Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Saudi Citizen Perceptions Of Vision 2030 And Saudi Government Social Media Use To Promote Vision 2030, Essa Saleh Alkathiri

Theses and Dissertations

Public relations (PR) tools have enabled more communication between governments and citizens in the whole world. However, a single communication channel could be widespread among many governments. These PR tools help governments to share national goals, projects, and programs with their citizens. Grunig and Hunt (1984) highlighted that the value of two-way communication channels is better suited to develop an understanding between public organizations (i.e. governments) and citizens to establish both internal and external mutual public-organization or citizen-government understanding. However, the practical implementation of two-way communication channels for the government-citizen relationships and dialog remains is unclear. As a result, the …

Using Mentoring Enactment Theory To Explore How Saudis Receive Mentorship In Public Sector Organizations With Vision 2030, Mhammed Mosleh A Alzahrani

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored mentoring relationships inside Saudi’s public sector organizations by applying Mentoring Enactment Theory (MET), developed by Kalbfleisch (2002), which explored the relationships between mentors and proteges in an informal professional way. Relationships based on this theory are considered unique, and mentors and proteges have close relationships (Kalbfleisch, 2007). This study focused on Saudi employees on public sector organizations (N = 505) and what their perception about informal mentoring relationships in their workplace environment. Informal mentoring relationships in public sector organizations of Saudi Arabia was what this study was developed to explore using MET focusing on the informal mentorship …

The Art And Science Of Transition: A Descriptive Case Study Between A Two- And A Four-Year Institution, Kaylyn Marie Bondy

Theses and Dissertations

The vast majority of students who enroll in a two-year college intend to earn a bachelor’s degree. However, only about 14% transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree within six years (Jenkins & Fink, 2016). The need to increase the number of bachelor’s degree holders (Torpey, 2018), and the increasing number of students beginning at two-year institutions demands the creation of smoother transfer pathways (Handel, 2013). Vertical transfer students comprise a majority of transfer-related studies, however, little research has focused on the efficiency and efficacy of that process (Gard, Paton, & Gosselin, 2012). Institutions can strengthen transfer student resources with a …

Automation And Visualization Of Program Correctness For Automatically Generating Code, Jason Michael Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

Program synthesis systems can be highly advantageous in that users can automatically generate code to fit a wide variety of applications from high-level specifications without needing any low-level programming skills or knowledge of which type of data structures and algorithms should be used. NASA has developed and uses two of these systems, AUTOFILTER and AUTOBAYES. Though much is gained in terms of time and cost efficiency in the use of these systems, they suffer from an issue that is inherent in all code generator systems, the verifiability of the correctness of the generated code against the input specifications. Many times, …

Montana Coaches' Perceptions On Including Transgender Athletes In High School Interscholastic Sports And Its Effect On Team Chemistry, David L. Woods Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The eligibility of transgender students to participate in high school athletic sports is a polarizing topic in the United States of America. Questions of fairness within each competitive sport, along with precedents set in law and policy, both by the United States and by International Sporting Organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, shape arguments for or against transgender high school students' eligibility. Each state faces the decision of whether to base high school transgender athletes' eligibility in high school sports according to their gender identity, or their sex assigned at birth.

The study aimed to identify Montana high school …

Modified Two-Stage Exchange For Periprosthetic Joint Infection In Uka., Andrew G Yun, Marilena Qutami, Kory B Dylan Pasko

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare complication following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), and current management guidelines are still evolving. This report presents a novel surgical technique of resection arthroplasty with an articulated hemispacer as part of a 2-stage exchange protocol. A 66-year-old man developed a culture-negative PJI four months after a medial UKA. Rather than conventional full resection arthroplasty, the patient underwent partial resection with preservation of the lateral and patellofemoral compartments to maintain vascularized bone stock. An articulating hemispacer fashioned from the old implants after sterilization was reimplanted medially to preserve function during the course of antibiotic treatment. …

