Digital Commons Network^™

Plastic Properties Of High Performance Self-Compacting Concrete, Kyle Seidler

Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes more complex and people become more evolved the desire to build taller building and design more complex structures is on the rise. The major problem that occurs with larger structures are the forces associated with building bigger. One way to help solve the problem of large stresses in concrete structures is to include more reinforcing steel and design more complex reinforcing configurations. The down side to increasing the amount of reinforcing steel is that the steel creates smaller gaps for the concrete to flow through. This problem was realized in the early 1980’s and the concept …

Synthesis Of Cyclic And Linear Poly(Hydroxybutyrates) By Ring-Opening Polymerization Of Β-Butyrolactone With Amido-Oxazolinate Zinc Catalysts, Muneer Shaik

Theses and Dissertations

A series of amido-oxazolinate zinc complexes have been employed for the ring opening polymerization of β-butyrolactone (BBL). Experimental results show that these complexes efficiently catalyze the reactions, yielding cyclic poly(hydroxybutyrate)s (PHBs) with high molecular weights (Mn up to 196 kg/mol) and low dispersity. In contrast, in the presence of alcohol co-catalysts, the zinc-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) reactions lead to the formation of linear PHBs end-capped by the alcohol initiator and hydroxylbutyrate. A possible mechanism for cyclic PHBs is proposed, in which the zinc catalysts function as a loose Lewis pair at elevated temperature, followed by a fast propagation through a …

Heat Transfer And Pressure Drop Measurements In A High-Solidity Pin-Fin Array With Variable Hole Size Incremental Impingements, Abdulqadir Sheikhmohamed

Theses and Dissertations

Gas turbines play a very critical role in the current energy sector in both power generation and in propulsion for almost the entire commercial and military aviation industry. Higher efficiencies can be developed from gas turbines, either land based or aero-propulsion by raising both the pressure and the temperature of combustion gases which discharge into the turbine section, which is also known as the Turbine Entry Temperature (TET). Turbine blade materials simply cannot operate safely at current TET’s of 3000 °F without implementing comprehensive cooling schemes developed in the industry over the years. Normally some of the compressed air is …

Automatic Approach To Morphological Classification Of Galaxies With Analysis Of Galaxy Populations In Clusters, Madina Renatovna Sultanova

Theses and Dissertations

The classification of galaxies based on their morphology (i.e. structural properties) is a field in astrophysics that aims to understand galaxy formation and evolution based on their physical differences. Whether structural differences are due to internal factors or a result of local environment, the dominate mechanism that determines galaxy type needs to be robustly quantified in order to have a thorough grasp of the origin of the different types of galaxies (e.g., elliptical, S0, spiral, and irregular). The main subject of this thesis is to explore the use of computers to automatically analyze and classify large numbers of galaxies based …

The Impact Of Stellar Convection Criteria On Population Iii Supernovae Nucleosynthesis, Jacob Teffs

Theses and Dissertations

Population III stars are the first stars formed after the Big Bang, comprised of primarily

hydrogen and helium and lack heavy elements from previous generations. Using the

one-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics code BOOM, a grid of eighteen stellar models

with masses of 15-80 solar masses , are exploded under a low and high explosion energy criteria.

Three types of central compact remnants are considered. The 3208 isotope TORCH nuclear

reaction network is used to calculate the nucleosynthesis that occurs during the

supernovae. The two convection criteria, Ledoux and Scharzschild, produce vastly

different stellar structures and thus produce different nucleosynthetic trends. When

comparing …

Reliability Of Trimp And Training Effect In Collegiate Ice-Hockey Players, Jason Ulmer

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unique demands of ice hockey and limited reliability data, the utility of the heart rate derived variables TRIMP and Training Effect for assessing internal training load in ice hockey players is not clear. Having a reliable measure of internal training load with the capability of quantifying and detecting meaningful change, especially between on-ice training sessions, would help coaches program exercise training. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of TRIMP and Training Effect during on-ice training sessions in ice hockey players. Twenty-two Division I collegiate male ice hockey players (aged 18-23 years) wore …

