Digital Commons Network^™

Parental Monitoring And Adolescent Information Management: Associations With Cyber Risks, Elizabeth A. Yale

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined associations among internet and cellular phone specific parental monitoring strategies (rules, solicitation and indirect strategies), adolescent internet/phone information management strategies (disclosure and secrecy), and youth experience with internet risks (cyberbullying/victimization and risky internet behaviors). The sample included 155 adolescents (12-18 years, Mage = 14.38) and their parents (141 mothers, 51 fathers). Youth reported how often they disclosed or kept secret their internet and phone activities and their experience with internet risks. Parents reported how often they engaged in internet/phone specific monitoring strategies. Adolescents' time spent utilizing cell phones, but not time spent on general internet use …

Characterization And Application Of Self-Assembled Nano-Materials For Fluid Steering And Separation In Microfluidics, Xingwei Wu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aqueous phospholipid preparations comprised of 1,2-dimyristoyl- sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) are prevalent materials for biological characterization. The viscosity behavior of DMPC/DHPC was characterized as a function of q value (q= [DMPC]/[DHPC] ), hydration as well as temperature firstly on bench-top and then in microfluidic chip. The rheology of 20% phospholipid preparations of [DMPC]/[DHPC] = 2.5 reveals that, under conditions utilized for fluid steering, the materials are shear-thinning power-law fluids with a power-law index ranging from 0.30 through 0.90. Phospholipid preparations are utilized to steer fluids in microfluidic chips and support hydrodynamic delivery of sample across a double T …

Judicial Roles In Nonjudicial Functions, Nuno Garoupa, Tom Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

Judges perform nonjudicial functions in many contexts. Most jurisdictions regulate these functions in multiple ways, by statute and by custom. We provide a theory of judicial demand and judicial supply for nonjudicial functions. By teasing out the determinants of judicial involvement in nonjudicial functions, we show the potential market failures and the need for regulation. We suggest that some limitations on the judicial exercise of nonjudicial functions seem justified. However, these limits might vary across jurisdictions depending on institutional and contextual factors.

Supply Chain Management And Lean Six Sigma In A Retail Environment, Brittain Cliff Ladd

Apparel Design and Hospitality Management

This qualitative research evaluated the as-is supply chain management and logistics retail processes of Dell, a manufacturing company that also has retail operations globally. Dell has an online channel capable of serving millions of customers annually. This research focused on Dell’s retail operations in Canada and the United States and the challenges of managing the supply chain requirements of meeting customer demand. The goal was to identify issues with process execution leading to decreased service to customers and increased costs to the manufacturer. A literature review provided information regarding best practices in supply chain management and the leading process-improvement methodology. …

Building The Ladder: Three Decades Of Development Of The Chinese Patent System, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

In the past three decades, China has been very successful in developing its patent system. In 2012, the country is among the top five countries filing patent applications through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, behind only the United States, Japan and Germany. Among all the applicants, ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies had the largest and fourth largest number of PCT applications, respectively. With significant backing from the Chinese government and the anticipated involvement of the world's largest public sector, China will likely catch up with the existing intellectual property powers more quickly than many have anticipated.

Written for a special issue …

The Role Of Focal Adhesion Kinase In Nonmuscle Cell Contraction, Kimberly M. Arnold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Focal adhesions are specialized cell contact sites of distinct molecular composition and structure that bridge the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and provide for efficient bidirectional transmission of biochemical and mechanical signals between the intra- and extracellular compartment. Many proteins within the focal adhesion have been discovered to be an integral component of the adhesion structure and function; however, a key molecule in the organization and physiological activity of focal adhesions is focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that is essential for cell processes including cell migration, growth, and survival. Due to its connection between …

The Production, Value, And Reduction Responsibility Of Carbon Emissions Through Electricity Consumption Of Manufacturing Industries In South Korea And Thailand, Medhawin Kitikun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation provides a new method of measuring efforts by manufacturing industries to reduce their emissions by curtailing electricity consumption. Employing comprehensive firm-level data from the National Manufacture Annual Surveys of South Korea and Thailand, I construct the measure from estimates of revenue functions by industry. The data consists of firms from more than 20 industries in each year from 1982 to 2005 for Korea and from 2001 to 2008 for Thailand. With a total of more than two million observations, I estimate revenue functions for each industry and year. Here, I use three inputs: number of employees(L), fixed asset …

Selling 'Fracking': Legitimation Of High Speed Oil And Gas Extraction In The Marcellus Shale Region, Jacob R. Matz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The advent of horizontal hydraulic fracture drilling, or 'fracking,' a technology used to access oil and natural gas deposits, has allowed for the extraction of deep, unconventional shale gas and oil deposits in various shale seams throughout the United States and world. One such shale seam, the Marcellus shale, extends from New York State, across Pennsylvania, and throughout West Virginia, where shale gas development has significantly increased within the last decade. This boom has created a massive amount of economic activity surrounding the energy industry, creating jobs for workers, income from leases and royalties for landowners, and profits for energy …