The Impact Of Age On Survival In Cll Patients Receiving Ibrutinib As Initial Therapy., Chaitra Ujjani, Anthony Mato, Brian T Hill, John N Allan, Frederick Lansigan, Ryan Jacobs, Alan Skarbnik, Hande Tuncer, John M Pagel, Danielle Brander, Bruce Cheson, Paul Barr, Lindsey E Roeker, Jeffrey Pu, Nirav N Shah, Andre Goy, Stephen J Schuster, Nicole Lamanna, Alison Sehgal, Constantine S Tam, Mazyar Shadman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Introduction: Recent randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of ibrutinib-based therapy in the treatment of patients with CLL. In Alliance A041202, a higher than expected number of unexplained deaths were reported with front-line ibrutinib in a patient population aged at least 65 years compared to ECOG 1912, which included patients up to 70 years of age.

Methods: Therefore, we conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate whether ibrutinib was associated with a greater mortality in older patients outside of a clinical trial setting. This multicenter analysis was performed by investigators at 20 academic and community practices.

Results: Amongst the 391 patients …

Agile Stage-Gate Management (Asgm) For Physical Products, John J. Salvato, Andre O. Laplume

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We present a qualitative study of Agile Stage-Gate Management (ASGM),: a hybrid new product development methodology that combines Agile and Stage-Gate Management (SGM) approaches for the coordination of new product development. When applied to software projects, Agile is expected to deliver reduced development times, improved resource utilization, and greater financial success. We examine whether ASGM practitioners realize similar outcomes in a sample of global firms developing complex electro-mechanical products (e.g., automobile components, railway propulsion systems, and medical devices). Our grounded theory approach articulates an understanding of ASGM through extensive interviews of experienced professionals. Our thematic analysis supports many expected benefits …

The Effects Of Agricultural Factors On Foodborne Bacterial Pathogen Isolation, Attachment, And Survival, Autumn Lea Kraft

Microbiological Sciences

The pathogens enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes are prominent causes of foodborne illness. If they reach the pre- or post-harvest environment of produce, they can survive for extended periods of time and transfer to post-harvest processing to reach consumers. There are a multitude of factors that influence this survival, bacterial attachment, and isolation, which have been identified for pre- and post-harvest conditions. However, how these pathogens respond to the changes in these systems requires more work to inform effective control methods. To compare the efficacy of an isolation method in different types of matrices, we used …

A Brief Overview Of Lung Disease Caused By Environmental Microorganisms, Aspergillus Fumigatus And Saccharopolyspora Rectivirgula, Missy Ann Berry

Microbiological Sciences

People often take breathing and respiratory health for granted, but our lungs are constantly inundated with damaging agents, making them highly vulnerable to injury and infection. Globally, respiratory diseases are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability. Many respiratory diseases are preventable; however, avoidance of ubiquitous microorganisms is not realistic. The aim of this paper is to discuss how two environmental microorganisms, Aspergillus fumigatus and Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula, affect cellular activity and cause lung disease. Prevention, control, and cure of respiratory disease is the ultimate goal and understanding the mechanisms of disease progression is the first step.

Geothermal Energy From Repurposed Oil And Gas Wells In Western North Dakota, Sidike Abudureyimu

Theses and Dissertations

Repurposing directional drilled Bakken oil wells to utilize ORC technology for electrical power generation is uneconomical for co-produced fluid in current active oil and gas fields in the Williston Basin. Geothermal power generation requires three crucial factors: heat source, sufficient and sustainable flow rate, and efficient binary technology. This feasibility study focuses on evaluating geothermal co-production fluid for current Sanish, Parshall, and Banks Bakken multi-wells pads. The wells lie within a 2.5-mile (4 km) radius within each field and extend to depths of 9,900 to 11,000 ft. (3 - 3.5 km). Within a 2.5-mile radius area, there are several multi-well …

Nurse Leader Influence And Nurse-Sensitive Outcomes In Critical Access Hospitals, Jennifer Diane Eccles

