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Implementing A Standardized Sexual History Screening Tool For Sti And Hiv Prevention, Francis Kovac

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Timely sexually transmitted illness (STI) testing, treatment, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention in primary and urgent care can be done with proper screenings. Sexual history screenings are not conducted thoroughly in the primary and urgent care setting due to lack of provider training, provider and patient comfort, social stigmas, and the unavailability of a proper screening tool. A sexual history screening tool that identified high-risk sexual behaviors for timely STI testing, treatment, and HIV prevention was implemented within an integrated health clinic focusing on primary and urgent care patients aged 18-64. Eleven providers were asked to participate in the …

Enhancement Of The Performance Of Lignin-Derived Hard Carbons For Battery Applications By Chemical Pretreatment, Ruiqing Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Because of lignin's renewable and low-cost characteristics, lignin-derived hard carbons have been extensively studied as electrode materials for energy storage applications. However, the formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) during the first cycle in electrode materials and the loss of lithium/sodium ions during long-term cycling has a fatal impact on the performance of batteries. Recent technology is needed to improve lignin-based electrode materials' initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE).

In this study, pre-lithiation/pre-sodiation through the spontaneous chemical reaction between the aryl etherification reagent was used to improve the low ICE of the lignin-based anode material. Our results show that the ICE of …

Improving Coronavirus Recognition And Management In Adults In The Primary Care Setting : A Practice Change Project, Kira Bloxom

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Coronavirus-19 has been recognized worldwide as a respiratory illness that extended into a global pandemic in 2020. Despite the consistency of new reported diagnoses, many are eager to resume pre-pandemic life with less caution to the virus and its effect on healthcare. This project evaluated the use of a management protocol to improve Coronavirus-19 screening, testing, diagnosing, and treatment among adult patients in a primary care setting in Alabama. The project was implemented by two nurse practitioners, two medical assistants, and two clinic receptionists. Designed as a clinical practice change project, this intervention evaluated the following outcomes: staff knowledge level …

Land Acquistion For Flood Adaptation Under Changing Climate, Jiyang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Flood has caused tremendous life and economic losses over the past few decades and is expected to cause more in the future under the effects of climate change and socioeconomic development. With limited resources, cost-effective adaptation policies are urgently needed to minimize the economic and social impacts of future floods. The increasing flood losses and recent catastrophic flood events around the world expose two major issues of current flood adaptation schemes: 1) Flood risks are not well captured and predicted under climate change, leaving many communities unprepared for potential extreme flood events; 2) Current flood adaptation measures focus on the …

Conducting Fog Research And Abatement Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uas), Michael Douglas Willette

Theses and Dissertations

The tremendous safety and monetary impacts of long-duration fog events continue to spur interest in its anthropogenic dissipation. With the emergence of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) platform and the development of miniaturized atmospheric sensors, more efficient methods of fog research and anthropogenic fog dispersal may be achieved. The feasibility of a supercooled fog dispersal project in the Red River Valley and the efficacy of using the UAS platform to acquire in-situ fog microphysical data are explored. A 30-year climatology of the Red River Valley indicates increased supercooled fog potential between early November through early April, peaking in March. Five …

Indigenous Long-Term Supports And Services – Elders, Traditional Knowledge, And Tree Rings, Cole Allick

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Elders are rapidly aging and are a growing segment of Indian Country. Elders are critical to knowledge dissemination and enable the resiliency of Indigenous peoples through their teachings, wisdom, and guidance. There is a dire need to better understand and prepare for this rapidly aging population given that reliable data is limited or simply nonexistent. This dissertation in practice utilizes a framework inspired by Indigenous teachings of the Medicine Wheel and from the social ecological model to address the literature gap regarding Elders and healthy aging. This framework was created with intention that each …

Building Personal Friendships In A Multicultural Society, Fatemah Almadani

Theses and Dissertations

Friendship ranks highly among the social issues that develop and creates a stable andprosperous society. However, people tend to focus more on individuals who share social values while making friends. On the other hand, in a multicultural society, people work, leave, or learn together to share such values. The diversity of the origin of people living in the United States (US), especially in major cities, varies significantly regarding race, ethnicity, and religion, resulting in super-diverse urban setups. This study examined the multicultural friendship between international Arab students studying in the US and their American counterparts. The study was guided by …

Applying Human Error Framework To Explore Prevention Strategies For Wrong Surface Events, William Bowers

Theses and Dissertations

Wrong surface events are a serious and ongoing risk to aviation safety in the United States National Airspace System. A wrong surface event occurs when an aircraft lands, departs or attempts to land or depart from a surface other than the intended landing or takeoff, also including aircraft landing at the wrong airport. This research examined the contextual factors that contributed to human error ultimately leading to wrong surface events, assessed the efficacy of technology that can be used to prevent, and aviation professional’s awareness of wrong surface events in order to determine prevention strategies that can reduce occurrences in …

