Digital Commons Network^™

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 Sub-Pixel Cloud/Clear-Sky Contamination Using Hyper-Spectral Aviris Data, Celil Kaplan

Theses and Dissertations

Cloud and clear sky contamination due to sub-pixel clouds remains as a troubling issue for scientific applications that rely on remotely sensed data. Sub-pixel level clouds may not be detected by a standard cloud filtering process, and thus can cause uncertainties in satellite-based meteorological property retrievals. In this study, using collocated data from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data, sub-pixel cloud and clear-sky contamination were studied over the west coast of Northern California. The hyper-spectral data from AVIRIS have a spatial resolution on the order of 11.5 m for the study case, thus can …

Neuropsychological Comparisons Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Subtype And Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptomatology, Linda Renee Keenan

Theses and Dissertations

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are often severe and disabling psychiatric conditions. Although BDD is currently regarded as a somatoform disorder in the DSM-IV, it has been suggested that it would be better classified as being part of an obsessive-compulsive spectrum, as it shares many characteristics with OCD in terms of its clinical presentation. Although both disorders have been found to be associated with executive function deficits and other neuropsychological correlates, few studies have compared the two disorders directly in this regard. Further, some research has indicated that OCD symptom dimensions are associated with varying patterns of …

Interprofessonal Education: Two Analyses Of Revised Instruments, Comparisons Of Professions, And Effectiveness Of An Interprofessional Health Care Course, Andrew Knight

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of study #1 were to assess the reliability of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS-2010, Parsell & Bligh, 1999) instrument that was used in an Interprofessional Health Care (IPHC) course at University of North Dakota from 2010-2012 and compare students by discipline. The IPHC course curriculum team includes the director of Interprofessional Education, a course coordinator, and one faculty representative from medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, music therapy, communication science and disorders, and nutrition/dietetics. The purposes of study #2 included an analysis of the reliability of a different version of the RIPLS (called RIPLS-2013) …

Women's Use Of Intimate Partner Violence: An Examination Of Attachment, Coping, And Gender Ideology, Theresa Elizabeth Magelky

Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, much of the research on intimate partner violence has focused primarily on male aggressors. However, research has increasingly indicated that women use violence against male intimate partners at higher rates than previously suspected. Significant controversy exists with regard to the context, motivation, and types of violence used by women. The current study explored the degree to which female aggressors' attachment styles are associated with and predictive of their use of intimate partner violence against men. In addition, coping processes and feminine ideology were studied, particularly in combination with attachment style, to determine their relationship with use of partner …

A Broad-Based Decision-Making Assessment Of College Women With Bulimia And Binge-Eating Disorder, Erin Murtha-Berg

Theses and Dissertations

Using a broad-based test battery (i.e., the IGT, GDT, BART, and select A-DMC subtests), the current study comprehensively assessed decision-making performance in different situations (e.g., where contingencies were and were not explicit, where the task was administered via computer and pencil-and-paper, where higher quality decision making was reflected by low risk-taking and where higher-quality decision making was reflected by higher risk-taking) in groups with BN and BED compared to each other and to controls in a sample of primarily female college students (N=111). Analyses were run to explore whether these difference could possibly be explained by differences in measures of …

Family Factors And Perceived Coworker Support And Supervisor Support, Sara Narveson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how aspects of family formation relate to coworker support and supervisor support. Studying both coworker support and supervisor support is valuable because they can give us a glimpse of how different people feel about the workplace. Using the theoretical perspective of homophily, which focuses on how people prefer to interact with others who are similar to themselves, it was hypothesized that people who are married or who have children will perceive more coworker support and supervisor support than others. The data set of the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce was used. It contained 3,368 cases …

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. …

Financial Development And Human Development In The European Union, Sasa Ostojic

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between finance and economic growth is often studied using GDP per capita growth. This paper aims to focus on the richness of human life, not the richness of the economy. Thus, the Human Development Index is used to test the relationship between financial development and human development. By focusing on a sample limited to the European Union, the many criticisms associated with the use of an index can be mitigated. At this moment there is not a universally accepted measure of financial development. Use of measures from past literature allowed for consistency with past works. The results show …

