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Item Economic Benefits of Precision Agricultural Technologies(North Dakota State University, 2022) Jahan, MohsinaThe purpose of this research was to build a model of profitability that can be used by individual farmers to calculate the net benefits of using precision agricultural technologies on their farms. Three case farms were selected. Partial budgeting analysis is used to calculate the net profit effect of adopting precision agricultural technology bundles. Two scenarios were compared: farms adopting precision agricultural technologies and farms not adopting. Revenues and costs that differ between the two scenarios are included in the model. A six-step process was employed and @Risk was used to account for risk. Results show that adopting PA is profitable for farms with moderate input use variability and this is amplified with higher input prices.Item Psychological Stress, Stress Reactivity and Blood Glucose Metabolization During Pregnancy(North Dakota State University, 2020) Strahm, Anna MarieGestational diabetes mellitus impacts between 3-10% of pregnancies, and increases the risk of pregnancy complications and lifelong health effects for mother and child (Bellamy, Casas, Hingorani, & Williams, 2009; Ross, 2006; Ryser Rüetschi et al., 2016). About half of cases occur without an evident risk factor (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 1994; Dode & Santos, 2009). The present study was designed to examine possible psychophysiological connections linking psychological stress and stress reactivity, the magnitude of an individual’s response to stress, to blood sugar metabolization during mid-pregnancy between 24-28 weeks gestation. Participants were recruited from Sanford Health in Fargo, where patients underwent routine Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing (OGTT) a diagnostic assessment in which higher results indicate less blood sugar metabolization. They also completed a Virtual Trier Social Stress Task while psychological and physiological markers of stress reactivity were assessed. Additionally, maternal stress and stress reactivity were assessed using psychosocial questionnaires. There was support for proposed psychophysiological connections, including models in which positive associations between OGTT and maternal stress and anxiety were moderated by psychological stress reactivity. Results suggest that both the presence of stress and a women’s responses to that stress are influential over blood glucose metabolization during pregnancy. Continuing research in this area may have implications for improving outcomes of women at higher risk of GDM and other adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes.Item A Professional Development Plan for Educators Working with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning into Standard Childcare Settings(North Dakota State University, 2022) Reiser, Jennifer LeeStandard childcare centers are continuing to become more inclusive to individuals of all abilities. Transition plans from specialized services such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) often include discharge criteria and a discharge transition plan for the child, but often do not include any training or development plan for educators in a standard childcare setting. Due to the limited number of plans available, transition plans vary greatly in how comprehensive they are as every organization creates their own plan or transitions children into the childcare setting without an identified plan. This paper proposes a professional development plan for educators working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) transitioning into a standard childcare program. The program includes staff training and support, and collaboration partnerships.Item The Psyche of a Building: An Exploration of how Buildings Relate to the Human Psyche Through a Renovated Farmstead(North Dakota State University, 2020) Kingston, VeronicaFarmsteads have been steady reminders of how this country got its start. Hard work, family, faith, and community were all aspects of farm life. Each home was built with the help of neighbors, children learned how to do chores early in life, people respected the land and knew how important it was to the survival of the family. Now as people move into the cities for the comforts of modern day living the old farmsteads are falling into disrepair or torn down for land development. The cost of repairing the old buildings seems like a daunting task, one that many people deem unimportant. What are we losing with this line of thinking? Buildings not only have their own psyche; they also contribute to ours. How we interact and what happens within a building adds to our emotions. Think of your favorite place to be, is it big or small? Spacious or intimate? Dark or light? How did you feel in that space? Attics, basements, corners, all of these are connected to our consciousness. This project explores these situations through the texts of Gaston Bachelard and Anne Bordeleau, while situating these inspirations within the renovations of a farmhouse and surround structure in the rural Mid-West.Item The Dangers of Power: Government Control in the Worlds of Condie’s Matched and Lowry’s The Giver(North Dakota State University, 2020) Haley, Deborah FaithThis paper considers the topic of government control through the context of young adult dystopian literature. The novels The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry and Matched (2011) by Ally Condie are specifically considered in their connection to governmental control over an entire society. The novels The Giver and Matched both provide views into worlds where such basic human experiences as language use and memory are controlled, so that the protagonists—Jonas (The Giver) and Cassia (Matched) –find themselves torn between trusting what they have been told all their lives by their respective societies and what they have come to understand through their own experiences apart from the controlled environment of the government. Through these novels, we are shown the complete stagnation of the human experience possible when government structures are allowed to control all aspects of life in a culture, society, or country and no one challenges their decisions.Item The Development and Validation of a New Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf(North Dakota State University, 2020) Christianson, Paul ArthurThe purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the past research that has been conducted to date on pre-shot routines in golf via a thorough review of the literature. A historical review is presented in a chronological order of research studies that have been conducted pertaining to pre-shot routines in golf over the last 40 years. From this review, the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf was developed and assessed amongst college golf coaches in the United States. A total of 36 college golf coaches working at the NCAA Division I level participated in a two-round Delphi study to validate the usefulness and future utility of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf. The usefulness of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf was validated by achieving a 72.73% consensus