Digital Commons Network^™

Strengthening Traffic Safety Laws On The Crow Indian Reservation, Darcy Merchant

Theses and Dissertations

The Crow Indian reservation is located in south-central Montana. The reservation is one of the largest land-based tribes in Montana, encompassing an area of over three thousand square miles. The reservation borders the state of Wyoming to the south and the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation to the east. The reservation features a comprehensive transportation system that encompasses tribal, county, state, and federal roadways. Drivers and passengers who travel on these roadways are at higher risk for fatal and severe injury-related motor vehicle crashes than those in other reservations. This situation largely stems from the critical absence of targeted traffic safety …

Doctoral Student Mentoring: A Quantitative Analysis Of Faculty And Student Perceptions And Expectations, Laura Margaret Look

Theses and Dissertations

Doctoral student success is heavily influenced by the quality of mentoring and advising relationships with graduate faculty, yet doctoral student completion rates remain at a low rate of around 50%. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the mentoring relationships of doctoral students by surveying doctoral students and graduate faculty who mentor graduate students to identify their expectations for the mentor and mentee in the mentoring relationship. Data were collected from 155 students and 68 faculty in the spring 2024 semester at the University of North Dakota, a Midwest R2 institution. Nonparametric statistical analysis revealed several misalignments between …

Mindfulness And Modification Therapy (Mmt) Group Feasibility And Acceptability Among Prison Residents With Dysregulated Behaviors, Leslie Unger

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness and Modification Therapy (MMT; Wupperman, 2019) is a transdiagnostic therapy that systematically integrates aspects of six empirically supported treatments for impulsive and dysregulated behavior. As such, MMT may offer an efficient approach to addressing a variety of dysregulated behaviors, thereby supporting increased safety within carceral settings and enhancing goals of rehabilitation. To date, MMT has demonstrated positive results in community settings when treating substance misuse and anger/aggression, but it has not yet been examined in a prison setting. The present research examines the feasibility and acceptability of using a 14-session version of group MMT as a voluntary treatment option …

Military Recruitment And Retention: A Policy And Practice Analysis, Orly Naum

Theses and Dissertations

The ongoing decline in United States military recruitment and retention presents a growing challenge to sustaining an effective All-Volunteer Force (AVF), particularly within the United States Coast Guard, a branch that has historically been underrepresented in academic research, and across the Department of Defense (DoD). This convergent mixed methods study examined how generational cohorts and individual motivations influence recruitment and retention, integrating quantitative data from the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and qualitative survey responses from a veteran-rich collegiate population. The quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant differences in Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores between Generation Z (GenZ) and Generation …

Which University Faculty Are Successful Researchers? Developing And Testing Measures Of Research Competence To Predict Faculty Research Motivation And Success, Muhammad Salahuddin

Theses and Dissertations

University faculty play a pivotal role in producing research that leads to positive social change through the creation of new knowledge, enhancement of higher education quality, and improved university rankings. Faculty produce more when they feel competent, autonomously motivated, and acknowledged. Past studies have measured faculty research competencies using self-report scales that may contain biases, potentially leading to significant discrepancies in research outcomes. My program of research – a three-article dissertation – aimed to develop and validate the test-based measures of faculty research competence that can more reliably predict faculty research success. The three studies provide an enhanced understanding of …

Visible, Invisible: (Levantine) Arab American Men On Mental Health, Nesreen Jaber

Theses and Dissertations

To address the dearth in psychological research and practice in regards to Arab American men, this study examined the lived experiences of seven Levantine (Belad Al Sham) Arab American men with origins in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq. Semi-structured interviews, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and a Liberation Psychology framework were utilized to explore their definitions of mental health, their experiences of stigma, their experiences with mental health therapy, and their attitudes towards psychology and therapy. A total of seven superordinate themes emerged that highlighted the roles of gendered stigma, cultural incongruence in therapeutic praxis, Eurocentric norms in psychology, and conceptualizations of …

Mental Health Stigma Among Latiné Adolescents: Help-Seeking Intentions And Recommendations, Brenda D. Barragan