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Rural residents of the United States are sicker, are at higher risk of death, and have shorter lifespans than those in metropolitan areas (Singh & Siahpush, 2014). Nurse leaders may have the opportunity to influence improved patient outcomes in rural areas. No exploration of nurse leader influence as it relates to nurse-sensitive outcomes in rural healthcare settings was found in the literature. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences among nurse leader influence and nurse-sensitive outcome scores in critical access hospitals, which are rural in nature, in North Dakota as compared to other states in the …

Twice-Exceptional College Students Narratives: When Giftedness And Mental Health Intersect, Emily Dubord Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Gifted college students often arrive at universities with high GPAs and/or ACT/SAT scores. Their achievements in extracurricular activities such as in the arts, athletics, service, and leadership are well beyond the average student. To admissions representatives and faculty, these students look well-adjusted and successful on paper. However, many of these gifted college students come with unique challenges that go misunderstood, ignored, and underserved during their years in higher education—specifically involving their mental health.

There are copious amounts of literature on gifted K-12 students and their mental health behaviors but very limited research done on the gifted college student population. Although …

Public Perceptions Of Female Offenders And Their Treatment Needs, Laurel Purcel

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an abundance of research examining public perceptions toward various areas of the criminal justice system. Much of this research has focused on measuring public support toward punishment and rehabilitation for offenders within prison. However, less is known with regards to public attitudes toward female offenders. The current study examined public perceptions toward rehabilitation among offenders in general, and female offenders in particular, the risk factors that contribute to female offenders committing crimes, and toward various issues that are common among female offenders and their subsequent treatment needs. Two hundred and fifty participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical …

Contribution Of Intestinal Dysfunction To Alzheimer’S Disease Progression, Mona Sohrabi Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Longer life expectancies, due to advanced medical care, social, and environmental conditions, helped increase the number and percentage of Americans aging to ≥85. The number of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) age 65 or older is projected to be 7.1 and 13.8 million by 2025 and 2050, respectively. The total annual health care expense for AD patients is estimated to increase from $290 billion in 2019 to more than $1.1 trillion in 2050 (Association, 2019). Conclusively, AD is expected to become a more common cause of death and a major public health predicament due to aging of the baby boom …

Effects Of Intrapartum Nitrous Oxide Use On Comfort And Satisfaction With The Birth Experience, Tami Such

Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose: Increased availability of intrapartum nitrous oxide in the United States given recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of associated delivery devices has provided women an alternative intrapartum pain management strategy currently underutilized in the United States despite long standing history of effectiveness in other countries (Richardson et al., 2017b). However, the effect of pain on the experience of birth and present emphasis on patient-centered care and shared decision-making, potential improvement of women’s satisfaction with the birth experience when nitrous oxide is used was an understudied concept in extant literature. Also, given the possibility of pain and comfort as …

Narrative Transportation Effects In Relationship With Empathy, Compassion For Students, And Self-Compassion In Student Affairs Professionals, Miriam Margarita Wood Alameda

Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies found that audiences can become more empathic and form a positive view of a character as a result of Narrative Transportation (NT). Thus, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of NT on Student Affairs (SA) professionals. 78 SA professionals were randomly assigned to one of two narrative groups (text or video). The results of this study indicated that participants in the video group show greater transportation than those in the text group. Furthermore, SA professionals showed that being familiar with the student experience was more important than sharing an identity with the student …

Statistical Analysis And Machine Learning For Coal Classification For Rare Earth Elements + Y (Rey), Zachary Bartley Young

Theses and Dissertations

Due to their exceptional properties, rare earth elements (REEs) are critical to technological innovation in renewable energy production, electronics, health care, and national defense. They make up key components for many applications in the above areas. Many countries rely upon rare earth element imports. The high demand for rare earth elements has led to the development of alternative methods for exploration and capture. Coal has been labeled a viable potential source of rare earth elements and yttrium (REY). Statistical evaluation of REY concentrations and the properties of various coal samples is critical for successful characterization.