Effects Of The Seed Bank And Interseeding In Reconstructed Tallgrass Prairies, Stephen C. Rossiter

Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances such as fire and mowing temporarily increase available resources for plants, opening a window of opportunity for establishment. During the recovery of vegetation after disturbance in remnant prairies, seedling establishment is often negligible compared to vegetative regrowth. It is unclear if this is the case in reconstructions. I tested the contribution of seedlings to diversity after disturbance in two, 25-year-old, low diversity reconstructed prairies by removing seedlings, allowing seedlings, and adding seed in 1 m2 plots. Disturbance frequency effects were tested by clipping each treatment zero, one, or multiple times. After two growing seasons, in the wetter field site, …

Mennonite Music Education In Southern Manitoba: A Descriptive Study Of Mennonite Collegiate Institute And Steinbach Christian High School, Troy Landon Toavs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the music programs at Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) founded in 1889 and Steinbach Christian High School (SCHS) which has its origins in Steinbach Bible College founded in 1936. The Kanadier, Mennonites who came to Manitoba in 1874 (e.g., Kleine Gemeinde and Bergthaler), had previously rejected part-singing in Russia. However, they became more open to part-singing after they came to Manitoba. The Bergthaler in Gretna helped establish MCI. The Mennonite Brethren (MB) and Evangelical Mennonite Brethren (EMB) were influential in promoting choral music among the Kleine Gemeinde in Steinbach. Steinbach Bible …

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 …

In Vitro Detection Of Disease Biomarkers And Drug Contaminants, Erin Kathryn Nyren-Erickson

Pharmacy

In recent years the rising cost and increased regulation within the U.S. healthcare system have caused medical laboratory tests to become more costly and more frequently required. As a result, insurance premiums are rising, and small independent laboratories are threatened with closure as their already narrow margins dwindle. Concurrently, there have been several incidents of contaminants and impurities in pharmaceutical drugs causing hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses. These challenges substantiate the need for simple and cost-effective screening tests for the presence of disease biomarkers, as well as for contaminants and impurities present in pharmaceutical drugs. The following disquisition …

Mir-627 Mediates The Epignetic Mechanisms Of Vitamin D In Suppression Of Colon Cancer Growth, Sathish Kumar Reddy Padi

Pharmacy

Low circulating vitamin D levels have been linked to increased risks of cancer by epidemiologic studies, and preclinical research has demonstrated clear antitumor activities of vitamin D against various types of cancers. Calcitriol (1a, 25(OH)2 D3), the active form of vitamin D, has been shown to inhibit proliferation, induce differentiation, and activate apoptosis in colon cancer cells. However, the mechanism of calcitriol's antitumor action remains poorly defined and the hypercalcemic side effect of vitamin D limits its use as an anti-cancer agent. To understand its mechanism of action in tumor suppression, we investigated the effects of calcitriol on microRNA expression …

Identification Of Multiple Virulence Loci In Pyrenophora Teres F. Teres Associated With Net Form Net Blotch In Barley, Rachel Anne Shjerve

Plant Pathology

The necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. teres causes the foliar disease net form net blotch (NFNB) on barley (Hordeum vulgare). To investigate the genetics of virulence in the barley- P. teres f. teres pathosystem, we used 118 progeny derived from a cross between the isolates 15A and 6A. The barley lines, chosen based on their different reactions to 15A and 6A, were evaluated for NFNB caused by the 15A × 6A progeny. Genetic maps generated with SSR and AFLP markers in the fungal population were scanned for quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with virulence in P. teres f. teres. …

Characteristics And Host Range Of A Novel Fusarium Species Causing Yellowing Decline Of Sugarbeet, Johanna Patricia Villamizar-Ruiz

Plant Pathology

In 2008, a novel and distinct Fusarium species was reported in west central Minnesota causing early-season yellowing and severe decline of sugarbeet. This study was conducted to (i) establish optimum conditions for fungal growth and (ii) determine the host range of the novel Fusarium. The optimum temperature for fungal growth is 24°C and root injury is not needed to penetrate, infect, and cause disease of sugarbeet plants. Of the fifteen common crops and weeds tested for susceptibility to the new Fusarium sp. in field and greenhouse trials, disease symptoms were only observed in sugarbeet. Host range plants were tested for …