Theses and Dissertations

Latiné adolescents in the United States face increasing mental health challenges, including elevated rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and emotional distress, particularly in underserved regions such as the Midwest. Despite these needs, Latiné adolescents remain underrepresented in mental health research, particularly with respect to how cultural values and intersecting identities—such as gender, immigrant status, and perceived socioeconomic status—influence stigma and help-seeking behaviors. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study explored how mental health stigma and cultural factors shape help-seeking intentions and recommendations among 95 self-identified Latiné adolescents in North Dakota and Minnesota. The study examined two primary …

Precipitation Forecast And Verification For Suas Applications, Patrick Britt

Theses and Dissertations

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) have become a fast-growing part of air traffic in the United States. This significant growth is due to the numerous uses these systems can provide, both recreationally and professionally. Due to the small nature of the sUAS, any weather, regardless of intensity, plays a vital role in flight operations and planning. In a survey of sUAS pilots, it was found that precipitation was the most significant hazard of concern, and the most time-sensitive hazard, as precipitation conditions are most often checked by operators in the immediate moments before flight. This project aimed to create, analyze, …

Computational Prediction Of Hemolysis In Laminar Non-Newtonian Fluid, Nasim Gholizadeh

Theses and Dissertations

Hemolysis, the rupture of red blood cells (RBCs), is a critical concern in blood-circulating devices, requiring accurate predictions to ensure patient safety. This study investigates the sensitivity of hemolysis predictions to variations in viscosity models and hemolysis coefficients under complex flow conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using Ansys Fluent and OpenFoam on identical meshes with the FDA benchmark nozzle model. Under laminar flow conditions, CFD frameworks accurately predicted global variables, but variations in derived quantities, such as strain rate and vorticity, emerged due to differences in numerical solvers and gradient evaluation methods. These variations affected predictions of …

Examining A Year One Sor Implementation: A Mixed-Method Study Of Teacher Experiences And Student Literacy Scores, Christine Litzinger

Theses and Dissertations

With increasing national and legislative mandates prioritizing SoR practices, many schools are shifting their literacy practices to align classroom instruction, interventions, and screening to follow reading research, which can require a shift in pedagogy for individual educators and schools. This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study explored a year one implementation of the Science of Reading (SoR) in a mid-size midwestern school district during their first year of across-district literacy reform. Qualitative case study interviews were conducted of K-3 Classroom teachers (4) and literacy coaches (4). Emergent themes from the findings included value in high fidelity professional development, challenges related to resource …

Extreme Environment Tribological Studies Of Multifunctional Materials, Matt Malusky

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines polymer wear behaviors across polyether-etherketone (PEEK) and polylactic acid (PLA) composites in varying environmental conditions. Tribological investigations of ceramic and intermetallic coatings are explored in the context of material selection for lunar operation. In the first study, PEEK composites incorporating ternary nanolaminate ceramics, termed MAB and MAX phases, were tested in varying temperature environments above and below their expected glass transition temperatures to evaluate their tribological performance in comparison to a non-reinforced PEEK substrate. Results showed that under ambient conditions, both MoAlB (MAB phase) and Cr2AlC (MAX phase) ceramics stabilize the friction coefficient compared to pure PEEK, …

Chemical Looping As An Enabling Technology For Low-Carbon Energy Production, Junior Neguieh Domkam Nasah

Theses and Dissertations

Growth in global gross domestic product has historically been tied with high-carbon energy sources. Development of new low-carbon energy technologies is thus key to achieving a de-coupling of energy demand from economic growth. This dissertation evaluates the technical feasibility of a small-scale low-carbon solution referred to as Combined Hydrogen, Heat and Power (CH2P), a synthesis gas to hydrogen chemical looping process. The CH2P process is based on the steam-iron process and adopts multiple batch reactors to convert syngas in a two-step approach. First, the syngas is partially oxidized by reducing Magnetite (Fe3O4) to Wüstite (FeO) followed by complete oxidation in …