Spectral Classification Of Eight Stars In Open Cluster Ngc 457, Anthony Braden

Theses and Dissertations

This project aimed to perform spectral analysis and classification on eight target stars in the open star cluster NGC 457 with the University of North Dakota Space Studies Observatory. Selected targets came from a search in the SIMBAD database with a radius of two arcseconds around the cluster's center. The eight brightest stars in the visual spectrum were chosen, which did not have luminosity classifications. Six observing sessions were performed over two years to maximize data quality, given the unpredictability of terrestrial observations. Spectral data were acquired in both high- and low-resolution mode. The spectral data were calibrated and analyzed …

Stroke Survivors’ And Informal Caregivers’ Perceptions Of Depressive Symptoms After Stroke: A Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Study, Tanya Leigh Breckenridge-Trotter

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Poststroke depression (PSD) is a frequently occurring complication of stroke that affects up to 30% of all stroke survivors in the first 24 months after stroke. PSD has been correlated with increases in hospital length of stay and hospital costs, increased physical morbidity and mortality, the risk for recurrent stroke at one year, decreased functional outcome, decreased cognitive function, and decreased quality of life post stroke. Estimates are >50% stroke survivors with depressive symptoms are left untreated due to lack of recognition. Moreover, depression in family caregivers of stroke survivors may negatively influence stroke recovery and stroke survivor quality …

Women Of Asian Descent’S Experiences Of Racism And Sexual Objectification: An Examination Of Racially Expanded Sexual Objectification Model, Hohyung Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Despite of the apparent mental health disparities in the U.S. women of Asian descent population, less is known about the compounding effects of their experiences of gendered racism and sexism on their mental health. The majority of the existing literature, albeit limited, hinges on a nomothetic framework, overlooking the intra-group differences and the intersectionality of gender and racial identities. Objective: The overarching aim of the present study was to examine a racially expanded sexual objectification model in effort to understand women of Asian descent’s racialized and gendered experiences in relation to their overall subjective well-being. Method: A community sample …

Self-Identification From The Professional And Social Perspectives Of Flight, Carly Lane Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

The development of one’s identity is connected to the level of effort willing to be committed to goal achievement. Per Velleman (2006), what someone cares about, determines what they must do for survival (p.336). While identity has been dissected, the applicability of connection for social and professional ties within aviation has not been thoroughly processed. General aviation flying and that of airline pilots has been compared regarding skill and safety association, but not in identity construction. A population of airline pilots was researched, that may or may not have been actively participating GA, with attempt to establish factor recognition of …

Religion-Justified Childhood Maltreatment And Adult Psychological Maladjustment, Hannah Doctor

Theses and Dissertations

The perpetrator of religion justified child abuse relies on spiritual beliefs (religious texts, context, or authority) to justify acts of maltreatment. This form of abuse can be manifested in many different contexts including infamous scandals of sexual abuse committed by catholic priests and the physical/sexual/emotional maltreatment occurring at Native American or other boarding schools for troubled youth. Parents and caretakers often claim "to spare the rod is to spoil the child”. Previous research has suggested that maladjustment outcomes after traumatic events are less severe among victims with strong religious beliefs. This study hypothesized that religious justified abuse would be associated …

Ccl2 Suppression In Lewis Lung Carcinoma Model Enhances Host Survival And Immune Response In The Tumor Microenvironment, Nivedita Biswas

Theses and Dissertations

CCL2, a chemokine also referred to as monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and small inducible cytokine A, is chemotactic for monocytes. CCL2-induced recruitment of CCR2+Ly6C(hi) monocytes increases vascular permeability CCR2+ endothelium aiding the escape and migration of tumor cells. CCL2 is produced by cancers of varied immunogenicity and augments tumor proliferation and metastasis. Elevated CCL2 expression by tumor cells is linked to poor prognosis.We have previously shown that two bacterially derived superantigens, Staphylococcal enterotoxin G and I (SEG/SEI) stimulate large numbers of T cells in an antigen-independent fashion and promote enhanced survival in the poorly immunogenic B16-F10 melanoma model. Conversely, …

Integrating Environmental Education Into Teacher Preparation Programs, Jenny Bladow

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (1978) suggests that every citizen has the right to receive environmental education. Compared to previous generations, children today spend less time outdoors interacting with nature and all it offers. The current leisure trends are encompassed in technology as it becomes more accessible to children in the form of social media platforms or streaming on-demand TV shows. Perhaps there is a way to bring back the importance of nature and intertwine environmental education concepts into teacher preparation programs. In that case, there is hope for future generations of children to reap the …