Effects Of Competitive And Allelopathic Interactions On Field Pea And Soybean Under Organic Management, Aman Anand

Plant Sciences

Experiments were conducted during 2011 and 2012 at Dickinson Research Extension Center (DREC), ND and at Carrington Research Extension Center (CREC) to understand the effects of competitive and allelopathic interactions on field pea and soybean under organic management. Another preliminary controlled environmental study was conducted with two cultivars of soybean (Viking 1832 and Viking 1706) to provide additional information on crop allelopathy. Five field pea cultivars from two distinct leaf types were chosen to determine competitive ability against weeds. Results indicated that semi-leafless cultivars (Cooper and Golden) had better plant establishment than normal leaf type (PS07100091, NDP080106 and NDP080102). Based …

Weed Control With Cover Crops In Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.), Grant Harry Mehring

Plant Sciences

Field experiments were conducted near Oakes and Fargo, North Dakota from 2009-2010, and repeated near Carrington, North Dakota from 2010-2011, to evaluate weed control in both irrigated and non-irrigated potato production as influenced by cover crops and cover crop termination methods. Cover crop treatments at Oakes and Fargo were no cover crop, triticale, rye, turnip/radish, and rye/canola. Cover crop treatments at Carrington were no cover crop, triticale, rye, hairy vetch, and rye/hairy vetch. Termination treatments for the cover crops were roller-crimp, disk-till, roto-till, and herbicide. Cover crop residue was mostly sufficient for weed control at all locations. However, after two …

Carbohydrate-Based Micro And Nano Scale Materials From Soybean Meal, Distillers Dried Grains, And Sugar Beet Pulp For Food And Other Applications, Nilushni Sivapragasam

Plant Sciences

Study 1 was carried out to isolate and produce enzyme resistant micro and nano scale carbohydrates from soybean meal (SBM), distillers dried grains (DDG), and sugar beet pulp (SBP). All materials produced were in micro and nano scales, and the yields were different depending on the starting material. Study 2 determined the physiological stability of study 1 materials for potential encapsulation applications. Both SBM and SBP were stable under simulated physiological conditions; the stability of the SBM was higher than SBP. In study 3 the SBM nanomaterial from buffer extraction was used for in vitro fermentation by Bifidobacterium brevis. The …

The Influence Of Television And Film On Interest In Space And Science, Katrina Marie Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment media has the great potential to inspire interest in the topics it presents. The purpose of this study is to better understand how entertainment media contributes to people's interests in space and science. There is a huge variety of science communication topics in previous literature, some of which deals with television and film, but very little that specifically study how television and film can inspire interest. A historical review of pioneers in the space industry shows that many were inspired by entertainment media, which at the time consisted of science fiction novels and magazines. In order to explore the …

Microwave Tomography Using Stochastic Optimization And High Performance Computing, Michael William Holman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the application of parallel computing in microwave tomography for detection and imaging of dielectric objects. The main focus is on microwave tomography with the use of a parallelized Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) forward solver in conjunction with non-linear stochastic optimization based inverse solvers. Because such solvers require very heavy computation, their investigation has been limited in favour of deterministic inverse solvers that make use of assumptions and approximations of the imaging target. Without the use of linearization assumptions, a non-linear stochastic microwave tomography system is able to resolve targets of arbitrary permittivity contrast profiles while avoiding …

Sex Offenders' Perceptions Of North Dakota's Sex Offender Policies, Mariah Dawn Laver Juanto

Theses and Dissertations

Registered sex offenders in North Dakota were interviewed regarding their experiences with being on the registry. Results from the coded transcripts indicate that offenders felt the registry made finding housing and employment more difficult. Additionally, participants reported feeling the registry negatively impacted their ability to be involved in community organizations and impacted how they interacted with others, including forming supportive relationships. Participants also completed surveys, assessing general psychological symptoms, general stress levels, and demographic information, including registration requirement information. No significant relationships between sex offenders' registry requirements and psychological symptoms were found. Conclusions and implications for future research are discussed.