Beyond All Possible Doubt? The Shifting Of A Juror’S Conviction Threshold In Criminal Cases Based On Charge, Sentence, And Evidence, Sophie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

In criminal trials, jurors must make a decision that will forever change the defendant’s life (Couloute & Kopf, 2018), during which jurors may consider the impact that not convicting a guilty person may have (i.e., Type II error) or if the charge is worth the crime regardless of the defendant’s guilt (i.e., Type I error). Jurors may raise their conviction thresholds if they feel a type II error is favorable to a type I error. Researchers have discovered that in cases where charge severity (e.g., Kerr, 1978) or the perceived sentence (e.g., Kaplan & Krupa, 1986) is higher, jurors shift …

The Influence Of Active Galactic Nuclei (Agn) Feedback On Star Formation In Spiral Galaxies, Moreom Akter

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the influence of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) feedback on star formation in spiral galaxies by analyzing a sample of 324 red and 273 blue spiral galaxies from 115 low-redshift galaxy clusters. The multi-wavelength dataset combines optical emission line data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), X-ray luminosity from the Chandra X-ray & XMM-Newton observatories, and ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) measurements from GALEX and WISE. Using diagnostic emission line ratios, we constructed Baldwin, Phillips, and Terlevich (BPT) diagrams to classify galaxies based on nuclear activity. Our analysis reveals that most of the red spirals have AGNs and …

The Role Of Student Loan Debt On Delayed Homeownership Among Black American College Graduates, Dedan Makongoro Kusaga

Theses and Dissertations

The growing burden of student loan debt in the United States has raised significant concerns about its broader social and economic impacts, particularly on young adults’ ability to achieve financial milestones such as homeownership. Black American college graduates are especially affected, often carrying higher loan balances and facing greater financial barriers due to historical and structural inequalities. This quantitative study examined the role of student loan debt and other factors influencing delayed homeownership among Black American college graduates, using the public-use Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B: 2008/2018) dataset from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Findings indicated student loan debt, …

Thresholds In Modular Lattices, Daniel Atta Kwakye

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates threshold phenomena in infinite modular lattices, extending classical threshold theory beyond Boolean and distributive lattice settings. Specifically, let\(P\) be a finite graded modular lattice with a finite graded modular lattice with rank function \(r: P \rightarrow \mathbb {N}\). By adapting probabilistic combinational methods, notably the methods used by Janson, Łuczak, and Ruciński (2011), we establish rigorously that every monotone property \(F\subseteq P\) possesses a threshold under the chain-uniform random model.Formally, this threshold is characterized by a critical rank \(M^*\), at which the probability \(\mathbb{P}(\Gamma_M\in F)\) transitions sharply from nearly 0 to nearly 1 as the parameter \(M\) …

Studentification And Off-Campus Housing: A Case Study Of Grand Forks Near-Campus Neighborhoods, Alva Lindstroem

Theses and Dissertations

With national trends in higher education experiencing dwindling enrollments and personal economies increasingly strained, the University of North Dakota (UND) has grown to become the biggest public higher education institution in North Dakota, having effectively bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic drop in enrollment. Grand Forks, North Dakota, is the host of UND and home to a student body of over 14,000 as of 2023 fall semester. This study focuses on; to what extent is studentification taking place in Grand Forks, ND; and how the observed housing- and demographic patterns in Grand Forks align with, or diverge from, the broader …

The Effect Of Metallothionein-3 On Global Gene Expression And Transcriptome Of Kidney Progenitor And Urothelial Cells, Julia Kochanowski

Theses and Dissertations

Metallothioneins (MT) are low molecular weight, cysteine-rich, metal-binding proteins that protect against metal toxicity. MTs have several functions, such as transport of metals, detoxification of metals, and protection from metal toxicity. MT-3, first called growth inhibitory factor, was originally discovered as the Alzheimer’s disease gene. MT-3 has a unique structure with 7 additional amino acids. The role of MT-3 is unknown. Some studies suggest MT-3 plays a role in the immune system and with cisplatin resistance. RPTEC/TERT1 cell line is an immortalized cell line from the human proximal tubule of an adult kidney. It was determined that RPTEC/TERT1 cultures consisted …

