Digital Commons Network^™

Progressing Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Education In North Dakota With Near-Space Ballooning, Marissa Elizabeth Saad

Theses and Dissertations

The United States must provide quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in order to maintain a leading role in the global economy. Numerous initiatives have been established across the United States that promote and encourage STEM education within the middle school curriculum. Integrating active learning pedagogy into instructors' lesson plans will prepare the students to think critically - a necessary skill for the twenty first century.

This study integrated a three-week long Near Space Balloon project into six eighth grade Earth Science classes from Valley Middle School in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was hypothesized that after the …

A Study Of Bench Scale, Pressurized, Continuous Flow Thermal Cracking Of Crop Oil, Blake Sander

Theses and Dissertations

This study builds upon previous research at UND which demonstrated that crop oils are a potential renewable alternative to select petroleum based products. The crop oils investigated for this study include soybean, canola, and jojoba oil. The processing method utilized was a non-catalytic cracking process.

The goal of this work was to build a new bench-scale continuous flow thermal cracking reactor system capable of being operated under high pressure, and also to use this reactor to explore the effects of pressure, temperature, and feed rate during non-catalytic cracking on the yield and composition of the liquid and gas products produced …

Neighborhood Perceptions In The Near South Side Neighborhood Of Grand Forks, Nd, Mikel Elizabeth Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Older neighborhoods across the country are at risk of collapse. In response, city governments are taking a renewed interest in their older inner-city districts. Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI) is one way local governments are renewing and revitalizing these neighborhoods. This is happening in Grand Forks, ND. Consequently, this study's focus is on the perceptions of residents in the Near South Side neighborhood (NSS).

Data was collected through a questionnaire survey. A total of 203 replies were received from the pool of 740 surveys distributed in the Mayors Urban Neighborhood Initiative and the attached historic district. The four research questions focused …

A Comparison Of Food Accessibility From 2002 To 2012 In St. Paul, Minnesota, Brett Sergenian

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the changes in the healthy food accessibility landscape of St. Paul from 2002 to 2012. Food deserts are areas of limited or no accessibility to healthy food options. Local food landscapes in the U.S. and Canada have changed significantly over the past 50 years as many supermarkets have relocated out of the inner cities and into the suburbs. As a result, many inner city neighborhoods no longer have adequate access to healthy food. Despite supermarkets relocating out of the inner city, small and mid-sized grocers could stock healthy food options. The research questions answered are: Where are …

Mapping Techniques For Soil Erosion: Modeling Stream Power Index In Eastern North Dakota, Rick Thalacker

Theses and Dissertations

Soil erosion is a worldwide problem that can negatively affect surface water through the introduction of sediment, nutrients (eg. nitrogen, phosphorus), pesticides, and other chemicals. Soil erosion is often exacerbated by agricultural and other types of land use. The objective of this study was to identify gully locations in agricultural fields adjacent to the Turtle and Forest rivers in eastern North Dakota that accumulate surface flow resulting in areas of critical surface erosion in a GIS using the Stream Power Index (SPI). A field survey was conducted to verify the accuracy of the terrain analysis at identifying 391 gully and …

Determinants Of Gold Returns: An Austrian Perspective, Justin Nicholas Theriot

Theses and Dissertations

In this article, I offer a comprehensive analysis on the factors that influence the gold market in relation to returns to demonstrate that gold moves as a currency. I employed a wide range of macroeconomic and commodity variables to investigate the underlying movements in the gold market. The methodology followed four simple steps; 1) correlation tests, 2) vector autoregression model of two lags, 3) auto-regressive integrated moving average model and 4) generalized autoregressive conditional heoteroskedasticity. This methodology enabled me to

convey that gold moves more as a currency and not as an investment. The main findings of this paper provided …

Application And Prospect Of Orthogonal On-Off Keying As An Error Control Coding In Laser Communication, Tasbirun Nahian Upal

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis work, a bandwidth efficient coded modulation technique has been proposed for LASER based communication. It offers reliable error correction and bandwidth optimization for free space connectivity. Laser communication has been emerging as a potential alternative of Radio Frequency (RF) communication for long-haul connectivity. It provides several advantages over RF systems. Some of specific advantages are its high speed data transfer, higher bandwidth, robust security, immunity to electromagnetic interference, lower implementation cost. However, as any other communication system, it requires an error control system that detects and corrects error in the data transmission. The proposed technique blends well …

The Structures, Mass Motions And Footpoints Of Solar Filaments, Aparna Venkataramanasastry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on identifying the mechanism by which solar filaments acquire mass. Some of the speculations for how a filament gets its mass are 1) injection of mass from the chromosphere into the filament structure, and 2) condensation of mass from the corona into the region of the filament channel. Mass motion at the footpoints of the filaments is studied to detect mass entering and leaving the filament body. The magnetic properties of the footpoints of the filaments are also studied. Recommendations are drawn by comparing observational properties obtained in this study with the features used in some of …