A Framework For The Integration Of Technology Into Curricula Development And Student Assessment, Washington Helps

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to amalgamate technology and education in a manner which will prove to be beneficial to all stakeholders involved and which will allow for an improvement in the ubiquitous process of curriculum development in the teaching and learning sphere. The primary motivation surrounds the issue of limited human resources in terms of teachers and expert knowledge as well as available physical resources such as computer equipment or other classroom artifacts. It should be duly noted that it is in many developing countries where the student-teacher ratio is very high and where such a framework will …

The Role Of Individual Differences In Young Adults' Responses To Graphic Health Harms Anti-Tobacco Media, Harpa Lind Jonsdottir

Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of overall mortality. The highest smoking rate, about 30%, in the U.S. is among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Anti-tobacco media campaigns appear to be effective in preventing and reducing tobacco use, although little is known about how individual differences affect responses to anti-tobacco media. Participants were 144 students at the University of North Dakota. They watched six anti-tobacco advertisements that contained fear messages but varied in levels of graphic imagery. The following was measured: tobacco experience, self-control, locus of control, depression, stress, affect, arousal, valence, and effectiveness. …

Utilization Of Emotional Freedom Techniques (Eft) To Reduce Test Anxiety In High Stakes Testing, Marie Elaine Mohler

Theses and Dissertations

There are many reasons a person may fail a high stakes test such as the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). Sleep deprivation, illness, life stressors, knowledge deficit, and test anxiety are some of the common explanations. A student with test anxiety may feel threatened by this evaluation process. This reaction causes the students to become self-absorbed with altered cognitive abilities such as reduced ability: to concentrate, to remember, and/or to retrieve information, thus lowering the students' performance. This research study explored the correlation among factors such as stress, test anxiety, and student expectations that may be predictive …

A Comparison Of Online And Offline Gamblers: An Experimental Manipulation Of Escape, Kevin Steven Montes

Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have examined differences between online and offline gamblers, with no study to date enlisting the participation of online gamblers in a laboratory-based study. Moreover, research indicates that there is a link between escape and problem gambling, however, no study to date has examined this relationship in online gamblers using an experimental design. The current study is the first to address these gaps in the literature. All 420 participants participated in the non-experimental phase of the study, and 50 participants participated in the experimental phase. All participants completed a demographics form, SOGS, PGSI, GFA-R, BDI-SF, discounting task, and a …

The Effects Of The State Agriculture Industry On Elections In South Dakota, Whitney Keleah Morsching

Theses and Dissertations

Although South Dakota has traditionally been an agriculture-based state, the state's economy has diversified immensely over the past few decades. This paper examines if the state agriculture industry has an effect on the statewide election results since 1990. Three models are used to determine the impact of farm earnings, state and national economic factors, and other control variables on the vote share of a candidate. Two ordinary least squares models focus on elections with incumbent candidates and elections with all candidates. A third model uses a probit estimation to determine the impact of the previously stated variables on the probability …

The Utilization Of Local History In Teaching American Religious History: A Gilded Age And Progressive Era North Dakota Case Study, Christopher Neal Price

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers of college-level courses on American religious history generally leave out the importance of local and regional histories when telling the story of religion in America. The study of local history provides a fertile ground for understanding broad national trends in a local context. This dissertation focuses upon a little-studied religious body in North Dakota to see how Anglo settlers on the prairie viewed their religious experience in a Gilded Age and Progressive Era context. By emphasizing the records of the North Dakota Baptist State Convention at the North Dakota State Archives in Bismarck and the First Baptist Church of …

Breast Cancer, Genetic Testing And Attribution Of Responsibility, Lona Parsons Smith

Theses and Dissertations

In this study I research how the refusal of genetic testing shapes people's perceptions of responsibility or attribution for a friend's breast cancer diagnosis, emotions, and willingness to help. Bernard Weiner's theory of attribution and emotion is useful for understanding how blame and causation shape one's willingness to help. Weiner's theory suggests that perceived attributions influence one's emotional state, which in turn shapes their willingness to help others. Most studies using Weiner's attribution theory examine highly stigmatized illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and mental illness, but few analyses consider breast cancer and even fewer have assessed how the availability …

Communication Channels For Cancer Survivorship: Addressing Information Dissemination, Clinical Trial Recruitment And Social Networking, Carly Elizabeth Steen

Theses and Dissertations

More people are surviving cancer than ever before due to early detection and advances in treatment (Kazanjian, Smillie, Howard, Ward and Doll, 2009). With a growing group of cancer survivors, a group expected to grow to 18 million by 2020, additional informational resources must be put in place (Cancer Survivorship Training, 2013). This study seeks to better understand 1) where cancer patients and survivors are finding cancer resources, 2) what computer-mediated communication channels they use and prefer and 3) who they trust the most to educate and recruit them for clinical trials. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed with …

Influence Of Gender And Race On Self-Objectification, Kaylee M. Trottier

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how men's expectations and references in women's body type (the study attempts to examine the effects of men's expectations by manipulating the gender and race of the present research assistant) may affect how heterosexual women value and judge themselves. This was explored through a manipulation of the experimenter's race and gender. The researcher manipulated the experimenter's race and gender; assuming that the participants have a stereotypical expectation of what men prefer (a more slender body type) in feminine body types. The experimenters interviewed the participants on their confidence, self-esteem, and body-image. The research is important to …

