Digital Commons Network^™

Knowledge Translation Practices Of Health Services Research Organizations In The United States, Wendy Opsahl

Theses and Dissertations

Health services research organizations have generated a growing body of literature that focuses on better understanding challenges facing health care delivery. However, their findings do not always reach end users (e.g., policymakers, providers, managers, general public) in ways that are helpful, relevant, or cost-effective despite the availability of numerous resources designed to aid researchers in communicating more effectively. The purpose of this study was to understand better how health services research organizations in the United States communicate their research findings to end users; determine the degree to which they are translating research findings in ways consistent with the empirical evidence; …

Evaluation Of A Low Corrosion Method To Increase Mercury Oxidation And Scrubber Capture, Shuchita Sanjay Patwardhan

Theses and Dissertations

The taconite industry located in the Mesabi iron range has been identified as one of the major contributors of the atmospheric mercury in the Lake Superior basin by the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP). Mercury is a leading concern among air toxic metals due to its volatility, persistence and bioaccumulation as methylmercury in the environment, and its neurological health impacts.

Previous research work performed at taconite processing plants by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) identified the taconite ore as the main source of mercury during the taconite processing. Magentite iron ore pellets are produced by balling moist concentrates …

Fatigue Behavior Of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composite Beams, Mahsud Reimbayev

Theses and Dissertations

A study has been taken to evaluate the fatigue behavior of glass fiber-reinforced composite beams. Due to their highly anisotropic properties, composite beams have different failure modes at different stages of fatigue life. The results of the four-point bending fatigue tests show that the material follows different failure mechanisms depending on the stress level applied to the beam and failure mode changes from compressive failure at high stresses to tensile failure at low stresses. Accordingly, the "stress vs. number of cycles" curve has different slopes at high and low cycle fatigue regions. Two different fatigue damage models, which are used …

Role Of Gravin In Endothelial Wound Healing, Bhaskar Roy

Theses and Dissertations

Gravin (AKAP12), a 300 kDa AKAP, is widely distributed in cells and binds to several signaling molecules including PKA-RII subunits, PKCα, PDE4, β2 adrenoreceptor and actin cytoskeleton. Initial characterization of gravin has revealed that this protein is undetectable in endothelia in vivo but expressed at the periphery of cultured endothelial cell (EC). Although the precise role of gravin in human ECs is not yet known, the cortical distribution of gravin in EC suggests that it may be involved in cAMP regulation by targeting PKA and PDE4 to plasma membrane. Several studies indicate that localization of PKA activity by A-kinase anchoring …

Mapping And Analyzing Conservation Reserve Program (Crp) Enrollment Patterns From 1991 To 2011 In Nelson County, North Dakota, Using Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques, Nicholas Lee Roehrdanz

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception in 1985, the federally managed Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has contributed to land-use/land-cover change (LUCC) in areas throughout North Dakota. Concurrently, the Devils Lake Basin and surrounding Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in North Dakota has experienced pervasive lake and wetland flooding. Unsurprisingly, a clustering of CRP enrollment in certain counties within the basin has occurred, seemingly coinciding with the flooding. Analysis of historical county-level CRP enrollment data pertaining to counties in North Dakota revealed that Nelson County, which is partially within the basin, has developed as a CRP hotspot in the state and has had the greatest …

Theoretical Circular Dichroism Of Lysozyme, Myoglobin And Collagen And Experimental Circular Dichroism Of Myoglobin And Pea Lectin, Boris Anyangwa Sango

Theses and Dissertations

The need to understand protein structure and interaction is ever-growing and this has led to scientist and investigators utilizing numerous different techniques in order to obtain substantial insights and explanation to these structures and their interactions. Circular dichroism (CD), which is one of these techniques, is a powerful structural biology technique used to study protein and nucleic acid structures and their dynamics. This technique is important because it identifies the secondary, tertiary and even quaternary structures in proteins and can be used to study folding patterns in proteins. Theoretical and experimental methods are used to better understand and teach the …

Perceived Advising Needs Of Adult Learners: A Qualitative Analysis Of Advising Experiences Among Online, Classroom, & Cohort Adult Learners, Shawnda M. Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study sought to investigate, understand, and make meaning of the perceived advising experiences among nine adult learners. Participants were students pursuing their Master's degrees in a department of education at one public university in the upper Midwest. This research explored and described the advising experiences among, and within, three learning environments to include online, classroom, and cohort.