Study Of The Suit Inflation Effect On Crew Safety During Landing Using A Full-Pressure Iva Suit For New-Generation Reentry Space Vehicles, Suzuki Wataru

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, manned space capsules have been recognized as beneficial and reasonable human space vehicles again. The Dragon capsule already achieved several significant successes. The Orion capsule is going to be sent to a high-apogee orbit without crews for experimental purposes in September 2014. For such human-rated space capsules, the study of acceleration impacts against the human body during splashdown is essential to ensure the safety of crews. Moreover, it is also known that wearing a full pressure rescue suit significantly increases safety of a crew, compared to wearing a partial pressure suit. This is mainly because it enables the use …

Novel Approaches Investigating Predisposition For Maternal Group B Streptococcus Colonization, Michelle Lynn Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of infectious neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Maternal GBS colonization is the primary risk factor associated with neonatal infection. However, maternal risk factors for GBS colonization are ambiguous. A conceptual framework of gene-environment interactions guided the approach for this study analyzing DNA methylation, serum cytokines, and vitamin D levels. The purpose of this study was to identify potential maternal biomarkers associated with GBS colonization. Descriptive statistics were conducted to depict sample characteristics (n=42 pregnant women) and identify potential confounding variables including, but not limited to: medical history, race, weight, …

Agricultural Drought Monitoring And Prediction Using Soil Moisture Deficit Index, Jiexia Wu

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are: 1) to evaluate the performance of an agricultural drought index, Soil Moisture Deficit Index (SMDI) at continental scale; 2) to develop an agricultural drought prediction method based on precipitation, evapotranspiration and terrestrial water storage.

This study applied multiple linear regression (MLR) with the inputs of precipitation from Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), evapotranspiration from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MOD 16 and terrestrial water storage (TWS) derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to predict soil moisture and SMDI. The inputs of the MLR model were chosen based on the …

Panic Development Mechanisms And Preventive Methods Analysis, Inga Wuerges

Theses and Dissertations

Panic Development (PD) is one of the most important areas of Human Factors research due to its debilitating effects during high stress operating conditions in extreme environments. High levels of anxiety and panic evoke incidents that are a real threat to mission success and may result in fatalities. A delicate balance of crew selection, training, and systems' design is critical for mission success and human survival.

This research investigates possible panic development profiles and methods for preventing panic through realistic training. This research focuses on realistic training scenarios during the intense military flying exercise Red-Flag Alaska at Eielson AFB, AK. …

Promoting Self-Determined Motivation For Exercise In Stroke Rehabilitation: The Role Of Autonomy Support, Emmanuel Afawuah Akowuah

Theses and Dissertations

Rehabilitation Interventionists (RIs) usually spend a great deal of time and effort trying to improve the functional abilities of stroke patients. Stroke rehabilitation through current studies has been recognized as an important and effective modality in the treatment of stroke. Despite the known benefits of SR to stroke patients, a number of them drop out resulting in a decline the benefits from the program.

Objective: To examine the predictive relationship between perceived autonomy support provided by Stroke Rehabilitation Interventionists, and the participants' subsequent stroke rehabilitation program attendance rate. The study also examines the predictive relationship between participants' perceived autonomy support …

A Comparison Of Solar Prominence Data Between Hα And Euv (He Ii-304Å), Jonathan Schiralli

Theses and Dissertations

Two spectral lines are often used to observe solar prominences: Hα and He II 304 Å. Both emission lines capture the same prominence structure but at vastly different temperatures: Hα is visible at ~10,000K while He II 304 Å. at ~80,000K. The He II 304 Å images provide the ability to identify the relatively hotter outer region of a prominence, although they lack the details seen in the cooler lower regions. Hα conversely shows great detail in the cooler lower regions of a prominence but lack any detail in the hotter outer region of a prominence. Two prominences will be …

Miniaturized Antenna Design For Wireless Biomedical Sensors, Mohannad M. Alharbi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is focused on the design and simulation of miniaturized antennas for wireless biomedical sensors. The motivation of the work was to provide a solution for wireless systems that are embedded or placed on the body. Currently, small antennas are on demand to be implanted inside the body or placed closely to the body. The performance of such antennas, gain and efficiency, is affected by the lossy tissues that surround them. The goal of this work was to design antennas that are placed on a living body and integrated with a sensor system implanted in living tissue, to measure …