The Role Of The Cholesterol Metabolite, 27-Hydroxycholesterol, In Colon Cancer Cells, Jessica A. Warns

Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a major health concern with more than 600,000 deaths worldwide each year. Several risk factors for CRC exist including a diet rich in fat and cholesterol. However, the link between cholesterol and CRC is controversial. It is possible that oxysterols, which are active cholesterol metabolites, may correlate better with CRC than cholesterol itself. The most abundant oxysterol in the plasma is 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC), which is a ligand for the nuclear receptors estrogen receptor (ER) and liver-x-receptor (LXR). 27-OHC has been shown to be involved in breast and prostate cancers, but its role in colon cancer remains …

Examining Determinants Of Patient Activation In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Marnie M. Wetzstein

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Self-management plays a central role in the treatment chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the patient characteristics necessary for effective self-management are not understood. The skills, confidence, and knowledge to engage in chronic disease self-care, known as patient activation, may play a key role in the capacity of people to self-manage COPD. How the complex, systemic nature of COPD influences patient activation has not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among patient characteristics and health outcomes as determinants of patient activation among community-dwelling adults in the U.S. with COPD. The Revised Wilson …

Effects Of Early Cadmium And Selenium Exposure On Zebrafish Neural Development And Behavior, Marissa Wold

Theses and Dissertations

Cadmium is a naturally-occurring trace metal frequently found in soil that has been linked with increased prevalence of various cancers via formation of reactive oxygen species. Selenium, a widely-prevalent metalloid, antagonizes the detrimental action of cadmium and has been demonstrated to exert a rescue effect. The present work focuses on the short- and long-term effects of exposure to ecologically-relevant cadmium concentrations on zebrafish development and behavior, and compares this to co-treatment with selenium. This study has demonstrated a decrease in overall brain size, specifically telencephalic area, in response to cadmium exposure, and has documented a sparing effect of selenium treatment. …

Effect Of Nanopolymer Modified Binder On Hot Mix Asphalt, Gus Yazdani

Theses and Dissertations

There are some distresses in asphalt pavements such as high temperature permanent deformation (rutting), low-temperature (thermal) cracking, and load-associated fatigue cracking.

Rutting is caused by the accumulated plastic deformation (flow) in the asphalt mixture with repeated application of loads at upper pavement service temperatures. It is predominantly influenced by the aggregate and mix design. Modifiers can stiffen the binder and provide a more elastic material.

Thermal shrinkage cracking results from either a single thermal cycle where the temperature reaches a critical low temperature (Single Event Thermal Cracking) or from thermal cycling above the critical low temperature (Thermal Fatigue).

In this …

Constraining The Small Binary Asteroid Population Of The Main Belt Using Doublet Craters On Ceres, Paul F. Wren

Theses and Dissertations

Binary asteroids have been observed among the Near Earth Asteroids, among the Main Belt Asteroids, and even in the Trans-Neptunian Object population. Many were discovered by light curve analysis, some by direct or radar imaging, and a few by stellar occultation. Some were discovered using ground-based telescopes, and others by space-based assets such as the Hubble Space Telescope. As good as these instruments may be, no confirmed binary asteroids in the Main Belt have a primary body less than one kilometer in diameter.