Parental Telemental Health Satisfaction During Covid-19, Desiree Giesen

Theses and Dissertations

The outbreak of Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) rapidly became a global pandemic in early 2020, forcing the wide spread implementation of social distancing safety precautions. Most mental health services across the United States shifted from traditional in-person services to telemental health (telehealth) in order to safely treat their clients. Using a Grounded Theory theoretical framework, participants were interviewed using a semi-structured format regarding their telehealth experience during COVID-19. Participants were 12 parents whose children had received telehealth services. Themes emerged from their coded responses and were organized into four categories: COVID-19 Impact on Mental Health, Positive Elements of Telehealth, Negative Elements of …

Perceived Quality Of Life In Oil Boomtowns: A Case Study Of Western North Dakota, Ian Nathaniel Geller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in the quality of life (QoL) perceived by long-term community members in oil boomtowns in Western North Dakota. The study focused on basic QoL indicators and indicators based on oil boom effects. This study explored what QoL indicators mattered most to long-term community members. The main method in this study was a principal component analysis (PCA) done on two surveys from 2012 and 2020 which included many indicators related to oil boom effects. This statistical method grouped together indicators related to each other according to the perception of long-term community …

An Investigation Into Impacts Of Microphysics Parameterization Schemes On Radiation Fog Within A Large Eddy Simulation Framework, To Small Unmanned Aircraft System Operations, Joseph Lafayette Gufford

Theses and Dissertations

Fog is a threat to the operations of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). Improved fog forecasting will allow for more timely dissemination of warnings, allowing operators to maximize operational time and to minimize flight cancellations. The impacts of grid spacing and microphysical parameterization were examined to study their influences on fog formation in the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical weather prediction model. An ensemble of forecasts was produced, wherein varying grid spacings (1 km and 0.333 m) were permuted with different microphysics schemes (single and double moment) for two different fog events. It was found that sub-kilometer grid spacing improved …

Enhancing Resin Composite Using Nanoparticle Embedded Jute Fiber And Exploring Plant Polymer For Biomedical Applications, Md Sultan Mahmud

Theses and Dissertations

The severe detrimental effect of nondegradable and toxic synthetic materials on the environment in the last couple of decades has led researchers to focus more on eco-friendly products such as building materials, medical instruments, sports, textile, and automobile industries. Lignocellulosic plants and their fibers are the first choices for both material and biological science researchers due to their chemical structure, abundance, low cost, and nontoxic nature. These plants are composed of three major biopolymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose is the most abundant polymer. In the recent past natural fibers have attracted substantial importance as potential structural materials …

Remote Sensing Of Chlorophyll-A In Small And Medium Lakes In The Minnesota Northern Forest Ecoregion, Jacob Alan Moll

Theses and Dissertations

Algae blooms have become increasingly common in many bodies of water and are occurring in more and more new locations. Past methods have relied on in-situ sampling to determine Chl-a concentrations and can be time and cost intensive. With the use of NASA’s Harmonized Landsat imagery existing methods of index calculation can be implemented, with the added benefit of an increase in temporal resolution. This increase in temporal resolution allows for more detailed spatial and temporal analysis such as hot spot analysis. Harmonized Landsat imagery was proven sufficient in spatial and temporal resolution for detection of Chl-a in small and …

Exploring Organizational Recidivism With A Focus On Federal Environmental Crime, Isaac M. Mvula

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the recidivism rates of organizational offenders convicted of federal environmental crimes. Individual recidivism has received considerable attention from re-searchers over the years. This is not so with organization recidivism. This dissertation aims at put-ting greater light on this subject. The study focuses on environmental crime because of the critical need to preserve the earth’s ability to sustain life. Federal environmental criminal prosecution da-ta maintained by the EPA was the study population. The population included prosecutions of organizational offenders from 1994 to 2013. The total number of organizational prosecutions was 73625 and the total number of organizational offenders …

“Blue” Hydrogen & Helium From Flare Gas Of The Bakken Formation Of The Williston Basin, North Dakota: A Novel Process, Martin R. Leipzig

Theses and Dissertations

Is it possible to curtail flaring in the Williston basin while simultaneously sequestering carbon dioxide, harvesting economic quantities of natural gas liquids, helium and other valuable products? Utilizing a novel approach described here, diatomic hydrogen and elemental helium, as well as other products, can be profitably extracted from the gas streams produced from horizontal, hydraulically-fractured Middle Bakken Member wells, in the Devonian-Mississippian Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA.However, there are two vastly different methods employed to extract these gasses. Hydrogen is harvested from the gas stream by physically reforming methane (CH4) through the application of one or …

A Data Driven Approach To Optimize Re-Fracturing Operations In The Williston Basin, Joshua Kroschel

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the recent paradigm shift focusing heavily on cost minimization, many operators are now re-developing existing assets at much lower costs instead of developing newly drilled wells. Although it may seem that the hydraulic fracturing process on a well would be easier after initial stimulation, this is not usually the case and is often more difficult. Being able to identify high margin effects of treatment parameters will help engineers design hydraulic fracturing treatments to minimize average STP (STP) and minimize costs. This research develops a feature engineered multivariate regression model that identifies several high margin areas for STP reduction. …

