Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Gemütlichkeit Verboten: The Influence Of World War I Anti-German Sentiments On Prohibition, Susanne Schenk Watts

Theses and Dissertations

The proximity and simultaneity of World War I and Prohibition pose questions of a shared and connected relationship. The current historiography falls short to connect these two seminal events and their impact on German-American communities. This study expands the existing literature by analyzing the reactions of two German-American communities (New Ulm, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri) to Prohibition against the backdrop of anti-German sentiments of World War I. Using a diverse range of sources (anti-German war propaganda material, Anti-Saloon League posters, material from the United States Brewers’ Association and US Senate investigation, as well as German and English-language newspapers from …

Predictive Ecology: Simulating Long-Term Changes In Forest Populations Responding To Various Reintroduction Methods Of The Bc3f3 American-Chinese Chestnut Tree., Shelby Dawn Young

Theses and Dissertations

Vida is an explicit biometric simulator tool used to predict multiple aspects of plant populations and community dynamics. Vida is a growth model combined with a reiterative algorithm. The software is written in Python and uses species-specific growth data to model virtual forest ensembles based on each species’ growth parameters. Biometric modeling tools like Vida are reliable because they are based on mathematically observed biological truths, of which scientists can use to enhance the predictive power of ecological approaches in different areas. These simulation outputs can be used to demonstrate the ways a forest grows over time. The user can …

Mapping Land Use And Land Cover Change And Its Impact On Landscape Structure And Amphibian Functional Connectivity In The Prairie Pothole Region, Taylor Holm

Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring land use and land cover (LULC) change and its effect on habitat availability and connectivity is crucial for species conservation and management. This is most efficiently accomplished at a sufficiently broad scale using remote sensing technology. Current approaches benefit from freely available data sources such as National Land Cover Database (NLCD), derived from 30 m Landsat imagery. However, temporal frequency and spatial resolution of NLCD may be insufficient for some applications. Specifically, 30 m resolution data may not detect small or narrow landscape features that may be important habitat for small animals such as amphibians. Other available data sources, …

Surfactant-Nanoparticle Augmented Systems For Enhanced Oil Recovery: Formula Development And Evaluation, Xun Zhong

Theses and Dissertations

Surfactant enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology has received much attraction due to its excellent capability to increase the displacement efficiency by altering the wettability, lowering the oil-water interfacial tension and mobilizing the remaining oil. However, surfactant systems are widely acknowledged to have either low or high adsorption on solid (rock/clay/sediment) surfaces. The adsorption density can be affected by adsorbents, surfactant structure, experimental conditions and some other factors. Also, the driving forces for adsorption vary with different surfactants types. Generally speaking, electrostatic interactions are more prominent for anionic, cationic and zwitterionic surfactants, while chemical interactions are more common for nonionic surfactants. …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Transcriptional Responses In Stress-Induced Human Cells, Sayantani Ghosh Dastidar

Theses and Dissertations

Precise regulation of gene expression is essential for maintaining cell homeostasis and survival. Rapid responses to intracellular or extracellular stimuli involve highly regulated genome-wide changes in the transcriptional landscape. However, works on transcriptional regulation thus far has been primarily focused on genes and gene promoters. Consequently, ubiquitous transcription outside of genes has been greatly neglected. Therefore, in order to understand genome-wide transcriptional changes with stimuli, we looked at transcription factor distribution, RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) dynamics, histone changes, chromatin accessibility at both promoters and promoter-distal regions along with changes in gene transcription. With this approach, we were able to …

Change Theory And Perceptions Of Innovation From Educators Within K-12 Schools In The State Of North Dakota, Ryan P. Lyson

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the years, policies and mandates have influenced education and forced many school districts, administrators, and teachers to change instructional practices, content, and the overall structure of the school day. Accountability is a common theme in education because many school leaders and districts are trying to work within the parameters given by the State of North Dakota in order to meet the requirements for the state standards which are founded on common core, accreditation visits, state-mandated assessments, and teacher-evaluation components. Innovation is a compelling topic in education; however, there has not been much research that focuses on North Dakota

The …

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 …

Mass Shootings As The New Normal: An Evaluation Of Wikipedia Data And Flashbulb Memories As A Measurement Of Public Perception, Richard Belz

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: As mass shootings have become more frequent in recent years, one question that arises is whether the public’s attention and memory of these mass shootings may be becoming less salient over time. To evaluate changes in the saliency and public interest in these tragedies, this two-part study 1) utilized open access data from Wikipedia and 2) measured the presence of flashbulb memories (FBM) for these events.