The USGS COALQUAL database Version …

Aging And Early Life Stress: Telomerase Dynamics And The Consequences For Telomeres In A Wild Bird, Jennifer Teresa Vangorder-Braid

Biological Sciences

Aging is an underlying risk factor for many major diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration. Yet we still do not know the full extent of how our bodies age and what determines our lifespan. One mechanism that may play an important role are telomeres, which are protective caps at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres are directly linked to longevity and can be lengthened by the enzyme telomerase. Early life telomere length is critical for lifespan, but we do not know how telomerase performs during this period. Whether variation in telomerase levels can influence telomere length and loss during development …

Red-Winged Blackbird Migration Distance And Its Relationship With Reproduction, Michelle Rachel Angelucci Eshleman

Biological Sciences

Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are one of the most commonly researched birds in North America. My study aims to build upon what is known about migration patterns and reproduction in this species. My first objective was to determine if individuals that breed together travel to similar overwinter locations and to investigate the similarities or differences in the timing of migratory movements. My second objective was to examine the relationship between spring migration distance and reproduction. In short, I found that female blackbirds travel to more southern overwinter locations than males. Males and females may be leaving the North Dakota region …

Optimizing Silk Protein Production Using An Engineering Approach, Kalleigh Emmalyn Meester

Biomedical Engineering

The acquisition of spider silk is a complex and costly process that restricts its availability. Increasing applications stemming from the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors is driving the demand higher, necessitating the need for efficient large-scale production. This thesis investigates 1) recombinant protein expression systems, 2) major ampullate gland cell culture techniques for natural silk production, and 3) process optimization of recombinant silk protein expression. Using a process engineering analysis, the current E.coli system expression system was found to be a cost-effective and efficient technique for silk production. While a Box-Behnken predictive model was developed to optimize expression conditions based on …

Growth Management Strategies For Downtown Development Focusing On Affordable Housing, Tyler Mcnutt

Architecture Theses

With an ever-growing world population, our cities, along with communities have continued to grow. The population in Kansas City Missouri, and the surrounding metropolitan area has increased each year. In 2018 the population was at 491,918 people. The city has a greater density than the surrounding metropolitan area at 1,472 people per square mile. With over population and growing communities on the rise, buildings are evolving daily. As buildings get demolished, another one is being built in its place. As city planners and developers attempt to connect better integrated designs within a city, the design of mixed-use buildings are increasing. …

Transcultural Education: Building Understanding Through Architecture, Olivia Mack

Architecture Theses

Architecture has the innate ability to control the environment in which it creates, so it presents itself as a tool for creating desired outcomes. This desired outcome is the change of social climate through Transcultural Understanding. With the use of qualitative observation analyses, methods of influencing cultural perception will be studied and applied to the project. Children’s minds are at a malleable state, so creating an educational center which emphasizes activities and interactions to promote inter-cultural interactions can result in transcultural Understanding as a learned social practice.

Risk Perception, Bias, And Resistance To New Food Tech: The Case Of Gmos, Michael David Wanlass

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

GMOs are very controversial among consumers. Many fear that they may have risks scientists are not accounting for. Some GMOs, such as GMO soybean oil, have concerns over their processing methods as well. Traditional risk assessments that only account for hazard do not take these fears into account. Including risk perception, bias, and resistance is a way to account for consumers’ fears. Risk perception, bias, and resistance together create an aggregate that in turn affects willingness-to-purchase. A discrete choice experiment assessed risk perception of, bias towards, and resistance towards GMOs. Respondents revealed their preferences between buying GMO or non-GMO soybean …

Soybean Quality And Market Factor Influence On North Dakota Origin Basis Values, Ryan Wayne Thompson

