Digital Commons Network^™

Distributed Team Communication Preferences: A Case Study Of Community-Based Medical Schools, Jessica Sobolik

Theses and Dissertations

It’s surprising that in the 50 years since computer networks were created, geographically distributed teams still face communication challenges. Businesses manage geographically distributed teams across the globe seemingly well, but in higher education, communication between geographically distributed teams on different campuses is a challenge. Faculty-administrators, staff and students are focused on their day-to-day tasks, and send e-mails and voicemails without giving much thought to how those messages are received on the other end. Often, the recipient of that communication reacts negatively, causing conflict.

This mixed-methods exploratory-sequential study qualitatively explored communication challenges, solutions, preferences, and feelings of connectedness and conflict among …

Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions Of Barriers And Facilitators To Making A Recommendation To Screen For Colorectal Cancer, Jesse Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Background. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in North Dakota. It also ranks second in late-stage diagnosis among all cancers. High quality screening tests such as colonoscopy have shown to reduce CRC incidence significantly, but screening rates in North Dakota remain low. The literature is consistent in that a recommendation by a healthcare provider is the most influential factor in a patient’s decision to screen.

Purpose. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how healthcare providers perceive the barriers and facilitators that affect their decision to make CRC screening recommendations to patients. Identifying …

Positive Pluralism Now Review, Paul Horwitz

Essays, Reviews, and Shorter Works

No abstract provided.

Novel Approaches In Lignomics Employing Liquid Chromatography And Mass Spectrometry, Anastasia Alekseyevna Andrianova

Theses and Dissertations

Characterization of lignin and its degradation products, more specifically determination of their molecular weight (MW) distribution, is essential for assessment and applications of these potentially renewable phenolics. In this dissertation a suite of lignomics approaches allowing for comprehensive and accurate characterization of lignin focusing on the low and high MW species was developed. These methods may be used either in combination or independently. The methods were validated and applied to characterizing lignin and the products of its transformation.

Several size exclusion chromatography (SEC) systems were previously deemed to be suitable for MW-based separations and thus are frequently used for lignin …

A Phenomenological Study Of Bullying Experienced By Graduate Students And Faculty Through The Lens Of Power, Anne Bodensteiner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of graduate students and faculty members who experienced bullying as a result of their role in higher education. Phenomenological exploration of this topic involved interviews with 14 participants; seven graduate students and seven faculty members. Power as described by Foucault (1994) was used as theoretical framework for this research. Findings from the study revealed institutions of higher education exploit power through differentiation, institutionalization, instrumental modes, types of objectives, and rationalization. Age, gender, life experiences, and positional rank were differentials found between the subject and aggressor. Institutionalization was expressed through …

Biodegradation And Biomodification Of Lignocellulose With A Main Focus On Lignin, Ivana Brzonova

Theses and Dissertations

Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer, and the first most abundant source of phenolic structures, on Earth. Recent research has focused on lignin monomers as replacements for phenolic monomers derived from nonrenewable resources. Biological decomposition and conversion may be one way to accomplish this objective. In this study, the effects of two basidiomycetous fungi (Coriolus versicolor and Trametes gallica) and two actinobacteria strains (Microbacterium sp. and Streptomyces sp.) and their combination on lignocellulose (kenaf) decomposition was evaluated.

The results showed that after 8 weeks of incubation up to 34 wt. % of the kenaf biomass was degraded, and the …

Health Information Needs, Source Preferences And Engagement Behaviours Of Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer Across The Care Continuum: Protocol For A Scoping Review, Carol A. Tucker, Mp Martin, Ray B. Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Channelling Passion For The Ocean Towards Plastic Pollution, Sabine Pahl, Kayleigh J. Wyles, Richard C. Thompson

School of Psychology

Plastic pollution is caused exclusively by humans. It poses growing global threats to the ocean and to society and requires urgent action. Using psychological principles can motivate and implement change by connecting symptoms and sources.

An Analysis Of The Development Of Cauliflower Seed As A Model To Improve The Molecular Mechanism Of Abiotic Stress Tolerance In Cauliflower Artificial Seeds, Hail Z. Rihan, Mohammed Al-Issawi, Michael P. Fuller

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Artificial Seeds (Principle, Aspects And Applications), Hail Z. Rihan, Fakhriya Kareem, Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk, Michael P. Fuller

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Exposure To Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lps During Macrophage Polarisation Leads To Diminished Inflammatory Cytokine Production, Louise A. Belfield, Jon H. Bennett, Wondwossen Abate, Simon K. Jackson