Three adult learners from each learning environment were interviewed either in person or through an electronic video system. Participants were asked seven standard questions, but question order and follow-up varied as a result of the emergent design of the study. Students …

Sex Determination And Differentiation In The Common Snapping Turtle - A Reptile With Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination, Anthony Loren Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) was first discovered in an African lizard over 40 years ago. TSD has since been shown to be exhibited by many vertebrates including some fish and amphibians, numerous lizards, turtles, and all crocodilians studied to date. Although numerous questions surround TSD, a major question focuses on understanding the genetic, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying this process. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TSD are not well known and the gene(s) that transduces a signal for ovary or testis development is not known in any species. Furthermore, it is well established that sex steroid hormones, androgens and estrogens, …

Assessment Of Nasa Giss Cmip5 Modele Simulated Clouds And Toa Radiation Budgets Using Satellite Observations Over The Southern Mid-Latitudes, Ryan Evan Stanfield

Theses and Dissertations

Past, current, and future climates have been simulated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) ModelE Global Circulation Model (GCM) and summarized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, AR4). New simulations from the updated CMIP5 version of the NASA GISS ModelE GCM were recently released to the public community during the summer of 2011 and will be included in the upcoming IPCC AR5 ensemble of simulations. Due to the recent nature of these simulations, they have not yet been extensively validated against observations. To assess the NASA GISS-E2-R …

Impact Of Coal Derived Impurities On The Performance Of Hydrogen Separation Membranes, Joshua Stanislowski

Theses and Dissertations

In order to facilitate the use of hydrogen in integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) applications or as a transportation fuel, hydrogen-from-coal technologies that are capable of managing carbon will be needed. Many technologies are under development for the separation of hydrogen from coal-derived syngas, and among the most promising are hydrogen separation membranes. Studies indicate a significant IGCC plant efficiency increase can be realized if warm-gas cleanup and hydrogen separation membranes are used in place of conventional technologies. These membranes provide the potential to produce hydrogen while simultaneously separating CO2 at system pressure. Membrane development to date has primarily occurred on …

Evaluation Of Thermophysical Properties, Friction Factor And Heat Transfer Of Alumina Nanofluid Flow In Tubes, Sanjib Tiwari

Theses and Dissertations

Various thermophysical properties, fluid flow parameter and heat transfer characteristics were measured for nanofluid with 6% volume concentration of solid Al2O3 nanoparticles in water. Thermal conductivity measurements showed that there is a definite enhancement in thermal conductivity of the nanofluid compared to that of water. At 7°C, the enhancement was 16% which decreased to 6.96% at 50°C.

The viscosity measurements of the 6% volume concentration Al2O3/water nanofluid showed that its viscosity is higher by a factor of 1.25 to 10.24 than the viscosity of water. Also the measurements of the viscosity of different volume concentration of Al2O3/water nanofluid showed that, …

Investigating Elevated Aqua Modis Aerosol Optical Depth Retrievals Over The Mid-Latitude Southern Oceans, Travis Toth

Theses and Dissertations

A band of elevated aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the mid-latitude Southern Oceans has been identified in some passive satellite-based aerosol datasets such as Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) and Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) products. In this study, Aqua MODIS (AM) aerosol products in this zonal region are investigated in detail to assess retrieval accuracy. This is done through multiple data sets, including spatially and temporally collocated cloud and aerosol products produced by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) project for investigating AM AOD in this region with respect to lidar profiling of cloud presence. Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) …

The Effects Of Vibration Exercise On Anaerobic Performance Using The Wingate Test, Daniel Duane Veith

