth, with newspapers rarely detailing the journey until Title IX passed in 1972. This project examined how women's athletics developed at North Dakota State University, the University of North Dakota, and Minnesota State University Moorhead, as well as the correlating press coverage. Articles from two regional newspapers and three student newspapers from 1950-1980 illustrated the coverage women's athletics received, while women integrally involved in the three athletic programs from 1950-1980 supplemented the coverage and further explained the development. This thesis proposes a cohesive narrative of the press coverage associated with the development …

Presidential Rhetoric For Second Modernity: Three Cases From The Discourse Of Barack Obama, Jude Justin Geiger

Communication

In this paper, I present studies of three of Barack Obama's speeches. In section two, I analyze Obama's "New Beginning" speech in which he attempts to improve relations between the United States and the Muslim world and find that Obama's speech fulfills the requirements ofNeo-Aristotelian analysis and benefits from Obama's ability to view the world from different perspectives. I then study in section three Obama's "Prague Speech," in which the President advocates for the reduction of nuclear arms, and reveal that Obama crafts a new metaphor that centers on a journey in which nations traverse a bridge from the past …

Online Or Face-To-Face?: Relationship Satisfaction And Attraction In Romantic Relationships Across Two Media, Anne Nicole Zmyslinski

Communication

The purpose of this study was to examine romantic relationships that began through face-to-face (FtF) interaction or computer-mediated communication (CMC). Two hundred seventy-six participants who were currently in romantic relationships that began in person (196) or online (80) completed an online questionnaire. The study explored several relational variables (relationship satisfaction, intimacy, trust, communication satisfaction, physical attraction) and tested for differences in the two types of relationships; however, the data were not consistent with the hypotheses and research questions. Post-hoc tests revealed that sample characteristics (including sex, exclusivity of relationships, same/opposite sex relationships, and length of relationships) accounted for several differences …

Purchasing For A Cause : Millennials' Perceptions Of The Cause-Related Marketing Campaigns Of Susan G. Komen For The Cure, Alicia Elizabeth Phillips

Communication

Millennials make up the largest generation to date and are highly involved in the support of social causes. Due to their philanthropic interests, Millennials have recently become the target of cause-marketing campaigns. Two studies utilizing focus groups were conducted with 70 college students in order to study the Millennial generation's perception of cause-related marketing campaigns. Study 1 focused on Millennials' general perceptions of cause-related marketing. Study 2 examined the Symbiotic Sustainability Model by focusing on Millennials' perceptions of partner number and relationships of a specific NGO (non-governmental organization), Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Focus group data from both studies …

Evaluating Standard Wet Chemistry Techniques And Nir Spectroscopic Models For Determining Composition And Potential Ethanol Yields Of Multi-Species Herbaceous Bioenergy Crops, Ewumbua Menyoli Monona

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

Herbaceous perennials represent a considerable portion of potential biomass feedstocks available for the growing bioenergy industry. Their chemical composition and biomass yields, which are important in determining ethanol potential on an area and mass basis, vary with plant variety and type, environment, and management practices. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the variability of lignin and carbohydrate content, biomass yields, and theoretical ethanol yields on an area basis among different herbaceous perennial species combinations grown in Minot (2008) and Williston (2008, 2009, and 2010), North Dakota (ND). After wet chemistry compositional analysis was done, the carbohydrate contents were used …

Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Dairy Manure With Canola Meal, Eric Michieka Atandi

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

There has been an increase of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) generating large amounts of manure. When this manure is not handled properly, it generates greenhouse gases (GHGs), odors and water pollution. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is touted as an acceptable approach to address manure management and associated environmental problems. Biogas production from manure alone is limited by low volumes of biogas yield, thus it has a poor economic reputation. Co-digestion of dairy manure with other agricultural wastes has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the economic viability of AD. Among the agricultural wastes, canola meal (a by-product from extraction …

Reference Evapotranspiration And Actual Evapotranspiration Measurements In Southeastern North Dakota, Ishara Rijal