The primary goal of this research was to confirm the existence of Main Belt binary asteroid systems …

Cross-Country Comparisons In Health-Related Fitness Among European Children And Adolescents, Kevin Carver

Theses and Dissertations

Physical fitness is an important indicator of general health and sporting/athletic success. Several studies have highlighted large between-country differences in cardiorespiratory endurance, with little known about differences in other fitness components. A systematic review identified papers that reported descriptive Eurofit test results for apparently healthy (free from known disease/injury) 9- to 17-year-olds Europeans. An overall fitness index for each country was calculated as a population-weighted mean test-age-sex-specific z-score. Spearman’s correlations were used to calculate the association between country-specific fitness indices and broad socioeconomic/health indices. Performance indices were calculated for 18 countries using data collected on 2,779,165 children aged 9-17 years …

A Tapestry Of Educational Technology Women Leaders In Higher Education: A Qualitative Study, Jane Braaten Overmoe

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study was used to understand the experiences of 12 women, leaders in Education Technology in higher education. Through interviews, women leaders described their environment as well as personal and behavioral aspects of their work. Findings revealed four threads of descriptive concepts including relationships, leadership, persistence, and advice. Relationships were from workplaces and professional networks. Leadership was defined by vision and teamwork. Persistence was addressed as either values-based or relationship-based. The fourth thread in the findings, advice, was divided into three sub-threads: education, family (both personal and work), and managing emotions. A qualitative approach was used to highlight interview …

Reliability Of The Styku 3d Whole Body Scanner For The Assessment Of Body Size In College Athletes, Joseph Daniel Derouchey

Theses and Dissertations

3-dimensional (3D) anthropometrics, such as volumes and surface area, have been shown to be important in predicting sport performance, and assessing health status, but most commercially available whole-body scanners are cost prohibitive. The main purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of a commercially available single camera 3D body scanning system to assess whole body and segmental circumferences, surface areas, and volumes of healthy collegiate athletes and students. Forty-nine male and female student-athletes active in various sports from a division I institute were scanned and measurements were analyzed. The single camera system demonstrated good within- and between-session …

Scale-Up Feasibility And Novel Method Of Separation Of Carbon From An Oxygen Carrier, Nicholas A. Dyrstad-Cincotta

Theses and Dissertations

This project targets the development of a technology for segregating fuel-based contaminants (char/carbon) from oxygen carrier material in the context of chemical looping combustion applications. In chemical looping, the well-mixed solids that flow from the fuel reactor consisting of char, ash, and oxygen carrier particles cannot be completely separated into their constituents before they enter the air reactor. The slip of carbon leads to char oxidation in the wrong reactor and poor carbon dioxide separation efficiency. The buildup of ash that is not rejected necessitates rejection of larger quantities of oxygen carrier material, resulting in a high operating cost penalty. …

A Mixed Method Study Of The Impact Of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, And Dual Enrollment Courses On College Transition And Success, Kazimir Bartley Gazdzik

Theses and Dissertations

In an educational environment that has limited resources, and greater pressures for increased academic standards, what is the best option to help prepare high school students for college academics? This research study: A Mixed Method Study of the Impact of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment Courses on College Transition and Success attempted to investigate the impact of advanced courses on college transition.

The results of this research showed no statistical difference in academic success or transition to college between students who had taken advanced classes and those who had not. There were also no statistical differences between students …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Bioplastics By Innovative 3d Printing Approaches, Kathryn Marie Hall

Theses and Dissertations

This work describes the synthesis and characterization of novel bioplastic composites by using novel additive manufacturing (AM) approaches. As a background, global plastic consumption has become a problem with the accumulation of plastics in landfills and the ocean. Recently, bioplastics have emerged as a viable option to petrochemicals. Currently, there are some issues like biodegradability, property optimization with bioplastics etc. In thesis, novel methods and engineering of composition of bioplastics are being reported. In Chapter II, the addition of lignin to the PLA polymer matrix by using solvent mixing will be reported. During this study, liquid ink mixture was successfully …

International Freshmen Student Satisfaction With Campus Environments At U. S. Institutions Through The Lens Of The National Survey Of Student Engagement (Nsse), Ludmi Herath