Evaluation Of A Systematic, Multichemical Program Approach For Wheat Pest Management And Evaluation Of A New Fungicde For Tan Spot In Spring Wheat (Triticum Aestivum. L.), Adam Christopher Chyle

Plant Sciences

Experiments were conducted to evaluate Proceed Plus (prothioconazole & tebuconazole & metalaxyl & clothianidin), bixafen, Prosaro (prothioconazole & tebuconazole), Baythroid XL (beta-cyfluthrin), with ‘Glenn’ and ‘Oklee’ hard red spring wheat cultivars in a systematic, multichemical program approach for management of tan spot disease and fusarium head blight, both fungal diseases of wheat. Grain yield was lowest with the control treatment (3900 kg ha-1) and highest with the treatments including seed treatment, herbicide, early fungicide, late fungicide, and late insecticide (4400 kg ha-1). Additional experiments were conducted to evaluate early tan spot control in ‘Alsen’, hard red spring wheat, with bixafen …

Fate And Transport Of An Estrogen Conjugate 17ss-Estradiol-17-Sulfate In Soil-Water Systems, Xuelian Bai

Soil Science

The hypothesis of this study was that a sulfate conjugated estrogen, i.e. 17β-estradiol-17- sulfate (E2-17S), could be a precursor to free estrogens detected in the environment. The objectives of were to investigate the fate and transport processes of E2-17S in various soil-water systems. Radiolabeled E2-17S was synthesized using a series of chemical for the subsequent soil batch experiments. The batch experiment results showed that E2-17S dissipated more quickly from the aqueous phase of the topsoil compared to the subsoil, demonstrating that soil organic carbon played a significant role. The aqueous dissipation of E2-17S was attributed to sorption to the soil …

The Psychological Benefits Of Positively-Focused Writing, Kelly Laraine Schaible

Psychology

Writing about potent positive events has been shown to be associated with physical health benefits in a manner similar to the expressive writing paradigm originally espoused by Pennebaker and Beall (1986). Little has been done to date, however, to explore the potential association of positive writing with aspects of psychological well-being. This project attempted to substantiate results of previous studies that have shown positive writing to be linked with not only the promotion of physical health, but indicators of psychological health such as life satisfaction and positive affect. Participants answered questions regarding their affect, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and physical …

Tbi And Long-Term Competitive Employment As A Function Of Services Provided By Vocational Rehabilitation, Natasha Dawn Adamson

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Research has demonstrated the importance of vocational rehabilitation (VR) for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who seek competitive long-term employment. Unfortunately, there has been minimal research on the provision of services provided by VR as a moderating factor, and almost non-existent research for individuals in rural regions. Research in this area is crucial given that the services are provided as a way to increase the individual's likelihood of overcoming barriers to gaining employment. Therefore, this study focused on individual's diagnosed with TBI who are clients of North Dakota's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and the connection between services …

Variations Of E-Region Total Electron Content And Electron Density Profiles Over High Latitudes During Winter Solstice 2007 Using Radio Occultation Measurements, Kajli Agrawal

Theses and Dissertations

The space weather phenomenon involves the Sun, interplanetary space and the Earth. Different space weather conditions have diverse effects on the various layers of the Earth's atmosphere Technological advancements have created a situation in which human civilization is not only dependent on resources from deep inside the Earth, but also on the upper atmosphere and outer space region. Therefore, it is essential to improve the understanding of the impacts of space weather conditions on the ionosphere. This research focuses on the variation of total electron content (TEC) and the electron density within the E-region of the ionosphere, which extends from …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Among Instructional Congruence, Burnout And Attrition In Undergraduate Music Theory Students, Whitney Blaire Berry

Theses and Dissertations

Music theory is a core course in all undergraduate music degree programs. Students enter this course with varying degrees of prior subject matter knowledge, which presents a challenge to music theory teaching and learning. An incongruence between the student's prior knowledge and the level of instruction can negatively affect learning, mental health and persistence in the course sequence.