The Combined Effects Of Copper Sulfate And Hypoxia Stress On The Swim Performance Of Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis Macrochirus), Dustin D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Copper (Cu) is a component of several aquatic pesticides often used to target noxious algae, but at high concentrations may elicit toxic effects on non-target organisms such as fish. The severity of Cu toxicity varies widely by fish species, Cu concentration, duration of exposure, and water quality. Hypoxia is a widely occurring aquatic stressor that is also a potential side effect of Cu application due to increased oxygen demand from algae decay. Because Cu and hypoxia stress may occur in concert, it is important to understand and quantify their combined effects. Critical swimming speed (Ucrit) tests are an efficient and …

Does Attractiveness Matter For Sex Offenders? An Examination Of Defendant Attractiveness, Defendant Gender, And Crime Severity, Adam Charles Austin

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an abundance of research showcasing an attraction-leniency bias that benefits attractive defendants of various crimes. However, this bias tends to diminish if the crime is deemed serious or if the defendant uses his or her attractiveness to commit the crime (i.e., swindle). The purpose of the current study is to investigate judgments made about a defendant being accused of a sexual offense. The study represents a 2 (gender of defendant) x 3 (attractiveness of defendant: attractive, unattractive, no picture) x 3 (crime severity: low, medium, high) factorial design. Participants (N = 686) were asked to report their …

Removal Efficiency Of Water Quality Pollutants In A Wet Detention Basin In Grand Forks, Nd, Abbie Marie Beaudry

Theses and Dissertations

It is hypothesized that the applied sampling techniques, water quality analysis, and statistical analysis predict pollutant removal efficiencies of the project site. Current practices in urban stormwater runoff are the design of systems that limit the developed peak discharge to less than or equal to the peak discharge of the pre-developed conditions. This is many times accomplished with the installation of stormwater retention, detention, or attenuation facilities that store the generated runoff from the drainage area. These are commonly known as structural Best Management Practices (BMPs). The City of Grand Forks, ND (City) implements BMPs into the stormwater management plans …

Effect Of Sedentary And Physical Activities On Children's Food Choice, Allison Michelle Barry

Theses and Dissertations

Background: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 17% of children are obese. Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to become overweight adults. Children's snack choice has shifted from healthy to unhealthy (primarily salty and sweet option), and since children's snack consumption makes up 27% of their total energy intake, it is important to understand influences of their snack choice.

Purpose: To examine the effect of sedentary and physical activities on children's food choice.

Method: Participants included a volunteer sample of children (n=24) ranging from 9-13 years old. Children's height and weight were …

Statistical Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of The 'You're Hired!' Program At Changing Students' Attitudes Towards Engineering, Kristin Michelle Brevik

Theses and Dissertations

With the growing need for qualified employees in STEM-based careers, it is critical to develop activities for middle and high school students to increase their awareness of opportunities in these areas. With proper design, increasing awareness of STEM-based careers in conjunction with overcoming current stereotypes can lead to a change in attitudes towards these various careers. As part of this research project I have developed `You're Hired!', a program providing middle and high school students a hands-on, authentic experience in various engineering roles while assessing the change in a student's attitude towards the engineering profession. Project design also incorporates an …

Minnesota Paraeducators' Perceptions Of The Barriers To Becoming Licensed Special Education Teachers, Joni Burris

Theses and Dissertations

Public schools across the country are facing a critical shortage of licensed special education teachers. For many reasons, paraeducators have been considered strong teacher candidates and have been recruited into the teaching profession intermittently for decades. Paraeducators who decide to obtain their teaching license often experience obstacles to this endeavor: money, time, family obligations, navigating the university system, and academics.

This research study examined and analyzed Minnesota paraeducators' perceptions of the barriers to obtaining their special education teaching license. It also assessed the perceptional differences between Minnesota paraeducators who have completed at least a bachelor's degree and those who have …

Investigating The Effects Of Ocean Bubbles On Enhanced Aqua-Modis Aerosol Optical Depth Retrievals In The Mid-To-High Latitude Southern Oceans, Matt Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

While satellite remote sensing aerosol measurements are widely used for climate, visibility and air quality studies, issues exist in the current satellite aerosol products such as the Elevated Southern Oceans Anomaly (ESOA) phenomenon. The ESOA is an elevated aerosol optical depth (AOD) belt over high latitude southern oceans detected by passive satellites such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). The ESOA feature, however, is not present in the ground based studies. Cloud contamination was found to have a significant impact on this anomaly, but it is not the only contributor. Wind generated ocean bubbles …

The Effects Of Leisure Satisfaction And Perfectionism On Academic Burnout, Lauren Elizabeth Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the impact of three variables on academic burnout: perfectionism, depression, and leisure satisfaction. Participants included male and female college students enrolled in a four year university in the Midwest. Participants completed a variety of demographic questions and surveys through an internet survey on Survey Gizmo. The Almost Perfect Scale Revised was used to assess an individual's perfectionism, The Patient Health Questionnaire 2 measured depression, The Leisure Satisfaction Scale Short Form was included to measure students' leisure satisfaction, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student measured academic burnout. The study found that perfectionism and depression were significant predictors …