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

Subsurface drainage (SSD) has been used to remove excess water from fields in the United States upper Midwest for more than a century, but only since the last decade in the Red River Basin of the North in North Dakota (ND). The water leaving from a SSD system can affect both the quality and quantity of water that flows to a surface water system. Therefore, determination of the water balance components is the first step to study the impact of SSD on water quantity, while evapotranspiration (ET), one of the most important components in the water balance, needs to be …

Effects Of Linseed Meal On Growth And Reproductive Performance In Ruminants, Breanne Rose Ilse

Animal Sciences

Linseed meal (LSM) was fed to ovariectomized ewes exposed to estradiol 17-ß (E2) implants over time, and LSM was supplemented to beef cows during late gestation and early lactation to evaluate the estrogenic potential of the phytoestrogen secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG) found in LSM. Forty-eight ovariectomized ewes were fed a diet containing 12.5% LSM for 0, 1, 7, or 14 d and implanted with estradiol-17ß (E2) for 0, 6, or 24 h before tissue collection. Uterine cellular proliferation, vascularity, and the expression of the angiogenic factors and their receptors were recorded. There was an interaction of LSM and E2 on uterine …

Branding, Communication, And Millennials: A Look At The Communication Habits Of The Largest Generation In History, Christopher James Mattix

Communication

Millennials are the largest generation in history and are frequently the targets of major marketing campaigns. However, no current research exists that focuses on Millennials' brand related communication habits. Focus groups with 50 college students were used to study the brand related communication habits of Millennials. Focus group data indicate that face-to-face communication is preferred by Millennials when communicating about brands and products; however, participants noted an increased use of digital communication (text messages, instant messages, social networks) when communicating a negative brand experience. Price, family tradition, and product type were found to have the biggest influence over what types …

Identification Inducement Strategies Used By North Dakota State University To Recruit And Retain Multicultural Graduate Students, Gladys Nabaggala Namuganga

Communication

The desire to attract an increasing number of minorities is pushing institutions of higher learning to brand themselves and communicate with students in ways that ensure their identification with the institution. Students' identification with an institution is one way to increase their enrollment numbers at the institution. This study was interested in determining whether NDSU's Graduate School and Office of Multicultural Programs used Cheney's (1983a) organizational identification inducement strategies in their recruitment and retention material that targeted multicultural graduate students. A closed coding textual analysis was used to analyze the material. Three of the four strategies were present in the …

An Examination Of The Coverage Of Hiv/Aids In Uganda's Top Newspapers, Angella Napakol

Communication

The following thesis examined the coverage of HIV/AIDS in Uganda's top newspapers. Both evidence from previous literature and this study shows that HIV/ AIDS is a dangerous social, health, and demographic problem which has received varied media attention over the years. This study sought to investigate the different frames used in HIV/ AIDS news stories, the major themes associated with HIV/ AIDS, the different risk groups identified in the news stories, and the different preventatives/correctives provided in the HIV/AIDS news stories so as to discover what has been emphasized or de-emphasized in order to help the media become more valuable …

Emerging Political Identification Of Young Adults, Jason Douglas Isaacson

Communication

Research has more than adequately established the importance of the role of parents in the political socialization of young people. However, there is surprisingly little research that examines if and when young people deviate from their parental influence. Once deviation occurs, who replaces parents in the role of influencing the development of the political self? This research examined the development of political identification in young people ages 19-24 to discover if young people deviate from their socialized political attitudes usually instilled by their parents. It also sought to discover what outside influence is having the strongest effect on the subjects …

Online Interaction And Identity Development: The Relationship Between Adolescent Ego Identity And Preferred Communication Activities, Cloy Douglas Tobola

Communication

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the types of communication activities adolescents reported as important and used most frequently, and how these communication preferences were reflected in adolescents' identity development status. Participants were approximately 600 new university students who completed a survey regarding 18 communication activities, along with the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory identity subscale. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. To reduce the frequency and importance data to a manageable size, exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Two identical factors were identified and validated related to the importance and the frequency of communication …