Theses and Dissertations

International students’ enrollment has continuously increased over the past decade. According to the Open Doors Annual Report, published and distributed by Institute for International Education (IIE, 2016), more than one million international students studied in the United States from 2015-2016; according to the same report, international students generated more than $36 billion to the United Stated (U.S.) economy making international students the fourth largest import sector to the U.S. economy. As U.S. institutions more aggressively recruit and retain international students, it is critical to learn how to serve this growing population—to learn of their needs and offer corresponding tools, programs …

Seperation Of Fuel-Based Contaminents From Oxygen Carriers In Chemical Looping Combustion, Benjamin Robert Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

This project involved the development of a technology for segregating fuel-based contaminants (char) from oxygen carrier material in the context of chemical looping combustion (CLC) application. In chemical looping, the well-mixed solids that flow from the fuel reactor consisting of char and oxygen carrier particles cannot be completely separated into their constituents before they enter the air reactor. The slip of carbon leads to char oxidation in the wrong reactor and poor carbon dioxide separation efficiency. An efficient method to separate char from oxygen carrier material is critical for the deployment of chemical looping technology. This segregation system consists of …

Examining Cultural Identification And Alcohol Use Among College Students, Lynn Martell

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has found American Indians (AI) to demonstrate higher levels of alcohol use than Caucasians (CA); however, recent research has found that AI may be drinking at similar or lower rates than CA. Cultural identification (i.e., degree to which an individual associate with, and represents themselves as a member of a specific cultural group) may be a factor contributing to the level of alcohol use among AI. The current study examined cultural identification and alcohol use among University of North Dakota (UND) AI (n=56) and CA (n=88) college students. Results indicated non-significant differences in alcohol use between cultural identification …

Developing A New Storage Format And A Warp-Based Spmv Kernel For Configuration Interaction Sparse Matrices On The Gpu, Mohammed Mahmoud

Theses and Dissertations

Configuration interaction (CI) is a post Hartree–Fock method that is commonly used for solving the nonrelativistic Schrödinger equation for quantum many-electron systems of molecular scale. CI includes instantaneous electron correlation and it can deal with the ground state as well as multiple excited states.

The CI matrix is a sparse matrix, and the bigger the CI matrix, the more electron correlation can be captured. However, due to the large size of the CI sparse matrix that is involved in CI computations, a good amount of the time spent on the eigenvalue computations is associated with the multiplication of the CI …

Juror Perceptions Of Child Witness Testimonial Aids, Rachael Sophia Mickelson Hendrickson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the present study is to assess the affect testimonial supports have on mock jurors’ perceptions of child witnesses in a sexual abuse case. In general jurors’ perceptions operate on a two-factor model. The two factors are child competency and honesty. Jurors perceive children’s competency and honesty differently based on the child’s age and the mock juror’s gender. Testimonial supports have been suggested as a way to relieve some of the stress that a trial brings on a child. However, this seems to exacerbate the negative perceptions jurors already hold of child witnesses. The current juror perceptions of …

Genomic Regulation Of Abiotic Stress Response In The Soil Nematode Oscheius Tipulae, Riley Mcglynn

Theses and Dissertations

Oscheius tipulae is a species of free-living soil nematode that can be found in ecosystems worldwide. Because of this, individuals must be able to respond to heat, freezing, and desiccation stresses in order to survive. They do this by producing a suite of cellular responses, some of which are necessary to survive multiple stresses, and some are stress-specific. While these cellular responses are well known, the ways in which they are regulated in a genome-wide context are not. In this project, multiple high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were utilized to answer this question. First, the O. tipulae genome was …

Wayward Girls, Amanda Susan Osgood Jonientz

Theses and Dissertations

Wayward Girls represents a culmination of my creative and critical work at the

University of North Dakota. The dissertation includes a critical introduction, a collection of short stories, and a pedagogical article. In my critical introduction, I explain ways in which I manipulate narrative and time, the decisions I make about levels of discourse, my use and experimentation with conventional forms of plot, and my work in the short-story cycle genre. My collection of six short stories includes works about women at crucial turning points in their lives. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the stories range in time period from …