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

In North Dakota, origin soybean basis values place risk on market participants involved with trading the commodity. Researchers study market factors that influence origin basis values in order to better understand basis movements. Quality is an important component of basis values, but soybean quality in the form of crude protein and essential amino acid content may be implicitly reflected in the basis rather than explicitly in the flat price. A panel data set is created comprised of ten years of data ranging from 2009-2018 and across eight North Dakota agricultural statistics districts. This thesis utilizes principal component analysis to identify …

Income And Price Effect On Bilateral Trade And Consumption Through Expenditure Channel: A Case Of Chickpea, Michael Owusu Ansah

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Income and price affect chickpea trade expenditure and consumption expenditure share respectively. An empirical model was estimated to examine the trade effect through the expenditure channel using Almost Ideal Demand System and thus considering non-homotheticity in preferences. The results of the analysis indicated that global chickpea trade has increased from 100000 metric tons in 1988 to about 2.5 million metric tons in 2015. Between the same period consumption and production of chickpea had an increasing trend. USA and Canada had become part of the top 10 chickpea producers by 2015 signifying the increasing demand of chickpea in western countries. Factors …

Soybean Leaf Chlorophyll Estimation And Iron Deficiency Field Rating Determination At Plot And Field Scales Through Image Processing And Machine Learning, Oveis Hassanijalilian

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is the most common reason for chlorosis in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) and causes an average yield loss of 120 million dollars per year across 1.8 million ha in the North Central US alone. As the most effective way to avoid IDC is the use of tolerant cultivars, they are visually rated for IDC by experts; however, this method is subjective and not feasible for a larger scale. An alternate more objective image processing method can be implemented in various platforms and fields. This approach relies on a color vegetation index (CVI) that can quantify …

Optimization Of Methane Yield In Solid-State Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Dairy Manure And Corn Stover, Ademola Ajayi-Banji

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

Sole dependence on fossil fuel and the concomitant environmental concerns could be minimized through the optimization of green energy generation from the growing volume of onfarm organic wastes. In this mesophilic study, green energy, mainly methane, was optimized through the solid-state anerobic co-digestion (SSAD) of two on-farm organic wastes (dairy manure with corn stover). Factors considered to achieve the improved methane yield under a total solids of 16% were particle size of corn stover (0.18 – 0.42 and 0.42 – 0.84 mm), alkaline pretreatment type (thermo-chemical and wet state), alkaline-pretreatment reagent (NaOH, NH4OH, and Ca(OH)2) used for the corn stover, …

Characterization Of Biochar From Different Feedstocks Under Low And High Temperature And Their Effects On Greenhouse Gas Emission And Ammonia Volatilazation From Soil Incubation, Syed Md Wahidur Rahman

Agribusiness and Biosystems Engineering

Biochar is a potential soil amendment that likely to reduce GHG emissions from land application to soil, but their properties depend on biomass types and pyrolysis temperature. In this study, biochars were produced from different biomasses (wet distiller grains (WDG), dry distiller grains (DDG), and corn stover (CS)) at two temperatures (low & high). Biochars were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, proximate and ultimate analysis, elemental analysis, and morphological structure. Also, biochar's efficacy on GHGs and ammonia (NH3) emission were measured from soil and manure incubated at 25℃ for 76 days. DDG and CS derived biochar properties outperformed other biochars. …

Impacts Of Banamine Injection On Pain Responses Of Either Rubber Ring Castrated And Tail Docked Or Surgically Castrated And Docked Lambs, Paige Porter Anderson

Animal Sciences

Our hypothesis was that administering Flunixin Meglumine (FM) to lambs that were both rubber ring castrated and docked or surgically castrated and emasculator docked would decrease behavioral stress, serum cortisol, haptoglobin concentration, and wound and swelling score, but increase average daily gain. Rambouillet ram lambs (n = 181) were allocated with a completely randomized design in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Treatment combinations included rubber ring castration and docking (on ram lambs with administration of saline or FM) or surgical castration and emasculator docking (on ram lambs with administration of saline or FM). Ram lambs were castrated …