Methods: For Part I, changes in byte size and edits in 19 mass shooting Wikipedia articles were examined over 12 months to determine public interest in these events. In Part II, 500 participants …

Juror Perceptions Of Interview Quality From Child Victims With Autism, Megan Blackburn

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can affect multiple memory abilities, including episodic memory, source monitoring, and relational processing. The possibility of these memory deficits can affect how a child with ASD testifies in court if they are the victim or witness to a crime. These testimonies are especially crucial for Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) cases where one of the biggest challenges is the lack of physical evidence in most cases, which leads to an abundance of trials relying on the initial forensic interview with the victim and victim testimony. Due to this, and the increased chance of affected memory abilities, it …

Carbon-Dioxide Pipeline Infrastructure Route Optimization And Network Modeling For Carbon Capture Storage And Utilization, Karthik Balaji

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a technology value-chain which can help reduce CO2 emissions while ensuring sustainable development of the energy and industrial sectors. However, CCUS requires large-scale deployment of infrastructure for capturing feasible amounts of CO2 that can be capital intensive for stakeholders. In addition, CCUS deployment leads to the development of extensive pipeline corridors, which can be inconsistent with the requirements for future CCUS infrastructure expansion. With the implementation and growth of CCUS technology in the states of North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah in mind, this dissertation has two major goals: (a) to identify …

Mountain Lions In North Dakota: A Public Opinion Survey, Theodore A. Darnell

Theses and Dissertations

Breeding mountain lion (Puma concolor) populations currently inhabit the western portion of North Dakota. In recent years, apparent increases in human-lion interactions across North Dakota, and other Midwest states, have challenged wildlife managers who strive to balance biological and social carrying capacities of these animals. In 2019, we surveyed 2,000 residents of North Dakota, USA, using a self-administered mail survey to discern knowledge of and attitudes towards mountain lions, and to explore whether the presence of these animals would influence decisions to recreate in western North Dakota. Our questionnaire included 12 questions designed to ascertain respondent attitudes towards mountain lions. …

Variables Influencing Help-Seeking Intentions For Early Symptoms Of Alzheimer’S Disease In An American Indian And Alaska Native Sample, Autumn Arch

Theses and Dissertations

Guided by the Sociocultural Health Belief Model (SHBM) of dementia care-seeking, this study aimed to evaluate the role of several factors, including health system barriers, cultural beliefs and knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease, in predicting help-seeking intentions for early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Participant recruitment and study procedures took place online. Participants completed a series of online surveys designed to assessed predictor variables from the proposed model and help-seeking intentions from several care sources (i.e., informal, traditional, and biomedical). A total of 118 participants were included in the final sample. Three-step hierarchical regressions were conducted to …

A Critical Race Examination Of The Lived Experiences Of Persistent African American Students At A Predominantly White Community College, Elena Favela Naca

Theses and Dissertations

For well over a century, African Americans have fought for equal rights to employment, prosperity, political power and freedom. Earning an education was the way forward. Over time, legislative and institutional policies have created greater access to education for racialized individuals. Yet, African American students remain the most underserved population, and among the lowest in degree attainment across ethnic groups. Decades of research literature places blame on students and families, highlighting student deficiencies. Far fewer explanations in the literature point to institutional barriers that perpetuate practices that place African American students at a disadvantage. Critical Race Theory (CRT) offers a …

Safety Culture In Collegiate Aviation: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Between Multiple Universities, Robert Foster