The Effects Of Friendship And Discussion On Individuals' Responses To Anti-Sugary Drinks Television Ads, Kaitlin R. Lilienthal

Theses and Dissertations

The current study tested if friendship and discussion would interact with anti-sugary drinks television ads exposure to promote attitudes, intentions, and behaviors consistent with sugary drinks consumption reduction. College students (N= 109) viewed anti-sugary drinks ads either with or without a friend, and either discussed or did not discuss the ads after viewing them. Changes in baseline sugary drinks health knowledge, attitudes toward reducing sugary drinks consumption, sugary drink consumption social norm perceptions, and intentions to reduce sugary drinks consumption were examined at post-exposure and one week follow-up. Changes in baseline self-reported sugary drinks consumption were also examined at one …

Affect Dysregulation As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma And Comorbid Substance Use Disorder And Bulimia Nervosa, Brianna Joelle Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening psychiatric disorders associated with a variety of negative medical, social, and psychological consequences. Comorbid mental disorders, such as substance use disorders, present an increasingly complex clinical picture. A significant body of research has been devoted to investigating the etiology of eating disorders and their comorbid conditions. One factor that has received research attention is that of childhood trauma experiences. Childhood trauma has been related to the development of both bulimia nervosa and substance use disorders, and more broadly, an impulsive, behaviorally dysregulated trajectory. Affect dysregulation is one factor proposed to play a role in …

The Impact Of Changing Surface Ocean Conditions On The Dissolution Of Aerosol Iron, Matthew P. Fishwick, Peter N. Sedwick, Maeve C. Lohan, Paul J. Worsfold, Kristen N. Buck, Thomas M. Church, Simon J. Ussher

OES Faculty Publications

The proportion of aerosol iron (Fe) that dissolves in seawater varies greatly and is dependent on aerosol composition and the physicochemical conditions of seawater, which may change depending on location or be altered by global environmental change. Aerosol and surface seawater samples were collected in the Sargasso Sea and used to investigate the impact of these changing conditions on aerosol Fe dissolution in seawater. Our data show that seawater temperature, pH, and oxygen concentration, within the range of current and projected future values, had no significant effect on the dissolution of aerosol Fe. However, the source and composition of aerosols …

Investigating The Heterogeneous Chemistry Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And Other Organic Species In Atmospheric Aerosols, Richard Cochran

Theses and Dissertations

Organic aerosols (OA; organic compounds present on the surface or within aerosols) in the atmosphere may play a significant role in various atmospheric processes as well as have an impact on human health. While many primary (direct) sources of OA (POA) are known, a significant portion of OA is formed through the oxidation of primary precursors, creating secondary organic aerosols (SOA) through processes that are still unclear. This dissertation, therefore, focuses on the development of analytical methods for characterizing SOA as well as investigating the mechanism behind their formation and aerosol chemistry.

In the first phase of this work, methods …

Mental Illness Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, And Psychological Help-Seeking In A Rural Population, Astrid Shanthi D'Cunha

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed relationships between mental illness stigma (public stigma (Vogel, Wade & Ascheman, 2009) and private stigma (Vogel, Wade & Haake, 2006)), mental health literacy (Mental Health Literacy Survey (MHLS; Epps et al. 2007) and Symptom Recognition Scale, (SRS)), and psychological help-seeking (Attitudes towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale and Intentions via LSHS) in a rural population. Two-hundred three adults living in rural and urbanized counties within a rural Midwestern state completed paper and online surveys. Stepwise hierarchical regression analyses showed that private stigma, mental health literacy, and previous help-seeking behavior predicted attitudes towards seeking professional help while symptom …

The Self-Objectification Scale: A New Measure For Assessing Self-Objectification, Sarah Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the measures for self-objectification have theoretical or psychometric issues related to their use. For this reason, the development of a new measure addressing these concerns would be beneficial to the research on self-objectification. Towards this goal of developing and validating a new measure for self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Scale (SOS) was developed. The Self-Objectification Scale is the first scale to be created with two alternative forms for measuring trait and state self-objectification that have undergone analyses for reliability and validity with both men and women. A pilot study of 40 undergraduate men and women was conducted to check the …

A Ten-Year Study Of Earned Income Tax Credit Utilization In Western South Dakota: Where You Live Matters, Lizabeth Ann Diers

Theses and Dissertations

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the largest government anti-poverty programs, helping low-income families to build and maintain economic security. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine if where taxpayers live in western South Dakota impacts the utilization of EITC. Results of analysis of tax return information, higher education accounting programs, and interview records were combined to answer the study questions.

Ten years of data (tax return averages) were retrieved from the Brookings Institution and were analyzed to determine if geography was a predictor of the likelihood of filing for EITC and the amount …