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

Tracking The Amphibian Pathogens Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis And Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans Using A Highly Specific Monoclonal Antibody And Lateral-Flow Technology, Michael J. Dillon, Andrew E. Bowkett, Michael J. Bungard, Katie M. Beckman, Michelle F. O'Brien, Kieran Bates, Matthew C. Fisher, Jamie R. Stevens, Christopher R. Thornton

Peninsula Medical School

The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causes chytridiomycosis, a lethal epizootic disease of amphibians. Rapid identification of the pathogen and biosecurity is essential to prevent its spread, but current laboratory-based tests are time-consuming and require specialist equipment. Here, we describe the generation of an IgM monoclonal antibody (mAb), 5C4, specific to Bd as well as the related salamander and newt pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). The mAb, which binds to a glycoprotein antigen present on the surface of zoospores, sporangia and zoosporangia, was used to develop a lateral-flow assay (LFA) for rapid (15 min) detection of the pathogens. The LFA detects known …

Sialylation Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lps And Its Effect On Bacterial-Host Interactions., Ss Zaric, Mj Lappin, Cr Fulton, Ft Lundy, Wa Coulter, Cr Irwin

Peninsula Dental School

Porphyromonas gingivalis produces different LPS isoforms with significant structural variations of their lipid A and O-antigen moieties that can affect its pro-inflammatory and bone-resorbing potential. We show here, for the first time, that P. gingivalis LPS isolated from W83 strain is highly sialylated and possesses significantly reduced inflammatory potential compared with less sialylated ATCC 33277 strain LPS. Nevertheless, the reduction in the endotoxin activity is not mediated by the presence of sialic acid LPS moieties as the sialic acid-free LPS produced by the mutant W83 strain exhibits a similar inflammatory potential to the wild type strain. Furthermore, our findings suggest …

Coastal Bacterioplankton Community Response To Diatom-Derived Polysaccharide Microgels, Joe D. Taylor, Michael Cunliffe

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Phytoplankton-derived polysaccharide microgels, including transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), are a major component of the marine organic carbon pool. Previous studies have made correlative links between phytoplankton material and bacterioplankton, and performed experiments that assess general responses to phytoplankton, yet there is a lack of direct empirical evidence of specific bacterioplankton responses to natural phytoplankton polysaccharide microgels. In this study, we used diatom produced TEP in controlled incubation experiments to determine the impact of polysaccharide microgels on a coastal bacterioplankton community. Quantification of bacterial 16S rRNA gene transcripts showed that the addition of TEP caused an increase in bacterioplankton activity. Similarly, …

Development And Validation Of An Oecd Reproductive Toxicity Test Guideline With The Mudsnail Potamopyrgus Antipodarum (Mollusca, Gastropoda), K Ruppert, C Geiß, C Askem, R Benstead, R Brown, M Coke, V Ducrot, P Egeler, H Holbech, Th Hutchinson, Kl Kinnberg, L Lagadic, Page G Le, A Macken, P Matthiessen, S Ostermann, A Schimera, C Schmitt, A Seeland-Fremer, Aj Smith, L Weltje, J Oehlmann

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Mollusks are known to be uniquely sensitive to a number of reproductive toxicants including some vertebrate endocrine disrupting chemicals. However, they have widely been ignored in environmental risk assessment procedures for chemicals. This study describes the validation of the Potamopyrgus antipodarum reproduction test within the OECD Conceptual Framework for Endocrine Disrupters Testing and Assessment. The number of embryos in the brood pouch and adult mortality serve as main endpoints. The experiments are conducted as static systems in beakers filled with artificial medium, which is aerated trough glass pipettes. The test chemical is dispersed into the medium, and adult snails are …

Reproductive Effects Of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Bisphenol-A And 17Β-Oestradiol, On Cerastoderma Edule From South-West England: Field Study And Laboratory Exposure, Al Lusher, N Pope, Rd Handy

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Environment: A Journey On Plastic Seas, Richard Thompson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

A voyage through plastic oceans. Richard Thompson applauds a chronicle alerting the world to marine polymer pollution. The story of a voyage bearing witness to plastic pollution in the oceans, Junk Raft is a stimulating, thought-provoking and factually grounded read. Science educator and researcher Marcus Eriksen’s navigational feat is gripping — 88 days crossing some 4,000 kilometres of open ocean between Los Angeles and Hawaii, on a raft crafted from 15,000 plastic bottles lashed into fishing nets. But it is more. Woven through the chronicle are two equally fascinating storylines: of Eriksen’s evolution from soldier to head of the environmental …

Adapting To Survive: Addressing The Global Problem Of Antimicrobial Resistance, Laura Bowater, Jonathan Pyatt

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.