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to investigate whole-body vibration (WBV) and its effects on anaerobic performance using the Wingate test, specifically the changes in peak and mean power. Thirty five collegiate students completed three days of training in which they performed 3 different weighted exercises under vibratory or non-vibratory conditions. Participants then performed a Wingate. Two 2 x 2 mixed-design ANOVAs were used to examine the influence of the independent variables of sex, protocol, and order on peak and mean power output (SPSS 18.0; p ≤ 0.05). Results indicated a significant main effect of sex in regards to peak …

The Study Of Vinyl Ester Copolymers Derived From Bio-Sourced Fatty Acids, Hai Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Biobased polymers have attracted significant attention since the 1990s. Research has focused on the conversion of biomass, such as crop oils, into useful polymeric materials. The Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at the University of North Dakota have developed a process to convert crop oils into jetfuel and a suite of other chemicals including fatty acids with a variety of molecular weights. This dissertation focuses on the preparation and property measurements of thermoplastics using monomers, especially linear vinyl esters (LVEs), which originate from cracked oil-based fatty acids. Commercial LVEs were used in this dissertation study in order to explore …

Factors Impacting Clinical And Counseling Psychology Students Conducting Research With Lgbt Populations, Daniel Walinsky

Theses and Dissertations

Although a large body of literature exists on training clinical and counseling psychology researchers, scant empirical work has been published that looks at the unique needs of students working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. This study explores researcher development experiences of those students.

Two hypotheses are tested with a sample of 59 doctoral students in APA-accredited clinical and counseling psychology program. The first hypothesis posits that Exploration and Commitment Factors of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC) will account for variance on the Research Outcome Expectations Questionnaire (ROEQ) beyond that accounted for by social …

Roles Of Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein [Beta] And [-Delta] In Immunoglobulin G Immune Complex-Induced Inflammation, Chunguang Yan

Theses and Dissertations

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) &beta and C/EBP&delta are known to participate in the regulation of many genes associated with inflammation. However, little is known about the activation and function of C/EBP&beta and -&delta in inflammatory responses elicited by Fc&gamma receptor (Fc&gammaR) activation. Here I showed that C/EBP&beta and -&delta activation were induced in immunoglobulin G immune complex (IgG IC)-treated macrophages by using gel shift assays. The increased expression of C/EBP&beta and -&delta occurred at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, induction of C/EBP&beta and -&delta was mediated, to a large extent, by activating Fc&gammaRs. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown as …

Hyperbranched And Polydimethylsiloxane Based Membranes For Co2 Capture, Willie Wesley Wells

Theses and Dissertations

As we continue to come to terms with a warming planet created, in part, by our dependence on fossil fueled power plants, there is a great and urgent need for cost effective methods of isolating and capturing greenhouse gasses. Among the many methods currently being explored for CO2 separation, membranes have proven to be a promising solution. This thesis examines three types of possible membranes: composite layer membranes, hyperbranched membranes and dense film membranes. In addition to examining the permeance of each type, the study explored various membrane formation techniques and how that affects the permeability of specific membrane types. …

A High Energy X-Ray Diffraction Investigation Of Sodium Phosphate Glasses Doped With Less Than 5 Mol% Praseodymium Oxides, Kailing Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth phosphate glasses (REPGs) are excellent materials for high energy (103 - 106 J) / high peak power ( 1012 - 1015 W) lasers. Previous work of the rare earth doped sodium phosphate glasses with compositions (R₂O₃)_x(Na₂O)_y(P₂O₅)_1-x-y where R= Nd, Eu and Dy, 0.04 < x < 0.13 showed that the intensity of the emission spectra increases with decreasing R₂O₃ content. In this study, praseodymium doped sodium phosphate glasses with even lower praseodymium oxide concentrations, (Pr₂O₃)_x(Na₂O)_yP₂O₅)_1-x-y , where 0.005 < x < 0.05 were processed and characterized focusing on the region where the lasing efficiency is possibly going to peak. Emission spectra for the glass samples were measured to study how the florescence efficiency change with Pr3+ concentration. High Energy X-ray diffraction technique was used to study the atomic-scale structure of the rare-earth doped sodium phosphate glass samples. Structural features such as inter-atomic distances, coordination numbers and their dependence on the concentration of the rare earth oxides were gained from analyzing pair distribution functions extracted from diffraction data.