Why Can't We Just Be: Native American College Student Sense Of Belonging At The University Of North Dakota, Gavin Michael Nadeau

Theses and Dissertations

Sense of belonging is a primary indicator of retention and persistence to graduation forNative American college students. Though more than doubling in the past 30 years, Native American college student enrollment has decreased since 2010 (197,000 in 2010 to 107,000 in 2021) (PNPI, 2021; NCES, n.d.). In 2020, Native American students’ 2nd year retention rate was more than 20% lower than their white peers at the University of North Dakota (UND, 2020). When college students of color feel like they belong, they are more likely to retain, persist, and graduate (Mowreader, 2024; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado et al., 1999). …

Investigating The Role Of Keratin 6 And Sox2 In Regulating Growth, Stemness, Basal/Squamous Expression, And Chemotherapy Response In Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma, Nelofar Nargis

Theses and Dissertations

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a prevalent and aggressive malignancy arising in urothelial cells, with arsenic exposure recognized as a significant environmental risk factor. It is categorized into two primary subtypes based on the extent of cancer progression beyond the bladder’s muscle wall: non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (NMIUC) and muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC). While NMIUC is associated with a relatively favorable prognosis, progression to MIUC is more aggressive and leads to significantly worse outcomes, including poor treatment response and increased metastasis. Squamous differentiation (SD) in UC is an emerging hallmark of aggressive UC, with patients often having poor prognoses and developing chemoresistance, …

From Emily To Loralei To Rory: A Qualitative Textual Analysis Of Scripts From Gilmore Girls For Real-World Application, Erin Mccann

Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of interpersonal communication and intrafamilial research, one dynamic, the mother and daughter pairing, is especially poignant in exploring the ties of closeness, the openness of communication and the potential for long-term impact on a daughter’s development. When studying the mother and daughter dynamic through a work of fiction, patterns can be observed without bias, allowing for evaluation of the strength of relationship and identification of broader implication to the discipline of family communication. In this study, a textual analysis was conducted evaluating 21 exemplary episodes of the 2000s television show Gilmore Girls focused entirely on the interactions …

Adaptblur: Adaptive Linear Filter For Enhanced Deep Learning Classification Performance, Ganesha Thondilege

Theses and Dissertations

Image preprocessing is crucial in deep learning models for high performance and accuracy. This study implements AdaptBlur, a dynamic linear filter developed from a second-order partial differential equation using finite difference approximations, which enhances image quality while preserving the image structure with dynamic parameters that are optimized through the Nelder-Mead optimization, minimizing mean square error to improve the effectiveness of the filter. Moreover, the study evaluates the impact of the results on model performance on deep learning classification using publicly available datasets. Experimentally, image classifiers trained on preprocessed data with the AdaptBlur filter perform much better than those trained without …

Addressing The Impact Of Unlicensed And Under-Licensed Teachers In Pk-12 Schools: How School Administrators Offer Support, Taylor Topinka

Theses and Dissertations

As the impact of the teacher shortage grows, more teachers are entering classrooms with incomplete teacher licensure. Related literature affirms that new-to-profession teachers experience what Danielson (1999) described as a “sink or swim in the deep end of the pool” culture as they attempt to navigate the beginning of their teaching career with an incomplete license or no license entirely (p. 251). The influx of partially-licensed teachers engaging students is a dilemma created by the growth of the teacher shortage. The purpose of this study was to address the impact of unlicensed and under-licensed teachers on student growth and achievement …

The Wicked Problem Of Moral Distress: Exploring The Experiences Of Rural Clinic Nurses, Sydney Rae Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Moral distress is an occupational hazard for nurses that can negatively impact nurses, patients, and the healthcare system. Moral distress has been well documented in high-risk care environments. Each nursing care environment has its own unique triggers for moral distress, but these triggers are unknown in rural clinic nurses. Design and Purpose: This convergent mixed methods study sought to gain a broader understanding of moral distress in nurses working in rural clinic settings.