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationships exist among instructional congruence, burnout and attrition in undergraduate music theory students. A survey was developed and administered to music theory students at four universities in the upper Midwest (95.5% response rate, …

The Impact Of The Perceptions Of Fathering On Adult Children's Emotional Well-Being And Satisfaction With Life, Abraham John Bilyeu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine how perceptions of one's father figure impacted reported levels of depression, anxiety, stress, alexithymia, and satisfaction with life. Participants reported that as negative perceptions of their father figure increased so did reported levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Further, negative perceptions of one's father figure were negatively correlated with life satisfaction, such that as negative perceptions of father increased ones reported satisfaction with life decreased. Participant age was also positively correlated with perceptions of their father, whereas age increased, so did a positive view of one's father figure. When the Attitude …

Lovegods And Other Short Stories, Therese Borkenhagen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a collection of four stories, which are all rooted in my Norwegian heritage. Two of the stories are historical narratives based on the German occupation of Norway, and the other two take place in an unspecified presence. The stories deal largely with familial relationship and abandonment, but also include themes such as illness, war, and sexuality. I employ a variety of writing styles, inspired by, but not limited to, authors such as Franz Kafka, Erlend Loe, Ernest Hemingway, and Miranda July. I also experiment with time, language, and cultural references. Along with my stories, I am including …

Professional Socialization In Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs: Attitudes And Beliefs Of Faculty Members And Recent Graduates, Kevin Buettner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand professional socialization in nurse anesthesia educational programs through an exploration of the attitudes and beliefs of faculty members and recent graduates. Participants for this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental online study included a convenience sample of 178 nurse anesthesia faculty members and 399 recent graduates of nurse anesthesia educational programs in the United States. Measures in this study explored the importance, recent graduate preparation, and influence on professional socialization outcomes (e.g., professional development, scholarly activity/critical inquiry, professional ethics, and professional and social responsibility). The effect of cohort size and instructional delivery method were also …

Experimental Investigation Of The Effect Of Turbulence On Slot-Fed Film Cooling Adiabatic Effectiveness And Downstream Heat Transfer, Mitch Busche

Theses and Dissertations

Modern turbine designers are greatly concerned with power out and the efficiency of their engines. One way to increase the power output and effectiveness of the engine is to increase the hot gas temperature inside the combustion chamber. The hot gas can reach a temperature that exceeds the physical limitations of parts inside the engine, causing the parts to fail prematurely. One possible method to cool the parts is with the use film cooling. Film cooling takes cool air from the compressor, bypasses the combustor, and ducts the air to internal chambers of parts, and then ejects the cool air …

It's In Minnesota's Nature: An Exploration Into Building Social Capital Through Place Branding, Alyssa Michelle Chandler

Theses and Dissertations

Place branding is a growing practice in communities worldwide. While much academic research has been conducted on the subject, the majority is directed toward the study of tourist perceptions. Research on those living in a branded community is limited. Therefore, this study seeks to explore how a place brand could build or strengthen social capital among residents of a location through a shared representation of a community's identity. A case study was conducted in Grand Rapids, Minnesota where 30 residents were interviewed from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Through the lens of the seven community capitals, discussed in Flora and Flora (2009), …

An Analysis Of Theoni Aldredge's Life And Career, Matthew Scott Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life and career of costume designer Theoni Aldredge. Using her extensive career and connections to the theatrical field observations will be made regarding some interactions fashion and technology have with costuming, as well as defining qualities of performance genres.

An Investigation Of Climate Patterns On Earth-Like Planets Using The Nasa Giss Global Climate Model Ii, Robert Mark Elowitz

Theses and Dissertations

To determine the capability of NASA's GISS GCM-II global climate model, the user-friendly EdGCM interface to the 3-D climate model code was evaluated by simulating global climate patterns that Earth-like planets may experience. The simulation scenarios involved different greenhouse gas emissions trends, planetary orbital parameters, and solar irradiance variations. It is found that the EdGCM interface to the GCM-II 3-D climate model is capable of studying climate patterns on hypothetical Earth-like planets, with some limitations involved. Studying extreme climate patterns on Earth-like planets as a function of planetary obliquity, orbital eccentricity, atmospheric composition, solar irradiance variations, and location with the …