Mitigating Environmental Impacts Of Terminal Lake Flooding: A Case Study Of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Afshin Shabani

Theses and Dissertations

Devils Lake is an endorheic lake in the Red River of the North basin in northeastern North Dakota. During the last two decades, the lake water level has risen by nearly 10 m, causing floods that have cost more than 1 billion USD in mitigation measures. Another increase of approximately 3.0 m in the lake water level would cause spillage into the Sheyenne River. To alleviate this potentially catastrophic spillage, two artificial outlets were constructed. However, the artificial drainage of water into the Sheyenne River raises water quality concerns because the Devils Lake water contains significantly higher concentrations of dissolved …

The Mobility Of Semi-Volatile Trace Elements From Size Segregated Fly Ash Particles Generated During Pulverized Coal Combustion, Prasanna Seshadri

Theses and Dissertations

Fly ash generated from pulverized coal (PC) combustion has a wide size range, including some fine aerosols. Of particular concern is the abundance and mobility of elements present in the smaller size fractions of the ash, commonly referred to as PM2.5. These particles are usually enriched with toxic trace species which are classified as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) under the amended clean air act (CAA). Interest in the control of PM2.5 is motivated mainly by health considerations and also due to their role impacting the performance of air pollution control devices such as selective catalytic reducers (SCRs).

The three trace …

Examination Of The Depositional History Of The Lower Tyler Formation (Pennsylvanian) And Source Rock Analysis In Mckenzie County, North Dakota, Dilyn Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Results from source rock analysis and sequence stratigraphy techniques suggest the lower Tyler Formation in McKenzie County, North Dakota is a deltaic dominated environmental system. There is a complex relationship between marine and terrestrial deposition. The source rock analysis performed on seven key wells showed a majority of the samples consist of type III terrestrial kerogen. Five of those wells also indicated a type II marine kerogen. The sequence stratigraphy techniques applied showed the three high gamma ray shales marked high stand system tracts. The two paleosol facies present in the lower Tyler Formation overlie marine shales suggesting rapid sea …

The Role Of A Principal In Establishing And Maintaining Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis): An Ethnographic Case Study, Angela Wanzek

Theses and Dissertations

An ethnographic case study was used to examine roles of a principal in implementing and maintaining positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in one North Dakota elementary school. Observations, school documents, and semi-structured interviews were analyzed to identify the role of a principal. Skinner’s reinforcement theory and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory served as

theoretical frameworks.

Research indicates a trend in the increase of PBIS in schools across the country. A

need remains to identify the role of elementary principals utilizing PBIS in North Dakota

elementary schools. Certified and classified staff were interviewed to examine their

perspectives on the role of …

Analysis Of Pressure Distribution Along Pipeline Blockage Based On The Cfd Simulation, Lu Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Pipeline blockage, which results from solid and hydrocarbon deposition caused by changes in pressure, temperature, or composition, is a critical issue in oil & gas production and transportation systems. Sometimes blockage, which extends several miles in the long-distance pipeline, can be assumed as a new pipe with a smaller diameter. Therefore, it is imperative to detect the location and size of blockage in pipelines more accurately and efficiently to reduce the number of pipeline accidents.

This paper explores the distribution of pressure and pressure gradient through the pipeline without/with single blockage under different operating conditions. 3-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamic …

Digital Rock Analysis On Berea Sandstone And An Eor Study On Middle Bakken, Barco N. Yolo

Theses and Dissertations

Oil production from tight formations such as the Bakken Formation has experienced a boom in the last decade with recent breakthroughs in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, despite the technological progress, the oil recovery is still less than 10 percent, leaving a considerable amount of potentially recoverable oil. While miscible flooding is well understood in the conventional reservoir, it is not fully explored in unconventional reservoirs. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate different enhanced oil recovery techniques potential in tight shale plays.

In this thesis, the research studies CO2 and ethane interactions with oil at reservoir conditions through laboratory …