Theses and Dissertations

A concurrent-embedded mixed method was used to evaluate observed outcomes of safety culture among multiple collegiate aviation programs in the U.S. A hypothesized model that measures the relationships between scales of safety management systems (SMS), safety motivation (mediator), and safety behaviors (safety compliance, safety reporting, and safety participation) was assessed using structural equation modeling/path analysis (SEM/PA). Demographic differences in safety culture were also evaluated. Semi-structured interviews were used further to understand the impacts of SMS on safety culture. Findings suggest significant predictive relationships between SMS and observed safety culture outcomes. There was also a significant mediation role of safety motivation …

The Impact Of Clinician Attachment Style On Burnout And Job Satisfaction: Introducing Mindfulness As A Mediator, Jill Marie Calderon

Theses and Dissertations

Attachment style is theorized to develop in childhood, as a result of the bonds that develop between child and caregiver. The research has shown individuals with an insecure attachment style are more at risk for job burnout and less satisfied with their jobs. This study proposed, mindfulness may be the internal process influencing the relationship between attachment style, burnout and job satisfaction. Mindfulness is defined as paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally and has found to be positively correlated with secure attachment styles. Additionally, mindfulness has shown to have a negative relationship with burnout and a positive …

The Impact Of Safety On Fleet Acquisition And Management In U.S Commercial Airlines, Dinusha Sammani Gunarathna

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of aircraft safety is pervasive in many domains of the airline industry and it influences all types of air transportation operations. Aircraft acquisition and fleet planning are key functions in a commercial airline to ensure the achievement of the airline’s operational goals such as matching capacity with demand. With fluctuations in passenger demand, it is vital to strategically plan an airline’s fleet to best accommodate these changes and to safely do so. Existent literature suggests that aircraft safety is factored into passenger decision to choose an airline which then impacts the economics of an airline. The purpose of …

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, …

The Role Of Candidate Gender And Political Support: An Experimental Approach To Understanding Voter Perceptions And Support For Female Presidential Candidates, Jenna Nichole Laurin

Theses and Dissertations

Female candidates are at a disadvantage in the political sphere, facing underrepresentation and stereotype hurdles at all levels of elected office. While female candidates have overcome some of these obstacles and won elections at the state and local levels, there has never been a female candidate elected President. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether female and male candidates are judged differently on measures of competence, warmth, traits, and willingness to vote. Employing a 2 (candidate gender) x 2 (participant gender) x 2 (candidate party) manipulation, 370 participants read a fictitious article about Presidential candidates and rated …

Detection And Characteristics Of Blowing Snow At Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica During The Aware Field Campaign, Nicole Loeb

Theses and Dissertations

Blowing snow is an impactful process in cold climates that affects regional thermodynamics, radiation properties, and the surface mass balance of snow. Though it has significant climatic impacts, the process is still poorly understood and not widely included in weather and climate models. In 2016, the AWARE Field Campaign saw the deployment of a large suite of in situ and remote sensing instruments to McMurdo Station, Antarctica allowing for investigation of blowing snow. A ceilometer-based blowing snow detection algorithm used elsewhere in Antarctica is applied to data from AWARE, yielding a blowing snow frequency of 14.1% compared to 8.2% as …

Influences On The Development Of Ethical Decision-Making In Speech-Language Pathology Students: A Phenomenological Study Of Graduate Students And Clinical Supervisors, Joni K. Mehrhoff

Theses and Dissertations

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serve as members of the interprofessional team for complex patients. As such, SLPs are required to uphold ethical practices and respond to the needs of patients, their families, healthcare organizations, and the interprofessional team. Speech-language pathology graduates are part of the ethical healthcare team during clinical experiences. Yet, limited research is available to define the development of student ethical decision-making. The purpose of this study was to explore what influences SLP graduate students and clinical supervisors ascribe to in the development of ethical decision-making. Participants included five SLP graduate students and six SLP clinical supervisors from accredited …