Acetate Increases Brain Purine Metabolism And Glial Cell Culture Fatty Acid Content: Studies Investigating Glyceryl Triacetate's Therapeutic Mechanism Of Action, Dhaval Paresh Bhatt

Theses and Dissertations

Acetate supplementation is anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective in rat models of neuroinflammation and Lyme neuroborreliosis. Oral administration of glyceryl triacetate (GTA) is used to induce acetate supplementation in rodents, which increases plasma acetate and brain acetyl-CoA levels. Acetyl-CoA is a ubiquitous substrate for several biochemical pathways including carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism. Acetate increases the in vivo and in vitro acetylation-state of histones and is associated with altered cytokine balance. However, the effect that acetate supplementation has on brain purine and lipid content remains unknown. Since labeled-acetate is incorporated into the purine and lipid pools, we proposed that acetate supplementation by …

Venture Capital Vs. Trade Credit Financing: Is There A Bias In Favor Of Venture Capital And What Is The Impact On Students?, Thomas Allen Clement

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether entrepreneurship education demonstrates a bias favoring venture capital (VC) financing while marginalizing trade credit financing. The effect of this perceived bias was also explored to determine the impact on students studying entrepreneurship.

In the history of entrepreneurial studies, literature revealed VC was a relatively new and rare source of financing that impacted a very small percentage of entrepreneurial ventures. In contrast, trade credit existed for thousands of years and was shown to benefit virtually every type of business model, from start-up to maturity.

The research questions posed were addressed using two …

Perceptions Of Legal Policy And Sex Offender Treatment, Kirsten Sierra Engel

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender policy, treatment, and public perception are greatly intertwined in the numerous policies in place regarding sex offenders. These policies tend to reflect the underlying perceptions and myths about sex offenders than the reality of sexual offenses and treatment. These perceptions have also had a role in shaping psychological treatment of sex offenders through enacted policies and public support, or dissent, for community treatment centers, half-way houses, or residency restriction laws. With the sizeable potential impact of the public's perceptions of these issues, examination of their perceptions of sex offenders, sex offender policies, and sex offender treatment, and whether …

Cultural Hybridization: Bicultural Self-Efficacy And Resilience In Northern Plains American Indians, Kyle Xavier Hill

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined bicultural self-efficacy and its relationship to resilience in Northern Plains American Indians. American Indians in the Northern Plains, like many tribes in the United States, experienced a calamitous history marked by interactions with the federal government that were often fatal to the Indigenous peoples of North America, and found to contribute to a conflicted individual and collective well-being of these people within the Northern Plains region. As such, the investigation sought to identify the relationships between that of cultural identity, resilience, and negative life events, or risk, to measures of psychopathology. To that end, efforts involved …

An Investigation Of Gender's Role In Three- And Four-Year-Old Children's Musical Play, Kari Jo O'Keefe

Theses and Dissertations

Young children engage in many activities, with play being the most prominent. Musical play occurs when children freely investigate sound through vocal, instrumental, or other means. Identifying the extent of musical play - and the role that gender plays in musical play - may provide important information about children's natural tendencies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender's role in three- and four-year-old children's musical play, and to investigate further the general nature of musical play. A grounded theory methodology was used, and data was gathered from field and individual child observations, and parent and preschool teacher surveys. …

Pregnancy, Sexism, And The Greek System, Taylor Marie Walkky

Theses and Dissertations

Both hostile and benevolent sexism have been found to correlate with attitudes related to pregnancy (Terrell et al, in prep). Benevolent and hostile sexism have both been shown to correlate with attitudes towards sorority members as well (Walkky, unpublished). The goal of the present study was to expand on the knowledge of how sexism relates to pregnancy attitudes, especially how it relates to sorority membership. Participants read a scenario about a college woman, who was either in a sorority or not, who had just discovered that she was pregnant. In the scenario, she chose to either end the pregnancy, continue …

Development Of New Antibody Based Theranostic Agents Targeting The Receptor For Advanced Glycation End-Product (Rage), Faidat Jyoti

Pharmacy

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE) interacts with several classes of structurally unrelated ligands. The activation of RAGE by its ligands results in the cellular activation of several kinases and transcription factors including mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) resulting in sustained inflammation, which is involved in pathologies such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and other diseases associated with chronic inflammation. Current mouse models of human disease have shown that RAGE activity can be efficiently suppressed using either soluble RAGE (sRAGE) or anti-RAGE antibodies as inhibitors. Our goal …