"Their Evil Is Mighty But It Can't Stand Up To Our Stories": Unbound Letters To The (Native) American Nightmare From Peltier, Alexie, Bulosan And Silko, Sara Obenauer

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This paper re-examines the ideology of the American Dream. It rewrites that ideology through analyzing the American Nightmare experiences of Native writers such as Leonard Peltier, Sherman Alexie and Leslie Marmon Silko, and writers of color such as Carlos Bulsoan, Cherrie Moraga and Zack De La Rocha. I articulate my own experiences and my family's American Nightmares, writing two letters addressing and challenging America about the racism, isolation, sacrifices and assimilation my family and I continue to experience today. Cherrie Moraga's "Theory in the Flesh" provides a framework and guiding methodology for my project, a lens through which this collection …

No Halos For Sex Offenders: An Examination Of The Effects Of Appearance And Gender On The Perception Of Sex Offenders, Adam Charles Austin

Theses and Dissertations

For the last couple of decades, sex offenders have been stereotyped into being strangers to the victim and "dirty old men." However, recent research has shown that the public is no longer endorsing those stereotypes (Fuselier, Durham, & Wurtele, 2002; Levenson, Brannon, Fortney, & Baker, 2007). Instead the public is realizing that there is no stereotypical sex offender and most victims of sex offenses know their assailant to some degree. The purpose of the current study is to look at the judgments made about a teacher being accused of criminal sexual contact with a student, where gender and attractiveness of …

Assessing The Biophysical Naturalness Of Grassland In Eastern North Dakota With Hyperspectral Imagery, Qiang Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, non-native species within grassland communities have quickly developed due to human migration and commerce. Invasive species like Smooth Brome grass (Bromus inermis) and Kentucky Blue Grass (Poa pratensis), seriously threaten conservation of native grasslands. This study aims to discriminate between native grasslands and planted hayfields and conservation areas dominated by introduced grasses using hyperspectral imagery.

Hyperspectral imageries from the Hyperion sensor on EO-1 were acquired in late spring and late summer on 2009 and 2010. Field spectra for widely distributed species as well as smooth brome grass and Kentucky blue grass were collected from the …

Second Grade Students' Cognitive Understanding Of Heart Rate Monitors And Pedometers, Carolyn Lee Tozer

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood obesity has become a significant health problem in the United States (Dietz, 1998, Blair et al., 2007, Robinson, Wadsworth, 2010). In children, obesity is defined as being at or above the 95th percentile for BMI according to age growth charts (Carroll, 2006). There are several approaches to combating the epidemic of obesity. In physical education classes, teachers are using are heart rate monitors and pedometers to assess the students' levels of physical activity (Blair et al., 2007). However, it is uncertain if elementary students better understand the results from the pedometer, or the heart rate monitor. A study of …

Corrosion And Wear Resistance Of Titanium- And Aluminum- Based Metal Matrix Composites Fabricated By Direct Metal Laser Deposition, Ben L. Waldera

Theses and Dissertations

Titanium- and Aluminum-based metal matrix composites (MMC) have shown favorable properties for aerospace applications such as airframes, reinforcement materials and joining elements. In this research, such coatings were developed by direct metal laser deposition with a powder-fed fiber coupled diode laser. The MMC formulations consisted of pure titanium and aluminum matrices with reinforcing powder blends of chromium carbide and tungsten carbide nickel alloy. Two powder formulations were investigated for each matrix material (Ti1, Ti2, Al1 and Al2). Titanium based composites were deposited onto a Ti6Al4V plate while aluminum composites were deposited onto AA 7075 and AA 5083 for Al1 and …