Determining The Optimum Ground Coal Bottom Ash Content For Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure, Sandip Poudel

Theses and Dissertations

Cement production requires a high amount of energy and natural resources which has a high impact on the environment due to harmful gas emissions. Coal bottom ash (CBA) or Coal Boiler Slag (CBS) is the byproduct of coal-fired power plants that has pozzolanic properties. CBA or CBS can be mechanically ground to obtain Ground Coal Bottom Ash (GCBA) or Ground Coal Bottom Slag (GCBS). GCBA has the potential to replace cement in concrete which will reduce the waste in landfills, make economic benefits, preserve natural resources, and reduce health hazards. This research was performed to determine the optimum GCBA or …

Understanding How North Dakota Teachers' Knowledge, Beliefs, And Confidence Are Constructed In An Asynchronous Professional Development Course, Mckenzie Rabenn

Theses and Dissertations

Many researchers have argued that teachers are the most important school-related factor to increasing a student’s academic performance. In turn, schools often turn to professional development (PD) to strengthen educators’ performance and knowledge levels. Indeed, PD can be a prime tool to improve school performance. However, its efficacy is determined by how it is perceived by teachers.

This study examines the experiences of North Dakota elementary teachers who, in response to statewide legislation, enrolled in an online PD and how their experiences shape their knowledge, beliefs, and confidence. Research has demonstrated that these three constructs (knowledge, beliefs, and confidence) have …

Application Of Dynamic Techno-Economic Assessment: A Case Study In Rare Earth Element Extraction, Michael Ryder

Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth elements are critical materials for many technologies driving the energy industry forward. However, there is increasingly low security and lack of sustainability of current supplies. New sources and processing methods are needed and are being intensely investigated among U.S. energy leaders such as rare earth extraction from lignite coal in North Dakota. A critical need is to confirm the technological and economic viability of these approaches, aspects which are inherently interconnected, would benefit from a dynamic approach. The current approach is Techno-Economic Assessments (TEAs). TEAs evaluate the economics of the process and commercialization of the technology for viability …

Faculty Experiences Of Implementing Co-Teaching Strategies, Krystie Lynn Seese

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is defined as two or more certified teachers working together to meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classroom, especially students with disabilities. Co-teaching is a widely implemented method used in public schools to educate children with and without disabilities in the general education setting to comply with state and national legislation requirements. There are six commonly used co-teaching strategies and approaches: one teach, one observe; one teach, one assist; parallel teaching; station teaching; alternative teaching; and team teaching. The research questions asked and answered were: What approach is most widely used and most effective at the …

Machine Learning And Data Mining To Validate The Prognostics And Predictive Breast Cancer Biomarkers On A Large Racially Diverse Population, Kalli Scheafer

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer biomarkers have great potential in providing clinicians more individualized information about the composition and outcomes of a patient’s breast cancer. However, many breast cancer biomarkers have not been evaluated on a large scale or in groups of patients with diverse characteristics, leading to difficulty in their translation to having an impact on patients. In this study, we compile a large, pooled breast cancer patient data cohort and evaluate breast cancer biomarkers on patients with diverse characteristics. Biomarkers are found to have varying expression patterns within the different breast cancer subtypes, validating the need to evaluate biomarkers on patient …

Unitary Transformation And Trust-Region Optimization Of Localized Orbitals Using Riemannian Manifolds, Aliakbar Sepehri

Theses and Dissertations

The focal point of this dissertation is unitary transformation containing an important class of operators and their representations. The unitary operators hold a prominent position in quantum chemistry because they can be employed to describe transformations (rotations) between orthonormal bases and leave invariant essential properties of a system (e.g., trace of a matrix and inner product between two vectors). This dissertation investigates computational studies of both energy optimizing and non-optimizing unitary operators. Liberal use of elements of differential geometry is made, which allowed development of second-order (or Hessian) based approaches on a manifold. The study of unitary operators also provided …

When The Verdict Is Not So Black And White: Juror Perceptions And Judgments Of Biracial Defendants, Mariah Sorby

Theses and Dissertations

Racial disparities are a persistent issue within the United States criminal justice system. Past research has investigated how defendant characteristics (e.g., race and phenotype) and juror attitudes and beliefs (e.g., stereotypes and prejudice) influence mock juror case judgments and perceptions. This literature has primarily investigated outcomes for monoracial defendants. However, there is a significant need for research investigating outcomes of multiracial defendants. The purpose of this project was to investigate the influence of phenotype, crime stereotypes, and juror attitudes on case judgments and perceptions of Black-White Biracial defendants compared to White and Black defendants. Participants were randomly assigned to view …