agreement level amongst study participants. The researchers were unable to reach adequate levels of expert consensus amongst college golf coaches working at the NCAA Division I level pertaining to the future utility of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf in their golf instruction. However, it was found that future utilization rates of the model may increase if the designer of the model were to provide educational sessions to college golf coaches and members of their college golf team. Practitioners and researchers are encouraged to further examine the efficacy and future adoption rates of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf amongst golfers of all ability levels. In addition, a study examining the real adoption and utilization rates of college golf coaches working at the Division I level is encouraged upon the completion of face-to-face educational sessions by a researcher who has expertise in the area of pre-shot routines in golf.Item Boecraft Continuum(North Dakota State University, 2022) Kaesmeyer, JaredWhat is tradition? Careening 100 miles per hour across a thin shelf of ice, compelled solely by a precise manipulation of the wind atop razor sharp steel blades? This sounds more like a death wish than tradition. Yet building and sailing a wooden ice boat is an art that has been passed down for 300 years. It is a composition of elegance, engineering, and craftsmanship, yet still is on a trajectory to extinction. In a high-speed era of innovation, where does this tradition find its place? Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is known as the Ice Boat Capital of the World. Geneva Lake is surrounded by a tourist town and is a summer home for many of the Midwest’s wealthiest individuals. What exists here is a story and tradition of ice boating that is completely unique. This thesis seeks to tell this story through a new destination at the heart of downtown, bringing to light what is unknown to many. Skeeter Yacht Club is a portal of history, a facility of education, and an establishment dedicated to bringing all people to the art of building and sailing these wooden masterpieces.Item Revolution(North Dakota State University, 2021) Bumby, SpencerHow can we design stadiums to better serve their communities: visually, physically, and financially? In the last decade, there has been a trend in the United States to design and build soccer-specific stadiums for Major League Soccer (MLS) teams. While most teams now have a soccer-specific stadium, there are few teams who have not yet followed on the trend due to no immediate desire to move to a new venue. Like most stadiums and arenas, the general public does not view the public funding of them in a favorable manner. This is due to their increasing costs and lack of return of investment for their cities. Even when publicly funded on the hands of the tourists, many argue that the extra revenue should be invested in the community instead of the sporting venues. One of the more recent trends within stadium design has been to create large entertainment districts surrounding the stadiums. We have seen this be very successful for football stadiums and baseball parks, leading to new developments in cities that see high daily usage. Even though the surrounding context has significant usage, the stadium anchoring this neighborhood is still unused most of the year. The stadiums are also generally locked and closed off on the many days that they aren’t being used. To create a resolution to this issue stadiums should be designed with mixed uses as a priority to generate year-round revenue and become more connected to their cities.Item Skin Cancer Screening in Primary Care Using Dermoscopy(North Dakota State University, 2020) Lubitz, Erin ElizaSkin cancer rates continue to rise affecting millions of individuals annually. While cutaneous malignant melanoma comprises a fraction of total skin cancers diagnosed, melanoma is associated with a poor prognosis and higher mortality rate when compared to other forms of skin cancer. The greatest risk factor for skin cancer is the amount of ultraviolet light exposure making skin cancer the most common preventable form of cancer. In conjunction with primary prevention, part of secondary prevention measures involves performing routine skin examinations. According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, only 8% of individuals who had seen a primary care provider in the previous 12 months had a skin examination performed (Johnson et al., 2017). A low rate of skin examination can largely be attributed to current professional guidelines from the United States Preventative Services Task Force (2016) not supporting routine skin screening of all patients. Despite the recommendation, primary care providers are consistently faced with the need to evaluate skin lesions. Other barriers identified include lack of training and practical screening methods. Dermoscopy is a noninvasive technique for identifying skin lesions. Based on the need for improved screening practices and identified barriers, a brief educational session and resource on skin cancer and dermoscopy was presented to primary care providers at an urban family practice clinic in eastern North Dakota. Following the educational session, a three-month implementation period provided time for providers to implement their knowledge and dermoscopy skills in practice. The purpose of the project was to increase knowledge, improve accuracy of identifying skin lesions, and increase provider confidence using dermoscopy. Evaluation using a pre-implementation survey of providers in the clinic found the primary care providers felt comfortable with their baseline knowledge of skin cancer but did not feel confident in their ability to use a dermoscope. Most of the participating providers deemed their level of knowledge regarding dermoscopy to be at a novice level. Results of the post-implementation found providers felt more comfortable using dermoscopy and knowledge in dermoscopy overall improved from novice to advanced beginner or competent.Item Adaptive Thinking(North Dakota State University, 2023) Trosen, TannerThe LEED Green Building Rating System was founded in 1993 and officially launched in 1998. Since then LEED’s goal has been to certify buildings that save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and create healthier places for people. LEED has done a very good job at producing the former. LEED certified buildings are very environmentally friendly, efficient, and save money day to day. Unfortunately when it comes to healthier places for people, the ball gets dropped. The WELL Building Standard bridges this gap. WELL buildings seek to improve the nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep, comfort, and performance of its occupants. This is achieved by implementing programs and strategies designed to encourage healthy active lifestyles. The WELL Building Standard is fairly young having only been launched in October 2014. Not only does the WELL Building Standard address the wellbeing of the occupants within a building but it is designed to work harmoniously with the LEED Green Building Rating System. Being that the WELL Building Standard is so new, how easily is it implemented within a LEED Green Building design?