Methods: Convergent mixed methodology was used to gain a broader understanding of moral distress in nurses working in rural clinic settings. Following ethical approvals, informed by …

Evaluating The Engineering Properties Of Waste-Modified Asphalt Binders And Mixtures As Inputs For The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design, Duncan Rioba Oteki

Theses and Dissertations

Pavements are essential for economic development and mobility, with asphalt dominating the US road network due to its cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, and recyclability. However, the environmental impacts of asphalt production and the depletion of virgin materials have driven the integration of waste products into asphalt mixtures to improve sustainability. This study evaluated the engineering properties of waste-modified asphalt binders and mixtures as performance-based inputs for the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). The rutting performance of ten asphalt mixtures commonly used in North Dakota was assessed using mechanistic and empirical tests. Mechanistic tests included the dynamic modulus (|E*|), Flow Number …

The Weapon Focus Effect On Memory For Male And Female Perpetrators, Faith Christel Aasen

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on the weapon focus effect suggests that weapon presence causes reduced memory accuracy for perpetrator details due to weapons being surprising and unexpected. The unusualness hypothesis suggests that a stronger weapon focus effect should occur when the perpetrator defies typical gender stereotypes, such as a woman holding a gun. The current study sought to examine how the weapon focus effect impacts eyewitness memory for male and female perpetrators, specifically exploring the magnitude of the effect on female perpetrators. The current study further investigated whether the own gender bias attenuates the weapon focus effect on memory for female perpetrators. …

Spatial And Temporal Assessment Of Meteorological Drought Using The Standardized Precipitation Index (Spi) And Its Effect On Crop Yield Over The Corn Belt Region Of The United States From 2000 To 2023, Victor Araya

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and global warming have contributed to extreme weather events and patterns, including severe flooding, earthquakes, wildfires, and drought. Drought happens to be the deadliest catastrophic event around the world. Drought's impact on ecosystems and local communities has been increasing in many parts of the world, including the United States and, most importantly, the corn Belt, which also happens to be the country's food basket. Understanding drought prediction and mitigation can be investigated through drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is considered the most reliable in this study. It is used in this study to present the critical …

Applying The 4d Model Of The Country Image To Explore The Relationship Between Saudi Arabia’S Sport Diplomacy And Its Perceived Image Among American Adults, Ibrahim Bin Jaman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between Saudi Arabia’s sports diplomacy and strategy of hosting major international sports events and its image among American adults. Notably, the Saudi government’s strategic use of hosting sports events aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, fostering economic diversification and promoting tourism. The conducted study examined American adults’ exposure to international sports events held in Saudi Arabian, this exposure’s correlation with the image of the country, and potential differences in the perception of Saudi Arabian between American adults who have been exposed to sports events in Saudi Arabia and those who have not. A …

Gender-Based Perceptions Of Confronting Prejudice In The Classroom, Mary Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Disparities exist between men and women in academia at the faculty and student level. Academically, women are judged as being weaker and inferior, and many describe experiences of sexism, often within the classroom setting. Few studies have investigated the impact of an instructor confronting sexism in the classroom. The current study examined the effects of an instructor’s gender, student’s gender, and instructor’s confrontation decision on students’ perceptions of the instructor, classroom environment, and the moderating effect of self-reported sexism. Participants read one of four vignettes describing an act of sexism in the classroom where a male (or female) instructor confronts …

Advanced Motor Control Using Td3 Model-Free Reinforcement Learning, Muhammad Azam

Theses and Dissertations

Motor control plays a critical role in industrial automation, ensuring the precise regulation of speed, torque, and position across various applications. Traditional motor control techniques, such as open-loop, closed-loop, and feedback control, have been widely used but face limitations in handling complex and dynamic systems. Recent advancements in machine learning (ML) offer potential improvements in motor control by enabling systems to learn optimal control policies autonomously. This research investigates the integration of Reinforcement Learning (RL) with Field-Oriented Control (FOC) for the control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs). The study aims to address a significant gap in reward function design, …