Testing The Gefion Family As A Possible Parent Body For The L-Chondrite Meteorites, Jessica Ronnie Blagen

Theses and Dissertations

The L-chondrite meteorites are the most abundant meteorites falling to Earth. Identifying a parent body for them has been an important goal of asteroid science for more than thirty years. A link between the two could help to decipher the history of thermal regimes and evolutionary processes that occurred in the early solar system. A plausible or probable parent body can be identified based on two main criteria. A plausible body will either be located favorably to deliver the relevant amounts of meteoroids to the Earth, or will possess a surface mineralogy compatible with that of the L-chondrite meteorites. 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 …

Leadership Development In Higher Education: Exploring Model Impact Among Students And Alumni, Michael Scot Bommarito

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an institution-wide leadership development model on students at a private Christian university. The university being studied in this research made a significant commitment to the principles of servant-leadership as well as Kouzes and Posner's (2002) Leadership Challenge development model. In 2001 the university adopted the mission of ensuring that every student grows as a leader in his or her own field of study. All courses and programs are required to include servant leadership development opportunities and outcomes. Key to the model selected is the premise that leadership, as a …

Relational Maintenance: An Examination Of How Gender, Relational Maintenance Strategies, And Commitment Affect The Use Of Text Messages In Romantic Relationships, Vashaun M. Baber

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This communication study explores the relation between commitment, relational maintenance strategies, and text message use in romantic partners. This study examines how these three factors are connected through the use of surveys. It was hypothesized that romantic partners who were more committed to one another would use text messages to communicate about certain relational maintenance strategies. Results showed romantic partners who used more relational maintenance strategies did in fact use text messages to communicate about these issues more often. Also, couples who were more committed to their partner did use more positivity when communicating through text messages with their partner. …

Coordination Of 2,6-Bis(8′-Quinolinyl)Pyridine On Rhenium(I) And Photochemistry Of Cyclopentadienyl Tricarbonyl Molybdenum Dimer With Arene Disulfides, Clayton Bosworth

Theses and Dissertations

An ideal photosensitizer should have an excited state with high energy and sufficiently long lifetime to promote electron and/or energy transfer processes. Many facial-tricarbonyl Re(I)-diimine complexes have demonstrated sufficiently long lifetimes to photosensitize many reactions. However, these complexes only utilize small portions of the visible spectrum, thereby diminishing their overall effectiveness. Recent work has resulted in opening a synthetic route to the meridionally tris-chelated mer,cis-Re(tpy-3N)(CO)₂Cl (tpy = 2,2´:6,2-terpyridine) complex which absorbs light throughout the entire visible spectrum. However, as with many other metal-terpyridine complexes, the mer,cis-[Re(tpy-3N)(CO)₂L]n+ (L = NCCH₃, PPh₃, NC_{5 …}

Single Layered Periodic Structure Loaded Textile Patch Antennas, Corey Bergsrud

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an investigation of a Single Layered Periodic Structure Loaded Textile Patch Antenna with probe feed excitation. Specifically, this thesis is concentrated on the application of wearable antenna arrays with space suit, since this thesis has collaboration with the University of North Dakota (UND) Space Suit Laboratory in the Space Studies Department. Topics include; platform interaction and placement of the antenna system. The goal is to increase antenna gain by loading the antenna with periodic cells. First, an introduction to items contained within this thesis will be given. The second chapter introduces microstrip patch antennas, their basic characteristics, …

A Geographic Study Of The Laotian Hydropower Sector, Patrick Neal Bright

Theses and Dissertations

The country of Laos is a developing nation that is geographically endowed with significant hydropower assets. Hydropower represents one of very few quick and profitable, exportable resources for Laos as a least developed country, and is seen as the avenue of escape from poverty for the nation. In the past two decades, Laos has seen both booms and busts in hydropower development, which has raised questions to hydropower's actual contributions to economic growth, and the consequences of large scale hydropower development.

This research examines trends and patterns in Laotian hydropower development in the past two decades. The study analyzes contributing …