Evaluation Of Gas Hydrate In Gas Pipeline Transportation, Paschal Ogadi Mokwenye

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrate formation and deposition is an inherent problem in the gas production industry. It causes plugging in pipelines and damages to equipment such as pumps and separators. The safest and most cost-effective strategy in preventing hydrate formation is predicting their formation temperature or pressure. This study involves the development of an empirical model to calculate the hydrate formation temperature by carrying out nonlinear regression on 460 experimental data points using MATLAB software. The values were compared to five other reputable models. The model showed superior accuracy in calculating the reference experimental temperature over the other models. Also, the model produced …

Bio-Regenerative Life Support Systems Functional Stability And Limitations, A Theoretical Modeling Approach, Curt I. Holmer

Theses and Dissertations

Experiments with Ecological Closed Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for moderate sized crews have shown instability when supporting crews over long periods of time required for deep space travel. Tests such as Russia’s BIOS series, NASA’s Lunar-Mars Life Support Test Project (LMLSTP), ESA’s Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA), and Japan’s Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF) have shown that microalgae and higher plants combined with physical-chemical material converters can be a successful part of a Biological Life Support System or a Closed Ecological Life Support System. LMLSTP, MELiSSA, and CEBAS experiments as well as commercial Ecosphere products have proven stability at …

Molecular Simulation Study Of Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods In Tight Formation, Chuncheng Li

Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin is a typical tight formation with the predicted primary oil recovery of less than 10%, which results in large amounts of oil remaining in the reservoir. Therefore, an effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method for recovering the residual oil is crucially important. To obtain the microscopic EOR mechanisms, molecular simulation methods including Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were applied to study the various EOR methods, such as CO2 injection, hydrocarbon gas injection, and nanofluid flooding. A series of molecular models, including bulk systems, interfacial systems, and nanoconfined systems, …

Student Athlete Perceptions On Coaches' Relationships Impacting Continued Participation In High School Athletics, Mark Allen Rerick

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher’s purpose for this study was to review and analyze student-athlete perceptions of their high school athletic experience based on one school district’s collected data. This research provides athletic directors knowledge and direction to better define the philosophy, goals, and organizational structure of their athletic departments. Using quantitative and qualitative data, the researcher examined secondary data collected to identify reasons student-athletes participate in athletics as well as understand why some student-athletes may not continue their participation in high school athletics. The researcher also explored the contrasting goals of privately run sports clubs and high school sponsored athletic programs and …

How Affect Rhetoric And A Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements Of The Twenty-First Century, Amanda Frances Pasierb

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores three youth digital social movements, which have taken place throughout the twenty-first century: the Invisible Children movement of Uganda, the Bring Back Our Girls movement of Nigeria, and the Never Again movement of the United States. Using rhetorical analysis of each movement, I explore the relationship each has with youth, digital, social movement, and activism. Specifically, I seek to answer the following research questions: (1) with youth in the forefront of each movement, how have the movements utilized affective rhetoric to promote and gain support, and (2) how have youth digital social movements evolved throughout the twenty-first …

Transitions In Tumultuous Times: Teachers’ Experiences With Distance Learning Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lisa Ross-Hain

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 prompted the first nationwide extended educational disruption, resulting in many challenges for teachers as they were forced to a distance teaching and learning model. Educators modified curricular content, delivery, and assessment methods to accommodate and engage learners and maintain academic expectations while at the same time attempting to mitigate undue stress for their students. Teachers met this task with little to no adaptive expertise to draw from, as few had previous experience with distance teaching. Constructivist theory guided this qualitative study exploring teachers’ experiences in distance learning through a lens of adaptive …

Modelling Of A Microgrid Using Z Notation, Binisha Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

A Microgrid is a group of electrical sources and connected loads that operate energy grids in grid-connected or islanded mode. Microgrid usage has increased recently due to improved technology andthe effectiveness of renewable energy sources. To produce a balanced and stable power supply frommicrogrids and meet the load demand is a challenging research area in both the electrical engineering and software engineering fields. This work presents a formal model for representing the microgrid system to prevent failure or inconsistencies in the power generation and usage. A methodology for creating a formal model for a microgrid is a critical approach to …